Event Planning & Activation Manager/Senior Manager

This position serves as in-house lead for Launch Tennessee’s robust event roster, with specific responsibilities across event creation and management of planning, execution, and wrap-up. Activities to include: • Oversee all aspects of in-person programs and events, which include a signature event held in Nashville, events across Tennessee, as well as out of state • Collaborate with VP of Marketing & Communications as well as the CEO on initial ideation, creative development, and strategy, on both established regular and recurring events and new programs. • Collaborate with organization’s development team to superserve partners and sponsors and successfully fulfill all contractual obligations • Work closely with internal colleagues and contracted vendors to ensure both organizational Supporting Partners and event-specific sponsors are actively included in planning and positioned for successful engagements on-site, from early/often and clear communication and impactful logo inclusion/placement to real-time activations • Establish and nurture healthy and trusted relationships with corresponding leads at each partner org, for collaboration and confidence • Assist with collection of partner materials, including brand logos, URLs, headshots, etc, as well as post-event deliverables, ranging from captured content to detailed recaps • Provide and track all sponsor-contracted ticketing and registration promo codes Additional tasks include: • Manage organization’s arsenal of event products, materials, and tools, including poster easels, signage frames, merch display grid panels, swag baskets, branded pull-up banners and linens, etc, and keep both on- and off-site storage unit neat and organized • Assist VP of Marketing & Communications with coordinating content capture and media production plans, including quarterly pop-up video studios at major gatherings, as well as on-site photography and video filming crews • Find opportunities to align registration and attendance data capture and communications efforts with organizational CRM database • Serve as an established category expert to assist and offer recommendations to organizational network of partners, including regional entrepreneur centers, industry partners, investment portfolio companies, Board of Directors members, and other stakeholders across footprint • Regular day/overnight travel within the state may be required to support programs and initiatives, as well as occasional air travel for multi-day out-of-state events (i.e. Austin, TX for SXSW, Washington, D.C.) Requirements and expectations: • Minimum of 5-7 years of experience in a hands-on, consumer-facing event planning and management role, including history with multi-day, multi-venue programs, events of 500+ attendees, and paid ticketing models • Proven experience planning large-scale events out-of-market/out-of-state a plus • Demonstrated hands-on history with all aspects of event planning – venue, production/staging, A/V, food & beverage, registration & ticketing, design & decor, speaker/talent management, stage management/ROS, on-site staffing & volunteers management • Experience with RFP drafting, solicitation, and evaluation as well as contract negotiation • Experience with sponsor relations and fulfillment • Familiarity with both B2C and B2B programs • Cool, calm, and collected in the midst of chaotic situations; doesn’t get flustered, able to triage multiple things in real-time and focus on solving problems to ensure high-quality outcomes and results • Detail-oriented, sees the big picture and how individual smaller elements come together • Lean-forward, hands-on team player with a ‘no job too big or too small’ attitude and all-hands-on-deck mindset • Comfort with high-performing small teams and open-plan office space with scrappy startup energy • Enjoys collaboration & building consensus with team, colleagues, and stakeholders, as well as decisive and able to operate independently and follow an agreed-upon game plan • Experience building & managing budgets as well as prioritizing competing needs for budget investment • Acts as an ambassador for Tennessee, building awareness of innovation ecosystem and support for startups and entrepreneurs