Audience Development - Events (Contract)

Semafor•New York, WA

About The Position

Semafor is seeking an experienced Contract Audience Developer to support audience development and event execution for Semafor World Economy, its flagship global convening in Washington, D.C. The role owns audience development across assigned events and programming from audience strategy and list building through invitations, registration, attendee communications, and on-site readiness. The successful candidate will use sound audience judgment and hands-on operational skills to attract the right mix of attendees, meet participation targets, and provide a seamless attendee experience. The position is ideally based in Semafor’s New York, NY, or Washington, D.C. offices, but remote candidates outside either region may be considered. Compensation is a flat weekly rate of $1,800. Semafor’s flexible paid time off policy applies to full-time, salaried employees; the posting does not state that this contract role is eligible for that benefit.

Requirements

Strong experience in audience development, event marketing, or attendee acquisition for high-profile business events.
Demonstrated ability to manage event audience development from initial planning through execution.
Excellent judgment in curating senior executive and business audiences.
Strong copywriting skills, including experience developing professional event invitations and communications.
Proficiency with CRM systems, event registration platforms, spreadsheets, and website content management tools.
Ability to manage registration pipelines, capacity targets, and multiple simultaneous deadlines.
Highly organized and resourceful, with the ability to take ownership in a fast-paced environment.
Experience working across editorial, commercial, marketing, and event operations teams.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute audience acquisition plans for assigned Semafor World Economy events.
Build and curate targeted invitation lists using Semafor’s internal databases and other relevant sources.
Translate event briefs into audience criteria, including seniority, industry, organizational relevance, and desired audience composition.
Align audience recruitment with editorial priorities, event objectives, and partner commitments where applicable.
Draft invitation copy, registration messaging, reminders, and other attendee communications.
Coordinate with the design team on event invitations and related creative assets.
Manage invitation distribution, personalized outreach, follow-ups, and attendee communications.
Track audience acquisition performance and adjust outreach strategies to meet targets.
Manage event website content, registration pages, and RSVP workflows for assigned events.
Ensure event information, registration details, speaker content, and attendee-facing materials are accurate and current.
Maintain registration data and manage attendee status changes, cancellations, and waitlists.
Coordinate with relevant teams to troubleshoot registration issues and support a seamless attendee experience.
Own RSVP tracking and audience reporting for assigned events.
Manage registration pipelines against venue capacity, attendance projections, and audience composition targets.
Monitor registration volume and the quality and relevance of confirmed attendees against the event brief.
Identify audience gaps and recruit additional participants to maintain the desired balance.
Manage oversubscription, waitlists, and last-minute attendance changes.
Work with Editorial, Events, Design, Partnerships, and Audience Development teams throughout the event lifecycle.
Maintain internal reporting on audience recruitment, registration progress, and operational readiness.
Prepare final attendee lists, event briefings, and handoff materials for on-site teams.
Support event execution, attendee management, and post-event reporting as required.