Director of Events (Destination Services/Tourism)

If this resonates with you, consider the role below: POSITION PURPOSE: The Director of Events leads the strategic development, planning, and execution of Visit Detroit’s events, tradeshows, meetings, and customer experiences. Direct event logistics, including registration processes, site selection, contracts, food & beverage, décor, audio/visual, staging, transportation, and on-site management.Design and oversee Visit Detroit’s tradeshow presence, including booth fabrication, activations, and interactive elements.Effectively manage, develop, and evaluate the performance of direct reports, providing coaching, feedback, and professional growth opportunities.Assign projects and balance workloads across the team to ensure efficiency, quality outcomes, and exposure to a variety of event types.Foster a collaborative, accountable, and high-performing team culture aligned with Visit Detroit’s values and goals.Conduct regular department meetings and maintain transparent communication with staff. Serve as primary point of contact for stakeholders, ensuring effective communication, collaboration, and accountability.Partner with Marketing & Communications on event promotion, collateral, social media, and branding integration.Ensure compliance with permits, insurance, and regulatory requirements.Lead post-event evaluations, ensuring best practices and lessons learned are applied to future planning.Prepare monthly, quarterly, and annual reports on departmental activities, outcomes, and financials for the SVP.Represent Visit Detroit at local, national, and international tradeshows, events, and conferences.Serve as subject matter expert on event management best practices and maintain relevant professional certifications.Committed to partnering with Visit Detroit in embedding diversity, equity, and inclusion into company culture and operations, and actively contributing to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for all employees and stakeholders. Strategic thinker with creativity in event design, branding, and activation.Superior organizational and project management skills with acute attention to detail.Ability to manage multiple complex events simultaneously in a fast-paced environment.Strong financial and analytical skills, including budget management, reconciliation, and ROI evaluation.Excellent negotiation and vendor management abilities.Experience leveraging digital and social platforms to enhance event promotion and engagement.Strong leadership skills with the ability to mentor and motivate staff, foster collaboration, and build accountability.Ability to navigate sensitive situations with discretion and professionalism.Excellent communication skills including the ability to clearly express thoughts, ideas, and concepts, verbally and in writing, in the English language, to diverse audiences.Ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships with supervisors, peers, colleagues, and external stakeholders.Maintains a positive and professional work attitude, appearance, and behavior even in the most demanding situation.Ability to work effectively in both remote and in-person work environment; proficient using video conferencing software and other remote work tools.Proficient in using personal computer software and applications including Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint.