Senior Conference Planner (LCAT: Meeting Manager)

Bizzell Group•New Carrollton, MD

6d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Conference Planner serves as the lead planner for complex federal government conferences, meetings, trainings, workshops, summits, and special events. This position is responsible for comprehensive meeting management from initial concept and work planning through onsite execution, reconciliation, and closeout. The Senior Conference Planner works directly with government clients, contracting personnel, venues, vendors, speakers, travelers, and project staff to ensure all meeting requirements are delivered on schedule, within budget, and in accordance with applicable federal requirements.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in hospitality management, event management, business administration, communications, or a related field preferred; equivalent relevant experience may be considered.
Minimum 7–10 years of professional conference and meeting-planning experience, including significant prior experience planning meetings for federal government agencies or other government clients.
Demonstrated experience independently managing large or complex government conferences and meetings.
Experience managing meeting budgets, hotel contracts, vendors, travel logistics, registration, audiovisual services, and onsite operations.
Knowledge of federal meeting and travel requirements, including familiarity with the Federal Travel Regulation (FTR), GSA per diem rates, Section 508/accessibility requirements, and government contracting environments.
Strong client-management, leadership, negotiation, problem-solving, and written and verbal communication skills.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office/Google Workspace and commonly used registration, virtual-meeting, and project-management platforms.
CMP, CGMP, or similar

Responsibilities

Lead the planning and execution of in-person, virtual, and hybrid federal government conferences and meetings.
Serve as the primary meeting-planning point of contact for government clients.
Develop meeting work plans, production schedules, critical-path timelines, staffing plans, budgets, and cost estimates.
Lead venue sourcing, site inspections, hotel negotiations, room block management, food and beverage planning, audiovisual requirements, and meeting-space logistics.
Coordinate registration strategy, attendee communications, speaker management, agenda development, and onsite operations.
Oversee government-sponsored participant travel, including travel authorizations, airfare, lodging, ground transportation, per diem, and reimbursement processes, as applicable.
Manage subcontractors and vendors, including hotels, audiovisual providers, transportation companies, interpreters, printers, photographers, and other meeting-support vendors.
Review hotel and vendor agreements and coordinate approvals with appropriate project, contracts, and government personnel.
Ensure meeting activities comply with applicable federal travel, accessibility/Section 508, security, procurement, and fiscal requirements.
Develop and manage onsite staffing plans, run-of-show documents, production schedules, briefing materials, and contingency plans.
Lead pre-conference meetings, rehearsals, staff briefings, and post-event debriefs.
Monitor budgets, expenditures, invoices, and meeting-related financial documentation.
Identify risks, recommend solutions, and resolve complex logistical issues with minimal disruption to the client or participants.
Mentor and provide direction to Meeting Planners and Project/Logistics Coordinators.
Prepare post-meeting reports, lessons learned, financial reconciliations, and other required deliverables.