Tradeshow Meeting Manager

Association Headquarters•Mount Laurel, NJ

7d•Hybrid

About The Position

Association Headquarters (AH), a professional services firm serving nonprofit organizations, is seeking an experienced Tradeshow Meeting Manager to support corporate and client growth. The role organizes programs, logistics, and registration information for meetings, education courses, and webinars. It works closely with volunteer planning committees, internal departments, venues, and vendors to achieve meeting objectives. The Meeting Manager prepares and tracks budgets, schedules, bids, proposals, contracts, event logistics, and post-meeting reports. The role also supports promotional planning, speaker and proposal processes, registration, exhibits, sponsorships, and on-site operations. It coordinates vendors and venues, oversees meeting volunteers and staff responsibilities, monitors budget variances, keeps meeting websites and procedures current, and directs the Meeting Coordinator on timely and accurate meeting status reports. On-site event management and travel flexibility are required.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in hospitality management, event planning, business administration, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
3–5+ years of experience planning and managing meetings, conferences, or events.
Ability to build and track event budgets and work within tight nonprofit budget constraints.
Experience with vendor and contract negotiation, including venues, caterers, audiovisual providers, and hotels.
Experience coordinating logistics such as site selection, room blocks, transportation, catering, and technology.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including board-facing communication.
Project management skills and ability to manage multiple events or deadlines simultaneously.
Proficiency with event management and registration software.
Travel flexibility for on-site event management.
Risk management and contingency planning experience.
Familiarity with hybrid and virtual event platforms, including Zoom, Teams, and streaming tools.

Nice To Haves

Experience in a nonprofit or association setting.
Experience working with volunteer boards, committees, or member-driven organizations.
Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) or Digital Event Strategist (DES) certification.

Responsibilities

Prepare draft meeting budgets based on venue costs, schedules, and historical performance, and assist committees with planning using historical data and recommendations.
Compile and maintain meeting preparation calendars for committees and staff, track responsibilities and deadlines, and meet individual planning timelines.
Initiate bid processes, issue Requests for Proposals, and finalize contracts with meeting contractors and venues.
Prepare comprehensive post-meeting reports covering hotel data, income, expenses, and quantitative and qualitative lessons learned; provide relevant data for the Meeting Chair's report to the Board.
Respond to member inquiries about meetings, sponsorship, exhibits, partnering, and other membership activities.
Serve as the primary venue contact during planning and on-site management of meetings and education programs.
Work with volunteer planning committees and speakers; manage the online proposal system, facilitate its use by the program selection committee, coordinate speaker communications, schedule sessions, and track and communicate program and speaker changes.
Assist meeting chairs with promotional plans by providing advice, historical data, and research; facilitate creation and distribution of promotional publications and coordinate outreach to non-members.
Coordinate vendor selection, communications, contract oversight, off-site venue selection, contract negotiation, and contract oversight.
Manage meetings and events on-site, including menus, room sets, audiovisual needs, exhibits, partnering, sponsorships, registration, signage, and breakout logistics.
Create comprehensive staging guides and oversee on-site operations, including meeting volunteer and staff responsibilities.
Liaise with hotel contacts and work with the Meeting Chair and Arrangements Chair to deliver on-site and off-site logistics and a quality attendee experience.
Identify ways to improve meeting delivery in line with professional meeting best practices.
Monitor meeting budgets, update meeting chairs and executive management on significant variances, and provide requested budgeting advice and historical data to committees.
Direct the Meeting Coordinator in providing timely and accurate meeting status reports.
Manage registrations, ensure meeting websites are current and accurate, and follow and update the meetings manual and processes.
Perform other activities as required.

Benefits

Hybrid and flexible work schedules available.
Medical, dental, and vision coverage.
Company-paid basic life insurance and short-term and long-term disability coverage.
Voluntary employee-paid life insurance.
AFLAC available.
Paid time off accrual and paid holidays.
401(k) retirement plan available.
On-site fitness center open 24/7.
Gym reimbursement program.
Training and development opportunities.