Conference Planner (Conference Experience Required)

The successful candidate must be comfortable managing multiple association clients and event calendars at the same time, quickly shifting between different missions, volunteer leadership styles, budgets, systems, and priorities while maintaining consistent Civica standards for service, communication, accountability, and fiduciary stewardship. 

This is a remote position. If you live in the Denver area we meet in a shared workspace one day a week.

In this role you will...  

• Manage national, regional, and state association meetings, conferences, trade shows, special events.   

• Collaborate with association committee members/volunteers to ensure deliverables per scope of project.  

• Work with the internal team on end-to-end planning and management as aligned with scope of project.  

• Learn and maintain a working knowledge of clients’ business practices and ongoing needs.   

• Look for ways to improve services and innovations for clients.  

• Manage sourcing, RFP’s and contract negotiations on assigned clients.  

• Attend industry events, trade shows, and conferences.  

Full-Cycle Conference Strategy & Project Management 

• Lead assigned conferences and meetings from concept and initial planning through onsite execution, reconciliation, debrief, and transition to the next event cycle. 

• Build and maintain comprehensive project plans, critical paths, production schedules, workplans, and decision calendars. 

• Translate association goals, board or committee priorities, and budget expectations into an actionable conference plan. 

• Lead conference planning meetings with clients, volunteer committees, internal Civica teams, and external partners; document decisions, owners, and deadlines. 

• Maintain visibility across all event workstreams and ensure dependencies, handoffs, and deliverables stay on track. 

• Anticipate challenges and develop contingency plans for operational, financial, vendor, venue, staffing, and attendee-experience risks. 

Venue, Contracting & Vendor Management 

• Support venue sourcing, RFP development, site selection, site visits, and contract review and negotiation in coordination with client leadership and Civica leadership as appropriate. 

• Manage hotel and venue relationships, room blocks, pickup, concessions, meeting space, food and beverage, service requirements, and master-account expectations. 

• Source, negotiate with, and manage event vendors including audiovisual/production, catering, décor, entertainment, transportation, security, internet, registration, mobile app/technology, signage/printing, photography, shipping, and other event partners. 

• Review vendor scopes, contracts, orders, BEOs, diagrams, production schedules, and invoices for accuracy and alignment with approved plans and budgets. 

Program, Speakers & Event Experience 

• Coordinate the operational execution of conference programs, including general sessions, concurrent sessions, workshops, receptions, awards, special events, and other program elements. 

• Partner with client staff and volunteer leaders on speaker communications, requirements, schedules, presentations, audiovisual needs, travel or reimbursement processes, and onsite readiness. 

• Develop and manage event specifications, room sets, function schedules, signage plans, production needs, run-of-show documents, and other onsite operating materials. 

• Think holistically about the attendee journey and recommend practical improvements to the conference experience. 

Registration, Exhibits, Sponsorship & Stakeholder Coordination 

• Partner closely with registration support to develop registration categories, pricing, deadlines, workflows, confirmations, policies, reports, badges, and onsite registration processes. 

• Coordinate conference logistics that support sponsorship and exhibit commitments, including fulfillment, floor plans, exhibitor communications, vendor services, signage, recognition, and onsite needs. 

• Ensure sponsor and exhibitor deliverables are incorporated into the overall project plan and fulfilled accurately. 

• Coordinate with membership, marketing/communications, education, finance, and association management staff so conference activities are integrated with the client's broader priorities. 

Budget & Financial Management 

• Develop, manage, and regularly forecast conference budgets in partnership with Civica finance staff and client leadership. 

• Track registration, exhibit, sponsorship, and other event revenue alongside event expenses and commitments. 

• Evaluate options and make recommendations that balance attendee experience, client goals, contractual obligations, and financial stewardship. 

• Monitor budget-to-actual performance, flag variances early, approve or route expenses appropriately, and maintain accurate financial documentation. 

• Review and reconcile vendor invoices, hotel master accounts, event expenses, and final financial results; contribute to post-event financial reporting and ROI analysis. 

Onsite Leadership & Execution 

• Serve as the primary onsite conference lead for assigned events and maintain overall command of event execution. 

• Develop the onsite staffing plan and clearly assign responsibilities to Civica staff, temporary staff, volunteers, and vendors. 

• Lead pre-conference staff briefings and onsite huddles; ensure the team has the schedules, contact information, procedures, and resources needed to execute successfully. 

• Manage real-time changes, troubleshoot issues calmly, make sound decisions, and escalate appropriately while protecting the client and attendee experience. 

• Maintain a visible, professional, service-oriented presence with client leaders, attendees, speakers, sponsors, exhibitors, venue teams, and vendors. 

• Conference days may require extended hours, including early mornings, evenings, weekends, and consecutive long onsite days. 

Post-Conference Evaluation & Continuous Improvement 

• Coordinate post-event surveys and gather feedback from attendees, clients, volunteers, sponsors, exhibitors, staff, and vendors as appropriate. 

• Lead post-conference debriefs and prepare reports summarizing performance, financial outcomes, operational learnings, and recommendations. 
• Document lessons learned and incorporate improvements into future conference plans, timelines, templates, and standard operating practices. 

Character limit reached.  Please read more and all details at https://www.civicamanagement.com/apply?bzid=e2c952334449