Field Events & Roadshow Program Manager

Shelf•New York, NY

About The Position

Shelf is a fast growing agentic AI company. To support our next phase of growth, we're launching a 10-city national roadshow and need a meticulous, high-ownership event operator to run it end to end. This is a contract-to-hire engagement. You'll come in, take full command of a complex, multi-city program, and have the opportunity to prove yourself alongside a lean, ambitious team. If you execute at the level we know is possible, there's a clear path to a permanent role at a company on the rise. This is not a coordinator role. We need someone who can own the program - every venue, every vendor, every ship date, every run-of-show - and make sure 50 customers and prospects walk away impressed at every stop. The Program: The Shelf National Roadshow is a 10-city executive event series. Each event hosts approximately 50 customers and prospects at premier hotel venues or upscale event spaces. The format includes a welcome reception, 90 minutes of content with guest speakers, and a closing networking session. The program requires fully branded, portable event infrastructure that ships city to city and consistent, flawless execution at every stop.

Requirements

3–6+ years of event operations or field marketing experience, ideally managing multi-city or roadshow programs.
Proven ability to manage complex logistics across multiple simultaneous work streams without things falling through the cracks.
Experience contracting and managing venues, A/V vendors, catering, and freight logistics.
Extremely organized — you live in trackers, checklists, and calendars, and you keep everyone else on track too.
Strong communicator with the ability to manage vendor and internal stakeholder relationships simultaneously.
Comfortable with ambiguity and able to make good decisions independently in fast-moving situations.
Willingness to travel for on-site execution across multiple cities.
Experience with executive-level or B2B events strongly preferred.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with event registration platforms (Splash, Cvent, Eventbrite) a plus.

Responsibilities

Source, evaluate, and contract venues across all 10 cities.
Manage RFP process, site visits, and contract negotiations (F&B minimums, A/V, attrition, cancellation terms).
Own all venue relationships and serve as primary point of contact city to city.
Build and manage a master program budget across all 10 events.
Track actuals vs. budget in real time; manage POs, deposits, and invoice approvals.
Source and manage all vendors: A/V, catering, shipping/freight, swag, speakers.
Build and own the master run-of-show for each city.
Manage all A/V requirements, sound checks, and production logistics.
Oversee F&B planning, BEO review, and on-site catering coordination.
Lead check-in operations, name badge production, and day-of attendee flow.
Execute setup, run-of-show, and full breakdown at each event.
Manage all portable branded assets: banners, signage, tablecloths, event materials.
Build and execute a city-to-city shipping calendar with delivery confirmations.
Maintain an inventory checklist and manage asset wear, damage, and replacement.
Source and manage swag production for 500+ units with appropriate lead times.
Coordinate per-city fulfillment and distribution logistics.
Manage VIP or tiered gifting as applicable.
Confirm, contract, and brief external guest speakers for each city.
Manage speaker travel, slide submissions, and day-of preparation.
Own contingency planning if a speaker cancels.
Coordinate internal Shelf team travel, hotel, and event-day roles across all cities.
Produce staff briefing documents and lead pre-event team calls.
Maintain a master program tracker across all 10 cities: venue status, contracts, headcount, shipping, budget actuals.
Lead weekly internal syncs and provide status updates to leadership.
Conduct post-event debriefs and apply learnings city to city.