Meetings Manager

NorthStar Association Management; Chicago (IL); Vor Ort; USD 90.000 - 120.000; Vollzeit

Zusammenfassung

NorthStar Association Management in Chicago is seeking a Meetings Manager to own end-to-end planning and execution of meetings, conferences, trade shows, and client functions with precision and professionalism.

This role requires 5+ years of event leadership, hands-on venue contracting, budgeting, vendor management, and strong communication. Travel up to 30% may be necessary; CMP preferred, and proficiency in Cvent and Excel is valued.

Qualifikationen

• 5+ years of progressively responsible experience planning and executing complex meetings, conferences, trade shows, or association events for multiple clients or stakeholder groups.
• Hands-on experience with hotel and venue contracting, room blocks and pickup reporting, registration, speaker management, audiovisual, food and beverage, furniture and room sets, signage, sponsorships, vendor coordination, and onsite staffing.
• Ability to manage multiple concurrent events and clients while meeting deadlines and maintaining visibility into priorities.
• Attention to detail across specifications, vendor orders, budgets, timelines, approvals, and onsite execution.
• Ownership, urgency, organization, follow-through, and risk anticipation.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; documenting decisions and status updates; escalating concerns appropriately.
• Strong financial acumen in budgeting, quotes, cost tracking, forecasting, reconciliation, and vendor management.
• Familiarity with Cvent or similar platforms; Excel budgeting and tracking.
• Client-focused, collaborative, and composed; decisive during on-site changes.
• Willingness to travel as required; CMP preferred.

Aufgaben

• Establish and maintain relationships with assigned clients and understand their goals.
• Define event objectives, budget parameters, approval protocols, decision-makers, and desired outcomes at planning start.
• Communicate feasibility, cost, timing, dependencies, and provide practical recommendations.
• Provide proactive, timely status updates and document decisions in writing.
• Execute events per client specifications with high satisfaction and continuity from planning through post-event follow-up.
• Own end-to-end events from planning to onsite delivery and post-event reporting.
• Develop detailed project plans, critical-path timelines, meeting specifications, production schedules, room sets, staffing plans, decision logs, budget trackers, approval records, and organized shared files.
• Coordinate all event logistics, including hotel RFPs and contracting, registration, room blocks and pickup reporting, speakers, food and beverage, audiovisual, signage, transportation, sponsorships, exhibits, and onsite staffing.
• Establish internal deadlines ahead of contractual and vendor deadlines, track dependencies, verify completion, and elevate delays promptly.
• Develop and manage event budgets; obtain comparable quotes; track commitments in real time; secure approvals before changes.
• Apply disciplined change control by documenting scope changes and updating related plans, specifications, and vendor instructions.
• Research and recommend meeting sites, activities, products, and service options aligned with client objectives; present alternatives with pricing and timing implications.
• Negotiate and manage vendor contracts; issue precise written direction; review orders and confirmations; hold vendors accountable.
• Lead onsite execution with pre-event checks, command document, assigned staff, deliverables, and issue resolution.
• Travel as needed for site selection and onsite event management.

Kenntnisse

Meetings planning

Vendor management

Budgeting

Contracting

Onsite execution

Client communication

Change management

Documentation

Attention to detail

Travel readiness

Ausbildung

Certified Meeting Professional (CMP)

Tools

Cvent

Excel

Jobbeschreibung

NorthStar Association Management is a boutique, association management company serving trade associations, professional societies, and member communities. We provide full-service, hybrid, and project-based management solutions built around senior access, named accountability, functional expertise, and practical execution.

NorthStar is intentionally right-sized. Our experienced association professionals stay close to the work, understand each client's operating realities, and build trusted relationships with board members, volunteers, members, sponsors, and partners. We combine the responsiveness and personal attention of a focused firm with access to broader expertise across meetings and events, governance, finance, membership, marketing and communications, education, technology, sponsorship, and growth.

Our approach is grounded in clear ownership, proactive communication, visible work, documented processes, sound financial stewardship, and dependable follow-through. We help clients protect what makes their organizations special while building the structure, capacity, and momentum needed for long-term success.

Position Summary

The Meetings Manager serves as the primary point of contact for assigned clients and takes end-to-end ownership of planning and executing meetings, conferences, trade shows, and client functions with precision, professionalism, and a no-surprises approach. Consistent with NorthStar's operating philosophy and service standards, this position contributes to the success of the Meetings function by combining event-planning expertise with disciplined project management, proactive communication, sound judgment, and exceptional attention to detail. The Meetings Manager is responsible for logistics, budgets, timelines, documentation, vendor performance, change control, onsite execution, and client satisfaction. The role ensures clients and internal leaders consistently understand what has been decided, what remains open, associated costs and tradeoffs, who owns each next step, and when action is required.

Essential Functions

Client Engagement and Execution

• Establish and maintain strong relationships with assigned clients, understanding their goals, priorities, expectations, and measures of success for each event.
• Collaborate with clients to define event objectives, budget parameters, approval protocols, decision-makers, and desired outcomes at the beginning of the planning process.
• Manage client expectations by clearly communicating feasibility, cost, timing, dependencies, and operational consequences while providing practical recommendations.
• Provide proactive, timely status updates; confirm decisions and approvals in writing; and raise risks early enough to protect the client experience, budget, and event timeline.
• Execute events in accordance with approved client specifications, ensuring a high level of customer satisfaction and continuity from planning through post-event follow-up.

Operational Excellence

• Take end-to-end ownership of assigned events from initial planning through onsite delivery, financial reconciliation, and post-event reporting, following through without repeated prompting.
• Develop and maintain detailed project plans, critical-path timelines, meeting specifications, production schedules, room sets, staffing plans, decision logs, budget trackers, approval records, and organized shared files.
• Coordinate all event logistics, including hotel RFPs and contracting, registration, room blocks and pickup reporting, speakers, food and beverage, audiovisual, signage, transportation, sponsorships, exhibits, and onsite staffing, as applicable.
• Establish internal deadlines ahead of contractual and vendor deadlines, track dependencies, verify completion, and elevate delays promptly.
• Develop and manage event budgets; obtain comparable quotes through an apples-to-apples bid process; identify hidden or incremental costs; track commitments in real time; and secure approval before authorizing changes.
• Apply disciplined change control by documenting scope changes, evaluating effects on cost and timing, obtaining approvals, and updating all related plans, specifications, and vendor instructions.
• Research and recommend meeting sites, activities, products, and service options aligned with client objectives; when needs change or obstacles arise, present feasible alternatives with pricing, tradeoffs, timing implications, and a clear recommendation.
• Negotiate and manage vendor contracts; issue precise written direction; verify vendor understanding; review orders, diagrams, and confirmations carefully; and hold vendors accountable for agreed deliverables.
• Lead onsite execution by conducting thorough pre-event checks, maintaining an accessible command document, assigning staff responsibilities, confirming deliverables, and resolving issues while protecting the overall attendee and client experience.
• Travel as needed for site selection and onsite event management and remain composed, organized, and decisive when priorities shift or rapid decisions are required.

Collaboration and Reporting

• Coordinate effectively across client leaders, internal teams, venues, exhibitors, sponsors, speakers, and vendors by establishing clear responsibilities, deadlines, handoffs, and communication protocols.
• Track and report meeting metrics, including attendance, registration, room pickup, revenue, expenses, budget performance, and other agreed measures of success.
• Maintain a reliable cadence of concise status reporting that identifies completed work, upcoming milestones, open decisions, risks, budget implications, owners, and required actions.
• Exercise sound judgment by independently resolving routine issues and promptly escalating financial, contractual, legal, reputational, safety, and client-service concerns.
• Demonstrate accountability by welcoming feedback, communicating errors or missed commitments promptly, correcting them, and implementing safeguards to prevent recurrence.
• Stay informed about industry trends and incorporate innovative ideas into event-planning processes.
• Contribute to the refinement and improvement of NorthStar's processes, service standards, tools, templates, and best practices.
• Seek opportunities for professional development and stay current on relevant certifications, technology, and industry knowledge.
• Other duties that align with the mission, values, client commitments, and operating needs of NorthStar Association Management may be assigned.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of progressively responsible experience planning and executing complex meetings, conferences, trade shows, or association events for multiple clients or stakeholder groups.
• Demonstrated hands-on experience with hotel and venue contracting, room blocks and pickup reporting, registration, speaker management, audiovisual, food and beverage, furniture and room sets, signage, sponsorships, vendor coordination, and onsite staffing.
• Proven ability to manage multiple concurrent events and clients while maintaining accuracy, meeting deadlines, and preserving visibility into priorities, dependencies, and open decisions.
• Exceptional attention to detail across specifications, vendor orders, diagrams, budgets, timelines, approvals, and onsite execution.
• Demonstrated ownership, urgency, organization, and follow-through, with the ability to anticipate risks and complete work without repeated prompting.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to document decisions, provide concise status updates, manage expectations, and escalating concerns appropriately.
• Solutions-oriented problem-solving skills, with the ability to present alternatives that clearly explain pricing, tradeoffs, timing implications, risks, and recommendations.
• Strong financial acumen and demonstrated proficiency in budget development, quote comparison, cost tracking, forecasting, reconciliation, contract negotiation, and vendor management.
• Proficiency with Cvent or a comparable registration and event-management platform and with Excel-based budgeting, project-tracking, and reporting tools.
• Client-focused, collaborative, and composed working style, with sound judgment and the ability to remain decisive when priorities or onsite conditions change.
• Willingness to travel as required for client meetings, site visits, and onsite event management.
• Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) or comparable industry certification preferred.

Nice to have:

Experience with exhibits management, including exhibitor communications, floor plans, service-kit coordination, decorator and general-service-contractor management, booth assignments, freight and material handling, exhibitor registration, sponsorship fulfillment, and onsite exhibitor support.

Virtual-First Work Environment:

Employees are expected to work effectively in a virtual environment, remain accessible during established business hours, participate fully in virtual and in-person meetings, maintain reliable technology and connectivity, and work from a professional setting appropriate for confidential client business. In-person attendance may be required for team meetings, client meetings, site visits, conferences, and other business needs.

Extended Work Hours:

The nature of this role may require more than 40 hours per week to fulfill job responsibilities. Flexibility in working early mornings, evenings, nights, and weekends may be necessary. Longer hours and weekend commitments are typically associated with conferences, site visits, or special events.

Travel Requirements

Travel is necessary for this position, up to 30 % of the time, including weekends. Modes of transportation may include air travel, car, or rail.