Exhibitor & Sponsorship Specialist

Smithbucklin; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 74,000 - 84,000; Full time

Job summary

Smithbucklin, a 650-person, employee-owned professional services company, seeks an Exhibitor & Sponsorship Specialist to join the Event Services team in Chicago or Washington DC. You will own trade show delivery, manage exhibitors and sponsors, and collaborate with education, marketing and sales teams to deliver successful events.

The role requires strong project management, financial oversight, and the ability to travel up to 20% as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.
• 5+ years of relevant professional experience.
• Experience in tradeshow, exposition, or sponsorship planning preferred.
• Familiarity with exhibit management software and CRM platforms.

Responsibilities

• Lead overall delivery of trade shows, including project management, financial management and team oversight.
• Manage relationships with exhibitors and sponsors; service partners using best-in-class processes and tools.
• Develop trade show strategies and end-to-end logistical plans to achieve event outcomes.
• Oversee budget development, revenue projections, financial performance and reconciliations.
• Coordinate space planning, floor plan management and show floor education logistics.
• Support prospectus and contracts in collaboration with Marketing and Sales.
• Oversee third-party suppliers and RFP processes; ensure sponsor fulfillment and benefits.

Skills

Time management

Detail oriented

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Collaborative

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

ExpoCAD

Salesforce

Microsoft Office Suite

Job description

Smithbucklin, a 650-person, employee-owned professional services company with more than 70 years of success serving the association market, is looking for a Exhibitor & Sponsorship Specialist to join our team in Chicago or Washington DC.

Our Event Services unit provides meetings, conventions, events and tradeshow management worldwide through the expertise of our meeting professionals, who manage every facet and detail of our client organization’s events. Our goal is to work closely with client organization leaders to create an enjoyable conference experience for all attendees, exhibitors and sponsors, while ensuring a successful outcome based on the organization’s event objectives.

At Smithbucklin, we embody a culture driven by optimism, ambition, expertise, and thoughtfulness, where every team member is empowered to exceed expectations and deliver exceptional results for our clients. Join us in shaping the future of association management, where our values serve as the cornerstone of our success.

What You Will Do

This professional is accountable for leading the overall delivery of trade shows and responsible for trade show project management, financial management, team management and oversight of all aspects of trade show delivery. In this role, you will lead the management of relationships with exhibitors and sponsors, while working with colleagues to service and support these partners using best-in-class processes, tools and technology.

• Develops trade show strategies, solutions and innovations that are tailored and relevant to client needs to support the overall event strategy, and achievement of event outcomes.
• Develops and manage project plan and timeline including end-to-end logistical management of trade shows.
• Manages trade show project scope, identifying issues and developing contingency plans.
• Manages trades how financials including development of revenue projections, developing budgets, monitoring financial performance and ongoing issue resolution, and oversee monthly financial reconciliation.
• Communicates project status, program deadlines, identify any areas of concern and addresses issues to ensure trade show outcomes are met.
• Leads floor plan management and oversees space selection process.
• Partners with Education to design, develop, and manage logistics for show floor education.
• Supports prospectus and contracts development working in coordination with the Marketing and Sales team.
• Oversees third-party supplier needs (General Services Contractor, signage, security, First Aid, promotional products) and coordination, leads RFP process and selection.
• Oversees exhibitor communication and ongoing customer services.
• Oversees Sponsorship fulfillment programs in collaboration with Sales, to ensure creation, collection, inventory and fulfillment of sponsor benefits.

This Role Might Be for You If

• You are passionate about the events and tradeshow industry and possess working knowledge of industry terminology, sponsorship fulfillment, and trade show management processes.
• You enjoy improving processes and contributing new ideas to enhance efficiency and impact
• You thrive in a fast-paced environment and have strong time management skills with the ability to prioritize effectively
• You are proactive, detail-oriented and solution-focused
• You collaborate well across teams and build positive relationships with clients, colleagues and suppliers
• When presented with a challenge, you demonstrate a positive attitude and a solutions-oriented mindset
• You possess intellectual curiosity and strong analytical skills, are a continuous learner and seek to understand the “why and how”
• You possess strong written and verbal communication skills
• You demonstrate professionalism, accountability and initiative
• You have familiarity with venues, facilities and convention centers
• You are able to travel up to 20% (domestic and international) and work overtime as needed to support events and client meetings.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited four-year institution or equivalent experience
• 5+ years relevant professional experience

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in tradeshow, exposition, or sponsorship planning environments
• Experience with exhibit management software, ExpoCAD, Salesforce, and/or other CRM platforms
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook,Teams)

Where Do You Fit?

Whether you are just beginning your career or are a mid- or senior-level professional, working at Smithbucklin will offer you countless opportunities to develop transferrable skills, acquire meaningful knowledge and gain rich experiences at an accelerated pace. By working collaboratively with smart, ambitious, multi-talented, genuine and hardworking colleagues, you will build meaningful, deep and enduring relationships that will serve you well throughout your career, regardless of your chosen path. In addition, as a 100 percent employee-owned company, Smithbucklin offers all of our people – regardless of position or compensation – an equal chance to experience the fulfillment and reap the benefits of ownership. As owners, our employees control the destiny of Smithbucklin and are unified in the goal of building a great, enduring company.

Smithbucklin is a hybrid work environment with in-office days established as Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Employees will work a standard 40-hour week, with the possibility of additional hours based on project deadlines.

Smithbucklin considers several factors when determining compensation, including a candidate's recent coursework, training, experience, and certifications, among other considerations. The expected pay for this role is $74,000 – $80,000 for Chicago and $78,000 – $84,000 for Washington DC.

At Smithbucklin, Equal Employment Opportunity is our commitment and goal. All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, national origin, gender, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, marital status or any other protected status designated by federal, state or local law. Applicants are encouraged to confidentially self-identify when applying. Employment is contingent upon successful completion of a reference and background investigation based on position.

Smithbucklin will not sponsor applicants for work visas and as a precondition of employment, you must be authorized to work in the United States permanently