Sr. Director, Global Meetings & Events

Association of Corporate Counsel • Washington, DC

8h • $146,000 - $172,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Director, Global Meetings & Events leads ACC’s portfolio of approximately 8–10 domestic and international meetings, conferences, executive summits, exhibitions, and events annually, including ACC’s flagship Annual Meeting. Reporting to the Chief Business Development Officer (CBDO), this role develops and executes an enterprise-wide meetings and events strategy, including integrated roadmaps, calendars, milestones, and timelines to advance organizational priorities, financial performance, stakeholder experience, and operational excellence.

The Senior Director leads ACC’s Meetings & Events team and manages the day-to-day performance of its outsourced sponsorship and exhibition sales and management partner, CM Event Solutions. The role directs end-to-end event planning and execution, including venue sourcing, housing, registration, audiovisual production, food and beverage, transportation, general service contractors, and event technology. In collaboration with Business Development leadership, the Senior Director sets event-level sales goals and oversees exhibitor servicing and sponsorship fulfillment.

The position oversees multimillion-dollar event budgets, forecasts, procurement, vendor relationships, and financial reporting; establishes operating standards and performance measures; and collaborates with internal departments and external partners. It also leads post-event reviews, portfolio updates, risk assessments, and continuous improvement. The role requires domestic and international travel for event planning and execution, including evenings and weekends. The position follows a hybrid schedule, with two days in the office on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday and the remaining days working from home. Staff working in the Washington, DC office must reside in the DMV area.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in hospitality management, business administration, event management, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• Current Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) designation required.
• At least 10 years of progressively responsible experience in meetings, conventions, exhibitions, or event management, including five years in a leadership capacity.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex, large-scale events and managing multimillion-dollar budgets and financial forecasts.
• Experience overseeing sponsorship and exhibition sales performance, including outsourced sales or event management partners.
• Expertise in venue contracting, convention operations, audiovisual production, general service contractors, procurement, vendor negotiations, and risk management.
• Strong people leadership, commercial and financial acumen, strategic planning, communication, and cross-functional management skills.
• Proficiency with event management and registration platforms and project management systems.
• Fluency in English.
• Ability to travel domestically and internationally for event planning and execution, including evenings and weekends.

Nice To Haves

• Certificate in Meeting Management (CMM) or comparable advanced credential.
• Experience in professional associations, membership organizations, or nonprofits.
• Fluency in a second language.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute an enterprise-wide meetings and events strategy, strategic roadmap, annual event calendar, milestones, and implementation timelines aligned with ACC’s mission, revenue objectives, and long-term priorities.
• Lead long-range portfolio planning, venue and destination strategies, resource allocation, and evaluation of event performance and financial sustainability.
• Establish integrated workplans, decision points, deliverables, and accountability across internal departments and external partners.
• Identify growth opportunities, monitor industry trends and event technologies, and establish portfolio-wide operating standards and performance measures.
• Manage the day-to-day performance of CM Event Solutions, ACC’s outsourced sponsorship and exhibition sales and management partner, including service standards and contractual deliverables.
• Set event-level sales goals, performance expectations, reporting cadence, and accountability measures in collaboration with Business Development leadership.
• Oversee sales pipeline reporting, forecasting, renewals, inventory utilization, exhibitor servicing, and sponsorship fulfillment; promptly escalate material risks and variances.
• Partner with the CBDO and Director of Global Partnerships on pricing and packaging recommendations, strategic accounts, and multi-event opportunities, ensuring alignment with enterprise commercial strategy.
• Coordinate sales commitments with operational capacity, contracting, invoicing, fulfillment, and onsite execution; assess partner effectiveness and sponsor and exhibitor satisfaction.
• Direct end-to-end planning and execution of conferences, executive summits, exhibitions, and special events.
• Oversee venue sourcing, housing, registration, audiovisual production, food and beverage, transportation, general service contractors, and event technology.
• Maintain event production schedules, staffing plans, readiness reviews, quality controls, contingency plans, and onsite issue-resolution protocols.
• Ensure contractual compliance, accessibility, safety, and consistent service standards.
• Develop and oversee multimillion-dollar event budgets, forecasts, expense controls, reconciliations, and financial reporting in partnership with Finance.
• Improve event financial performance through disciplined procurement, cost optimization, and revenue-supporting operational decisions.
• Lead RFPs, venue and vendor evaluations, and negotiations in coordination with Legal and Finance; manage supplier relationships and contract performance.
• Identify opportunities for vendor consolidation, improved commercial terms, and risk reduction.
• Lead, coach, and develop the Meetings & Events team, setting responsibilities, performance expectations, staffing plans, and development goals.
• Provide structured performance oversight of outsourced sales and exhibition management services while maintaining clear internal decision rights.
• Develop SOPs, templates, documentation, and repeatable workflows; assess capacity and organizational needs as the portfolio evolves.
• Promote accountability, collaboration, innovation, and a service-oriented culture.
• Collaborate with Business Development on event-level commercial objectives and sponsor and exhibitor fulfillment; coordinate with Programs on content, speakers, and program requirements.
• Partner with Marketing on registration and communications, and with Finance, Legal, IT, and other teams on coordinated execution.
• Provide responsive service to executive leadership, board members, attendees, sponsors, exhibitors, speakers, and other stakeholders.
• Monitor event revenue and expense performance, sales results, attendee and sponsor satisfaction, vendor performance, and planning milestones.
• Lead post-event reviews, identify actionable improvements, and implement scalable processes and technology solutions.
• Provide regular portfolio updates, risk assessments, forecasts, and recommendations to the CBDO.
• Lead and supervise the Meetings & Events team, including the Sr. Manager of Conferences & Events and two Managers of Conferences & Events.

Benefits

• Hybrid schedule: two days in the office on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, with the remaining days available to work from home.
• 23 PTO days, 11 holidays, and a paid one-week end-of-year break.
• 401(k) match, annual bonus, and an additional annual employer retirement contribution.
• Subsidized healthcare plans with a choice of HMO, PPO, or HSA plan.
• Downtown Washington, DC office with an onsite fitness center and access to Metro Center station.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior