Director, Garden Events

Dallas Arboretum & Botanical Garden•Dallas, TX

About The Position

The Director, Garden Events leads the vision, strategy, and management of innovative garden events and signature experiences to increase visitation, generate revenue, and enhance the Dallas Arboretum's position as a premier botanical garden and cultural destination. Reporting to the Vice President, Sales & Garden Events, the Director serves as the organization’s project lead for seasonal and year-round garden events, guiding these projects from conception and development through implementation and performance. This position provides leadership for planning, operations, staff, budgets, partnerships, and cross-functional collaboration to deliver innovative seasonal and year-round experiences that advance the Arboretum’s mission and strategic priorities.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Event Management, Hospitality, Marketing, Business, or Certified Event Planner.
Minimum of 7+ years of applicable experience, including supervisory or team leadership experience, producing garden events, public events, festivals, or destination programming.
Proven ability to supervise teams, develop staff, and foster a culture of collaboration and innovation.
Demonstrated success leading complex cross-functional projects involving budgets, schedules, and external partners.
Experience in budget management and long-term planning.
Experience coordinating vendors, contractors, consultants, artists, and other external partners.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and project management software.
Ability to work occasional evenings, weekends, and holidays as required by Arboretum and garden-event schedules.
Ability to successfully complete all pre-employment requirements, including a background check and drug screening.
Excellent communication and relationship-building abilities.
Excellent organizational ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Nice To Haves

Experience in a public garden, museum, cultural institution, visitor attraction, performing arts organization, or similar experiential environment preferred.
Project Management Professional (PMP) certification or equivalent project management training preferred to assist in the management, organization, and prioritization across multiple concurrent initiatives.

Responsibilities

Lead the strategic development and delivery of the Arboretum's garden-events portfolio from concept development through close out.
Create innovative events that complement and support festivals, exhibitions, and seasonal displays.
Develop project plans, schedules, budgets, and implementation strategies that align creative vision with operational requirements.
Serve as the primary project manager for garden-event initiatives, establishing milestones, managing risks, and ensuring accountability across participating departments.
Facilitate project meetings, coordinate decision-making, and keep the Vice President, Sales & Garden Events informed of project status, emerging risks, resource needs, and significant issues requiring executive decision-making.
Build relationships with entertainers, artists, chefs, sponsors, and community partners.
Support sponsorship-activation opportunities through garden-event programming.
Evaluate industry trends and recommend new garden event experiences that increase attendance and repeat visitation.
Participate in the development of garden-event concepts and implementation strategies, providing operational guidance that supports successful execution while preserving creative intent.
Serve as the primary liaison with caterers, vendors, and other partners throughout the cycle of garden events, fostering productive relationships and ensuring clear communication, alignment, and successful event delivery.
Oversee vendor and partner performance, ensuring contractual obligations, deliverables, and project milestones are achieved.
Help ensure garden events deliver and are engaging, accessible, and high-quality guest and member experiences while supporting the Arboretum's mission and strategic priorities.
Partner with Marketing, Horticulture, Development, Operations, Guest Experience and other internal stakeholders to execute high-quality events.
Develop, administer, and monitor project budgets, schedules, and timelines, ensuring responsible stewardship of organizational resources.
Oversee procurement, contract administration, project documentation, and reporting.
Maintain accurate project records and prepare project updates and budget reports for organizational leadership.
Conduct post-event evaluations to assess project outcomes (on time and within budget), identify lessons learned, and recommend improvements for future garden events.
Ensure events support the Arboretum’s brand, mission, and revenue goals.
Supervise garden-events activities and establish priorities, workflows, and project management standards.
Evaluate departmental processes and implement continuous improvements that strengthen organizational effectiveness and project delivery.
Lead special projects and other initiatives as assigned by the Vice President, Sales & Garden Events.
Collaborate with internal teams and departments to coordinate logistics, event operations, communications, facility needs, staffing and guest experience.
Measure garden-event program successes and recommend continuous improvements.