Event Director

Summary

Join Octagon as a Senior Event Director for a 6-month contract, leading the planning and execution of annual industry conferences for B2B clients. You will be the primary account lead, managing on-site programming, collaborating with internal teams, and overseeing budgets. The role involves managing two coordinators, ensuring client communication, and prioritizing tasks in a deadline-driven environment. This position requires strong organizational skills, excellent communication, and the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously. The ideal candidate is a highly collaborative self-starter comfortable taking initiative and voicing ideas. Location is flexible, with a preference for hybrid work in Stamford, CT, New York, NY, Charlotte, NC, Los Angeles, CA, Cary, NC, or Atlanta, GA; remote work may also be considered.

Requirements

• Have a passion for and expertise in event operations and logistics, such as business conferences, tradeshows and conventions, B2B events, sports, entertainment, music and/or celebrity & lifestyle culture
• 7-10 year(s) work experience in event marketing/event production/tradeshow execution
• Extreme attention to detail and proactive management of ongoing tasks
• Experience managing program budgets and actively tracking of program costs
• Leadership presence, with the ability to communicate concisely, persuasively and effectively, through both written and verbal mediums
• History of building positive relationships, both internally and externally – finding opportunities to made valuable contributions with every interaction
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively under short deadlines and lead a team
• Ability to simultaneously manage multiple programs and work streams
• Superior organization skills and a standard of excellence and consistency across your team
• Not afraid to “pitch in”, “roll up your sleeves” and get it done. You take initiative
• Have demonstrated experience in positions requiring discretion, judgment, tact, and poise and you are absolutely reliable and trustworthy
• Can lead client meetings, staff planning, and keep all parties on task, on time, and on budget
• Can motivate others, driving the team to success
• Have the ability to forecast and mitigate issues/challenges effectively
• Willing to work non-traditional hours, including weekend/holiday travel
• Willingness to travel to various event sites throughout the U.S
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel and PowerPoint) and familiarity with Google Apps (Docs, Sheets, Slides)
• Ability to lift up to 50 lbs. and stand for up to or more than eight hours at a time
• Flexibility and willingness to travel domestically and work weekends or holidays as needed. Anticipated travel level: Moderate (20-45%)

Responsibilities

• Lead planning and implementation of on-site programming for client's top customers of clients, including travel to site visits and on-site execution
• Lead planning and implementation of annual conference for up to 200 attendees for clients’ sales industry-focused products
• Focused on overall project management, agendas, budget, communication, etc
• Develop workflow timeline, planning, and program execution, and measurement
• Create templates of program descriptions and event concepts for internal client presentations
• Create and present professional documents, including event briefs and post event recaps
• Create and manage event staffing schedules
• Day to day contact with Manager to ensure needs are being met
• Manage and execute on-site activities including pre-communication with event organizers, event set-up, engaging the clients on staffing, premium distribution and event breakdown
• Provide oversight, management, leadership and direction to direct reports: Event Manager and Senior Event Executive
• Lead day-to-day communication with client, internal service groups and 3 rd party vendors to execute event operations and logistics
• Other Administrative duties and related duties as assigned