Corporate Events & Experiences Lead

Harrisonst; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Harrison Street Asset Management is seeking a Corporate Events & Experiences Lead to own planning and execution of the firm’s events across North America. This hands-on role requires exceptional creativity, attention to detail, and disciplined execution in fast-paced, high-touch environments.

You will manage the calendar, partner with People Operations and the Talent & Culture Committee, and elevate every experience from town halls to client engagements with thoughtful and polished delivery.

Qualifications

• 5–8+ years of progressive experience in corporate event planning, experiential events, hospitality or a related field.
• Demonstrated ability to independently own complex events from concept through execution.
• Experience working directly with executive-level stakeholders and managing high-visibility events.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end planning and execution of Harrison Street’s corporate events and experiences across North America, from concept through on-site execution and follow-up.
• Plan and execute firmwide employee events and experiences, including town halls, offsites, celebrations and culture-building events.
• Partner with the Global Chief People Officer to develop events that support firm priorities, relationships and culture.
• Bring fresh concepts and creative ideas to events, with a focus on evolving recurring experiences over time.
• Curate all aspects of the experience including venues, hospitality, programming, food & beverage, entertainment, gifting and branding.
• Oversee employee-facing branded materials, swag and gifting programs with a consistent brand aesthetic.
• Manage high-profile, confidential, time-sensitive events with discretion and sound judgment.
• Ensure seamless execution and high-touch experience for employees, clients, executives and guests.
• Stay current on trends and bring relevant ideas to Harrison Street.

Skills

Event planning

Experiential events

Hospitality

Vendor management

Budget management

Executive stakeholder management

Project management

Communication

Time management

Creativity

Job description

Harrison Street Asset Management ("HSAM") is a leading global alternative investment management firm focused on real estate, infrastructure, and credit strategies across North America and Europe. Headquartered in Chicago, Toronto, and London with offices across North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, the firm has over $108 billion in assets under management on behalf of institutional investors and registered investment advisors globally.

Founded on a culture of innovation, HSAM is an early mover in alternative real estate and mid-market infrastructure. Today, the firm’s global team, consisting of more than 520 professionals, is committed to creating long-term value through deep sector expertise and forward-thinking strategies.

Harrison Street is seeking a Corporate Events & Experiences Lead to own the planning and execution of the firm’s corporate events and experiences across North America. Reporting to the Global Chief People Officer, this individual will oversee a broad portfolio of employee, client and executive experiences, including firmwide gatherings, leadership meetings, client events, conferences and other high-touch engagements.

The role will also own and maintain Harrison Street’s annual events calendar, partnering with People Operations and the Talent & Culture Committee to bring coordination, consistency and visibility to events across the firm.

The expectation is not simply to execute great events, but to continually improve them. This individual will bring fresh thinking, creativity and strong judgment to each experience, ensuring that even recurring events feel thoughtful, polished and intentionally evolved.

This is a highly hands‑on role requiring exceptional creative judgment, attention to detail and disciplined execution. The ideal candidate thinks like a host, not simply an organizer, anticipating needs, managing details and creating experiences that feel intentional, distinctive and memorable.

Corporate Events & Experiences

• Own end-to-end planning and execution of Harrison Street’s corporate events and experiences across North America, from initial concept through on-site execution and follow-up.


• Plan and execute firmwide employee events and experiences, including town halls, offsites, celebrations, social programming and other culture-building events.


• Partner closely with the Global Chief People Officer to develop events and experiences that support firm priorities, relationships and culture.


• Bring fresh concepts and creative ideas to events, with a focus on evolving and improving recurring experiences over time.


• Curate all aspects of the experience, including venues, hospitality, programming, food and beverage, entertainment, gifting, branded materials and other touchpoints.


• Oversee employee‑facing branded materials, swag and gifting programs, ensuring they are thoughtful, elevated and consistent with the Harrison Street brand.


• Manage high‑profile, confidential and time‑sensitive events and initiatives with discretion and sound judgment.


• Ensure seamless execution and a consistently high‑touch experience for employees, clients, executives and guests.


• Stay current on emerging event, hospitality and experiential trends and bring relevant ideas and best practices to Harrison Street.

Annual Events Calendar & Talent & Culture Partnership

• Own and maintain the firmwide annual events calendar, bringing together corporate, employee and other relevant events across Harrison Street.


• Meet with Talent & Culture subcommittees as part of the annual planning process to understand their proposed events, timing and objectives.


• Provide event‑planning expertise, guidance and recommendations to subcommittees as they develop annual programming, while subcommittees retain responsibility for owning and executing their respective events unless otherwise agreed.


• Bring a firmwide perspective to the calendar, identifying scheduling conflicts, gaps, duplication and opportunities to better coordinate programming across groups


• Help create a thoughtful cadence and mix of events and experiences throughout the year


• Serve as a resource to Talent & Culture committees on event concepts, venues, vendors, budgets and planning best practices

Event Operations & Vendor Management

• Own event budgets, timelines, logistics and execution plans with a strong focus on quality, efficiency and cost management.


• Source, evaluate and manage venues, agencies and vendors across North America; negotiate contracts and pricing as appropriate.


• Build and maintain strong relationships with preferred venues and vendors.


• Identify opportunities to consolidate vendors, leverage firmwide relationships and drive efficiencies.


• Develop scalable event‑planning processes, tools, templates and best practices to support consistent execution.


• Track event feedback and conduct post‑event reviews to identify learnings and improve future programming.

Required Experience & Skills

• 5–8+ years of progressive experience in corporate event planning, experiential events, hospitality or a related field, preferably in a high‑touch professional services, financial services or client‑service environment.


• Demonstrated ability to independently own complex events from initial concept through execution.


• Experience working directly with executive‑level stakeholders and managing high‑visibility events and experiences.


• Proven ability to manage multiple events, timelines and priorities simultaneously with exceptional attention to detail.


• Strong project management, organizational and follow‑through skills.


• Strong creative instincts paired with practical, disciplined execution.


• Experience managing event budgets, vendor relationships and contract negotiations


• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build strong relationships across an organization and with external partners.


• High level of discretion, judgment and professionalism.


• Ability and willingness to travel as needed throughout North America to support key events and on‑site execution.


• Flexibility to support events outside of standard business hours, including evenings and occasional weekends.

Key Attributes

• Strong taste, aesthetic judgment and attention to detail.


• Creative thinker who brings original ideas and a clear point of view.


• Think[s] like a host, not simply an organizer.


• Anticipates needs and thinks several steps ahead.


• Balances creativity with budgets, timelines and practical execution.


• Calm under pressure and solutions‑focused.


• Polished, professional and comfortable working with senior stakeholders.


• Proactive, resourceful, accountable and able to operate independently.

Why This Role Matters

• Opportunity to own and shape Harrison Street’s corporate events and experiences program across North America.


• Broad exposure across employee, client and executive experiences.


• High degree of ownership and creative autonomy.


• Opportunity to strengthen how Harrison Street brings its culture, relationships and brand to life through experiences.

Harrison Street is proud to be an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace and is an affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to veteran status, uniform service member status, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information or any other protected class under federal, state, or local law.