Description
The Meeting & Event Manager will play a critical role in planning, producing, and delivering CDL’s client programs. This individual will combine strategic thinking with hands-on execution, ensuring every program meets business goals, delights attendees, and reflects the CDL commitment to excellence.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Planning: Collaborate with senior leadership to design event strategies aligned with client and company objectives.
Budget Oversight: Manage multi-million-dollar event budgets, ensuring fiscal responsibility, accurate forecasting, and full reconciliation of income and expenses.
Vendor & Partner Management: Source, negotiate, and oversee contracts with venues, hotels, suppliers, and service providers—including AV, décor, food & beverage, transportation, creative services, and entertainment.
Program Execution: Lead logistics and on-site delivery of programs, coordinating with internal teams, clients, and vendors to ensure seamless execution.
Project Management: Drive timelines, task assignments, and deliverables across stakeholders, using strong organizational skills to manage multiple complex projects simultaneously.
Team Leadership: Mentor, train, and support planners and coordinators to foster professional growth and collaborative success.
Post-Event Evaluation: Capture insights, feedback, and metrics to measure ROI and identify continuous improvement opportunities.
Client Communication: Serve as a trusted point of contact for clients, ensuring transparency, alignment, and satisfaction throughout the event lifecycle.
Requirements
10+ years of experience managing complex corporate meetings and events (SKOs, client conferences, multi-day programs)
Advanced Excel skills required, including budgeting, forecasting, reconciliation, and rooming list management
Proven experience sourcing and contracting venues, with strong knowledge of hotel negotiations, room blocks, attrition, and concessions
Demonstrated ability to manage large budgets, multiple stakeholders, and concurrent programs
Hands-on experience overseeing event logistics, production, AV, registration, and on-site execution
Strong leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills
Detail-oriented, organized, and comfortable working in fast-paced, high-pressure environments
Agency experience strongly preferred
Willingness to travel and work on-site at events as needed
