Exhibits Manager

About Kellen

Kellen is a global management and communications company serving more than 125 trade associations, professional societies, and charitable organizations representing over 10,000 companies and 100,000 professionals worldwide. We specialize in management, communications, digital strategy, meetings and events, and consulting across a diverse range of industries.

Founded in 1964 and charter-accredited through the AMC Institute, Kellen has offices in Atlanta, Beijing, Brussels, Chicago, New York City, and Washington, DC.

Kellen's greatest asset is its employees. In order to reinforce the culture underpinning our approach to service delivery, we value diversity, equity, and inclusion across our organization. Our professionals hail from more than a dozen countries and speak more than two dozen languages. We are invested in finding, hiring, training, and promoting the very best to be #OneKellen.

General Purpose of the Position

Following Kellen Best Practices, the Manager, Meetings and Expositions, manages the planning and execution of successful and profitable meeting programs to include managing all logistics and pre-planning, and provides a high level of customer service to client account team, client committees, and program participants for both internal and external clients.

Essential Functions

Strategy and Leadership

• Consults with internal and external stakeholders to determine event’s goals, objectives, budget and desired outcomes for clients and event participants.
• Expands network, participates in knowledge sharing, and serves as representative and thought leader on external
• committees.
• Counsels clients on industry best practices and contributes innovative and effective ideas to client strategic planning and process analyses.
• Builds and maintains strong internal and external client relationships.
• Advises clients of emerging technologies, processes and best practices and the impact of same on attendee engagement.

Manages Meetings Logistics

Pre-event

• Based upon research and responses to RFPs, identifies appropriate venues for respective events and makes recommendations to decision makers within Meetings & Expositions team, client team, and client.
• Participates in site-selection meetings.
• Negotiates business elements of event contracts with vendors and hotels, such as dates, rates, meeting space, concessions, etc.
• Coordinates and manages pre-planning meetings with client account team, including management, sales, education programming, and other related personnel.
• Financial management, including budget creation, monitoring revenue/expense performance, and reviewing staff time against fees.
• Oversees online registration process.
• Oversees room block performance/weekly ‘pick-up.’
• Coordinates logistics including agenda/program development, speaker engagement, food and beverage menu selections, air and ground transportation arrangements, registration, housing processes and audiovisual/technical needs.
• Oversees trade show management, as needed, including initiating proposals with general contractor, negotiating and managing contracts, and acting as intermediary between general contractor, venue manager and exhibitors
• Communicates relevant information to appropriate stakeholders, such as routine and ad hoc reports, including statistics and metrics.
• Proactively manages changes in project scope; identifies potential crises; and devises contingency plans.

At-Event

• Tracks attendance, registrations, hotel history, and attendee satisfaction.
• Performs on-site meeting and exhibit (as needed) management, troubleshoots issues when they arise, and implements contingency plans when needed.

Post Event

• Completes post-event tasks, including reconciliation of expenses, evaluation of event, and reporting on meeting results.

Qualifications

• Bachelors’ degree desired, plus four to six years’ experience working in an event planning and/or logistics capacity.
• Effective planning and organization skills to effectively manage multiple conferences/projects at any given time; reliability to maintain established schedule, manage time and priorities, and meet commitments and deadlines.
• Ability to think strategically and also execute the details of a plan.
• Strong sense of ownership and accountability to identify tasks, and see them through to completion.
• Polished communication skills, both written and verbal, and interpersonal skills to manage relationships with vendors, internal and external clients.
• Resourceful in nature with the ability identify problems and quickly develop solutions.
• Effective negotiation skills.
• Strong customer service orientation, and the ability to interact effectively with staff at all levels of the organization.
• Strong computer skills with proficiency in spreadsheet, word-processing, database, and presentation software applications. Experience with association management software desired, along with the ability to learn new software packages.
• Proactive and collaborative working style.
• Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) certification strongly desired.
• International event management experience a plus.

Supervision Exercised

None

Physical Demands

This job operates in a hybrid-office environment with a two day in-office requirement every Tuesday and Wednesday. The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions..

Travel Requirements

Travel may be necessary, up to 25% of the time and may be by travel by air, car, or rail.

Kellen EEO Statement
Kellen does not discriminate against any employee or applicant on the basis of age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances. We adhere to these principles in all aspects of employment, including recruitment, hiring, training, compensation, promotion, benefits, social and recreational programs, and discipline. In addition, it is the policy of Kellen to provide reasonable accommodation to qualified employees who have protected disabilities to the extent required by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances where a particular employee works.