Meetings Manager - Billington CyberSecurity

CloserStill Media•Bethesda, MD

About The Position

Billington CyberSecurity seeks an experienced Meetings Manager with 4-7 years of large-scale conference planning experience to support the strategic planning and operational execution of three annual cybersecurity summits and related programs. This role will play a significant role in executing all Billington events, and over time will assume primary operational responsibility for select medium and large-scale events. The Meetings Manager will manage complex logistics, vendor relationships, exhibits, and cross-functional coordination to ensure high-quality attendee, sponsor, and exhibitor experiences across events ranging from 100 to 4,000 participants. This is a hands-on, detail-oriented role requiring strong project management discipline, vendor negotiation experience, venue management knowledge, financial acumen, and the ability to manage multiple large-scale initiatives simultaneously.

Requirements

4–7 years of experience managing conferences of 500+ attendees.
Demonstrated experience negotiating hotel and vendor contracts.
Experience managing exhibit halls of 50+ booths.
Proven budget management and reconciliation experience.
Experience working with audiovisual production teams and general service contractors.
Proficiency with event registration platforms (e.g., Cvent or similar systems).
Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple concurrent deadlines.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Ability to travel and work extended hours during event periods.
Ability to lift event materials and remain on-site for extended periods during event execution.

Nice To Haves

CMP (Certified Meeting Professional) designation or Event Management certification preferred.
Experience managing CEU or accreditation programs.
Experience in cybersecurity, government, or policy-focused events a plus.

Responsibilities

Support the Senior Director of Meetings in managing all aspects of three annual summits held in March, September, and November. NOTE: The majority of Billington events are held in the Washington DC area.
Oversee venue logistics, general session production, audio visual coordination, food and beverage, registration operations, signage production, and on-site logistics.
Develop detailed space utilization plans, meeting space assignments and flow strategies, and capacity modeling to optimize attendee experience and operational efficiency.
Manage on-site event execution, including vendor coordination, staffing and volunteer management, exhibitor move-in/move-out, and troubleshooting.
Coordinate closely with sponsorship and exhibitor sales teams and the general services contractor to manage exhibit hall operations across three tradeshows (ranging from 50 tabletop exhibits to 175 booths).
Oversee floor plan development, booth assignments, exhibitor communications, exhibitor service manuals, and move-in/move-out schedules.
Ensure sponsor fulfillment logistics align with contractual agreements.
Work closely with the Senior Director of Meetings on site selection and room block management for Billington summits.
Research competitive meetings and market conditions.
Update and issue RFPs; collect and analyze both venue and hotel proposals. Conduct site visits as needed.
Develop comparative presentations for executive leadership on various options.
Negotiate hotel and vendor contracts (venue, AV, production, general services contractor), including concessions and cost containment strategies.
Track contract compliance, venue concessions and discounts, and manage room block performance.
Manage CEU administration for Billington summits.
Negotiate and maintain agreements with accrediting partners.
Develop CEU-eligible agenda components in partnership with the content team.
Coordinate credit tracking, attendee communications, and certificate issuance.
Work closely with the Senior Director of Meetings to manage assigned event budgets, including forecasting, expense tracking, reconciliation, and variance analysis.
Ensure events are delivered within approved financial parameters.
Support post-event financial reporting and analysis.
Partner with the content team to align agenda with room assignments, production requirements, exhibitor access schedules, and attendee flow logistics.
Collaborate with the marketing team on website updates, registration platform management, and signage design.
Coordinate closely with vendors and internal teams to ensure schedule alignment and proofing of program materials.
Lead post-event performance analysis including: Budget reconciliation Attendee satisfaction metrics Sponsor and exhibitor feedback Operational debriefs
Recommend and implement industry best practices and event technologies to enhance efficiency and attendee experience.
Build and maintain strong vendor and venue relationships.
Support on-site execution across all Billington events.