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Senior Meeting Planner

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Location: New York, NY

Department: Events

Posted: 10/10/2024

Location Name: New York, NY

Wage Max: 85,000.00

Wage Min: 80,000.00

Position Type: Full Time

About The Conference Board

Founded in 1916 (https://cdn.acquiretm.com/assets/conference-board/TCB_HistoryTimeLine.pdf) , The Conference Board is the member-driven think tank that delivers trusted insights for what’s ahead. Our agenda is simple: to help leaders navigate the biggest issues facing business and better serve society. We believe in innovative approaches that make you think- and act- differently. And everything we do reflects the input of our members and their real-world challenges.

We do this by delivering business insights. We connect senior executives across industries and geographies to share ideas, and our experts create fact-based research and consensus-driven policy statements to help leaders address their most important business issues.

Because we are independent, non-partisan, and non-profit our work is trusted. If you learned it at The Conference Board you can count on it.

What it’s like to work here:

While it’s serious work to operate a global business think tank, it’s also fulfilling — and fun! Our people enjoy what they do and know their ideas matter.

We encourage everyone to take personal ownership for outcomes: we collaborate, share a purpose and commit to each other and to our Members. It’s all about doing our very best - which means we succeed as our Members succeed - together we improve society.

The Conference Board invites all interested and qualified candidates to apply for employment opportunities. If you are an individual with a disability in need of assistance with our online application system and would like to request a reasonable accommodation, please email Sarah Baylis atSarah.Baylis@conference-board.org or call at 212-339-0347. Please indicate your full name, contact information and the specific accommodation needed.

Position Summary:

The Conference Board’s Meeting Planners are key to our Events business. With each event comprised of 100-1500 attendees and 5-75 sponsors, the Senior Meeting Planner’s expertise and guidance help ensure that production of the event, from concept through onsite execution, delivers an interesting, informative, engaging, and high-quality experience. Ideal candidates are passionate about event and meeting planning; creative; detail-oriented; nimble; dedicated to delivering superb customer service at every stage of event planning; with strong decision-making and delegation skills.

Essential Functions:

Lead and oversee planning and execution for mid-to large sized events (150+ attendees):

• Working with the Senior Director Sourcing & Contracting, support the venue selection process by participating in site visits and related activities.

• Manage registration material preparation and front of house.

• Arrange for temporary personnel at assigned meetings when necessary. Instruct them as to their duties and supervise their performance.

• Monitor room blocks and adjust as needed.

• Manage menu selection, meeting specification details, accommodations for staff and speakers, audio visual equipment, banquet event orders and guarantees.

• Oversee preparation of on-site materials, including signage and attendee materials.

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams for onsite planning, production, staging, content, A/V

• Lead pre-production and rehearsal meetings

• Lead on-site operations - overseeing other Planners, Speaker Coordinators and temporary staff and collaborating with Programmers and Digital Operations to ensure excellent service to attendees, speakers, and sponsors.

• Ensure hotel and meeting information is correctly documented in CRM database.

• Support the Associate Director, Meeting Planning Services for designated, large meetings.

• Audit venue and vendor invoices to ensure accuracy; complete event wrap up including budget reconciliation, billing, invoicing and other administrative filing.

• Continuously seek opportunities to improve our processes and enhance the customer experience.

Collaborate with colleagues to ensure we meet and exceed our financial targets:

• Working with the Senior Director Sourcing & Contracting, support pricing negotiation with vendors to achieve the most favorable terms for The Conference Board.

• Review meeting location budgets for each event. Adhere to budgets when planning and/or negotiating with meeting vendors (hotel, audio visual, temporary staff, ground transportation and any other meeting vendor).

• Maximize the use of the preferred vendors, when possible.

• Provide estimated site costs for monthly forecasts for each assigned project.

• Verify the accuracy of all meeting-related invoices.

• Prepare final expense report for each assigned project as it relates to expenses incurred on site.

• Perform additional duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

• 5+ years meeting or event planning

• 3+ years’ experience budgeting, forecasting, and invoice reconciliation.

• 2+ years working in the hospitality industry or managing hotel vendors.

• Demonstrated ability to negotiate contract terms and pricing.

• Keeps abreast of new industry trends.

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.

• Self-starter; a collaborative, flexible, creative problem solver.

• Exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail; technologically savvy.

• Ability to work on multiple projects in varying stages of development simultaneously and autonomously.

• Superior prioritizing and time management skills, and the ability to meet deadlines consistently.

• Proficient in MS Office; Teams, Sharepoint a plus.

• CRM, event technology experience preferred.

• Bachelor’s degree preferred.

What We Offer

The Conference Board is proud to embrace best practices in employee wellbeing. We offer a competitive total compensation package. As part of our benefits package, we offer flexibility with remote working capabilities, employer-sponsored learning and development, advancement opportunities, on-site health initiatives, a communal and collaborative working environment, and a strong sense of comradery with sports teams, clubs, volunteer opportunities, and employee events.

The Conference Board does not discriminate. We are an equal opportunity employer/M/F/Vet/Disabled.

Apply Now!