Event Operations Manager, Illinois

TMG Retail Ltd; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Discretionary annual bonus up to 20%

Travel expenses covered to shows

11 days PTO + holidays + extra days at

Birthday day off

Health insurance

401k

Maternity and paternity leave

Hybrid policy 3 days in office, 2 at  

Job summary

Curate Group is seeking an experienced Event Operations Manager for Lumos Experiences to lead the successful delivery of live events across Illinois. You will own operational planning, venue coordination, staff training and production oversight, ensuring safety, quality and brand standards are met at multiple venues.

You will travel to shows, coach teams, and help drive continuous improvement, with a proactive, hands-on leadership style and a strong focus on guest experience and operational

Qualifications

• Proven experience in event operations, production or management.
• A natural self-starter who thrives on responsibility and momentum.
• Ability to motivate a team, set and uphold high standards and bring energy to your events.
• Confident in making decisions, even under pressure and always ready to find a solution.
• Strong organizational and project management skills with the ability to multitask.
• Excellent negotiation, communication and interpersonal skills.
• Driving license, traveling to various locations as needed.
• Proficiency in Google Suite, AI and team collaboration tools.

Responsibilities

• End-to-End Event Operations: Own the full operational delivery of our shows across Illinois, from pre-show planning and venue coordination to on-the-ground execution and post-event review, ensuring every event runs smoothly, on-brand and to a high standard.
• Venue Management: Maintain a detailed venue catalogue with layouts, access and contact information. Liaise with venues to develop event operations plans, venue advance sheets, emergency procedures and safety documentation as required.
• Staff Recruitment, Scheduling & Training: Lead weekend team recruitment, onboarding and ongoing training for Event Managers and Assistants. Manage and maintain up-to-date training resources, playbooks and manager toolkits.
• Musician & Production Coordination: Work with the Musician Booker to ensure artists are well-briefed and supported. Oversee production teams to ensure all technical and operational elements are executed seamlessly.
• Processes & Operational Standards: Develop and standardize processes across all shows to drive consistency, reduce ambiguity and improve efficiency.
• Budget & Inventory Management: Manage inventory, storage locations, equipment maintenance and logistics to ensure events are properly resourced.
• Field Presence & Quality Control: Attend a minimum of two shows per month, with additional event attendance as needed during training, launches and peak periods.
• Reporting & Continuous Improvement: Deliver post-event reports, analyze KPIs and customer feedback and proactively propose improvements to keep Lumos ahead of industry trends.
• Special Event & Venue Preparation: Coordinate venue-specific requirements including permits, vendor sourcing, local compliance requirements, and operational planning for unique or non-traditional event spaces.
• Coordinate Venue Insurance Requirements: certificates of insurance (COIs), vendor documentation, permits and compliance records to ensure all events meet venue and local requirements.

Skills

Event operations

Team leadership

Project management

Budget management

Vendor coordination

Negotiation

Communication

Driving license

Google Suite

AI tools

Tools

Google Suite

Collaboration tools

AI tools

Job description

About this position

CURATE GROUP

ROLE: Event Operations Manager, Lumos Experiences

Reports to : Head of Regional Events, Illinois

Contract Type : Full time, 3:2 hybrid (Office : WFH)

Office Location : Arlington Heights

COMPANY OVERVIEW

Curate Group is a dynamic events and experiences company, creating unforgettable moments that bring people together. We specialize in unique, high-quality live events - from large scale festivals, immersive concerts, cultural experiences and corporate events partnering with some of the world’s most exciting brands.

One of our core event brands, Lumos Experiences, is one of the most distinctive live entertainment concepts, creating atmospheric candlelit concerts that transform unexpected spaces into something genuinely magical. We're growing fast, running multiple shows per week across new cities and countries and we're looking for a highly organized Event Operations Manager to support the ongoing running of our shows .

ROLE OVERVIEW

Lumos is scaling rapidly across Illinois and we're looking for an Event Operations Manager to lead the successful delivery of our live events. You'll own operational planning and execution across multiple venues, ensuring every show runs smoothly, safely and consistently while supporting the continued growth of the business.

This role suits someone who takes real pride in their work and spots what needs doing before being asked. You'll be a proactive problem-solver who thrives on responsibility, makes confident decisions and brings both energy and precision to everything you do. This isn't a role for someone who waits to be directed, it's for someone who leads, cares and makes things happen.

You’ll also spend time at some of the shows (which can be on weekends) because the best operations leaders stay close to the experience they're delivering. Seeing your events firsthand allows you to coach teams, identify improvements and continually raise standards across the region.

SUCCESS IN THIS ROLE

Success in this role will be measured through event quality, operational consistency, staffing performance, wise budget management, positive guest feedback and the ability to support the region's continued growth.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• End-to-End Event Operations: Own the full operational delivery of our shows across Illinois, from pre-show planning and venue coordination to on-the-ground execution and post-event review, ensuring every event runs smoothly, on-brand and to a high standard.
• Venue Management: Maintain a detailed venue catalogue with layouts, access and contact information. Liaise with venues to develop event operations plans, venue advance sheets, emergency procedures and safety documentation as required.
• Staff Recruitment, Scheduling & Training: Lead weekend team recruitment, onboarding and ongoing training for Event Managers and Assistants. Manage and maintain up-to-date training resources, playbooks and manager toolkits.
• Musician & Production Coordination: Work with the Musician Booker to ensure artists are well-briefed and supported. Oversee production teams to ensure all technical and operational elements are executed seamlessly.
• Processes & Operational Standards: Develop and standardize processes across all shows to drive consistency, reduce ambiguity and improve efficiency.
• Budget & Inventory Management: Manage inventory, storage locations, equipment maintenance and logistics to ensure events are properly resourced.
• Field Presence & Quality Control: Attend a minimum of two shows per month, with additional event attendance as needed during training, launches and peak periods.
• Reporting & Continuous Improvement: Deliver post-event reports, analyze KPIs and customer feedback and proactively propose improvements to keep Lumos ahead of industry trends.
• Special Event & Venue Preparation: Coordinate venue-specific requirements including permits, vendor sourcing, local compliance requirements, and operational planning for unique or non-traditional event spaces.
• Coordinate Venue Insurance Requirements: certificates of insurance (COIs), vendor documentation, permits and compliance records to ensure all events meet venue and local requirements.

WHO WE’RE LOOKING FOR

• Proven experience in event operations, production or management. Ideally within the live entertainment or hospitality sectors.
• A natural self-starter who thrives on responsibility and momentum.
• Ability to motivate a team, set and uphold high standards and bring energy to your events.
• Confident in making decisions, even under pressure and always ready to find a solution.
• Strong organizational and project management skills with the ability to multitask.
• Excellent negotiation, communication and interpersonal skills.
• Driving license, traveling to various locations as needed.
• Proficiency in Google Suite, AI and team collaboration tools.

WHAT WE OFFER

• A competitive salary with flexibility based on your experience and skills.
• Access to our discretionary annual bonus of up to 20% based on personal and business performance
• Covered travel expenses to shows
• 11 days PTO plus federal holidays and extra days off at Christmas
• An extra day of annual leave gifted for each year of service (up to an additional 3 days)
• Your birthday off (or a day within the same month)
• Health insurance
• 401k
• Maternity and paternity leave policy
• A flexible hybrid-working policy 3 days in the office and 2 at home or on-site where needed
• Significant opportunities for personal growth and career progression as the business scales .