Event Planning & Vendor Relations Manager

Event Planning & Vendor Relations Manager

Xtreme Xperience- Chicago

About our Company:

Since our first track day in 2012, we have helped over 750,000 people cross ‘drive an exotic car’ off their bucket lists and we can’t wait for YOU to join us. Our team travels the country, hosting weekend-based events on racetracks around the United States. We are headquartered in Chicago, IL where our tour operations, customer service, sales and marketing teams are based. Thanks to the vision and drive of our people, Xtreme Xperience has been the proud recipient of Inc. Magazine's "America's Fastest Growing Companies" award since 2017.

Safety, Service, Culture, and Consistency are the four pillars of our success. We are go-getters who provide the safest, most exhilarating experience for our customers. We strive to create an environment where our team members look forward to coming to work every day. We celebrate birthdays monthly, take company field trips to conventions such as the Chicago auto show, and host holiday and company birthday bashes to celebrate all our successes. Every year we give each one of our employees 3 free supercar drives to give away to their friends/family, and we even loan out one of our own supercars for our employees to use. We cannot wait for you to join our family and amazing culture.

General:

The Event Planning & Vendor Relations Manager acts as the strategic architect and primary leader of the event planning team. This individual bridges the gap between high-level client relations and meticulous execution, ensuring every annual event is fully organized and budgeted prior to being handed off to our Track Operations team.

Managing the Event Planning team, this role drives process optimization and oversees critical procurement for travel and logistics. As the direct planning liaison for the XX Leadership Team, you will orchestrate internal marquee events. We are looking for a "go-getter" with masterful attention to detail and the executive presence to build cost-saving programs while upholding our four pillars of success.

Key Expectations & Responsibilities

1. Departmental Leadership & Talent Management

Team Supervision: Act as the direct manager, mentor, and advocate for our Event Planning Specialists and Senior Specialists. This includes scheduling and conducting bi-annual reviews and reviewing KPIs.
Hiring & Development: Spearhead recruitment and training to maintain a fully staffed and agile department.
Liaison & Escalation: Serve as the ultimate point of escalation between the planning team and track contacts to eliminate communication silos.
Strategic Delegation: Efficiently delegate the annual calendar across the department, ensuring strict adherence to all planning timelines.

2. Strategic Vendor Relations & Procurement

Track Partnerships: Act as the primary liaison for nationwide racetrack venues; review, negotiate, and secure high-value racetrack contracts to ensure accurate terms, maximize profitability, and minimize corporate liability.
Corporate Travel Procurement: Manage high-level accounts, vendor partnerships, and volume pricing tiers with national hotel, airline, and rental car partners to drive company-wide cost savings.

3. Process Optimization & Technology Integration

Streamlined Workflows: Create and refine standardized end-to-end planning processes to eliminate operational friction.
CRM Implementation: Source and implement a centralized tool like HubSpot to organize the entire event lifecycle.
Management Visibility: Maintain dashboard reporting that allows leadership to track each event's current phase.

4. Financial Accountability & P&L Management

Annual Budgeting: Collaborate with leadership to forecast and manage the annual Event Travel Budget.
P&L Responsibility: Hold accountability for pre-event planning and travel expenses, ensuring alignment with financial guidelines.
Cost Mitigation: Monitor departmental spend actively and leverage data to prevent category overruns.

5. Event Portfolio & XX Internal Corporate Events

Event Planning Owner: Personally execute 8+ marquee events per year, modeling operational excellence for the team. Beyond core event planning and supervision, this role requires the flexibility to support business growth. This includes planning and delegating tasks for new experiences or program offerings during their initial launch phases.
High-Volume Lodging Sourcing: Proven experience sourcing and securing nationwide hotel room blocks, specifically managing portfolios of 100+ room nights per contract/event.
XX Leadership Liaison: Work with the Leadership Team to execute internal events like our Annual Conference and holiday festivities.

Qualifications

Experience: 5+ years in high-volume Event Coordination or Logistics with proven management experience.
Financial Acumen: Experience tracking P&Ls, building budgets, and executing contract-driven cost strategies, including tracking and monitoring expenses for the event planning team.
Skills: Sales-savvy professional with masterful communication, time management, and problem-solving skills.
Physical Requirements: Ability to lift 50 lbs+ and assist with equipment setup/breakdown when on-site at events.

Schedule (see 2026 schedule @ www.XXSpeed.com)

The Event Planning and Vendor Relations Manager will be required to travel to events and assist the team in various roles where needed. At the track, you are a strong team player who helps your co-workers set up and break down event equipment. The Event Planning and Vendor Relations Manager will be expected to attend up to 8 XX events throughout the calendar year, in conjunction with a 40-hour office workweek. Time off during an event may be permitted with appropriate planning and sourcing of a substitute (XX team members are available to substitute for planned vacations or emergency time-off requests).

The above is intended to describe the general content of and requirements for the performance of this job. It is not to be construed as an exhaustive statement of duties, responsibilities, or physical requirements. Nothing in this job description restricts management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

Come As You Are: Your gender, your gods, your sex life, your skin color or your big-shot uncle don’t make a difference here. Xtreme is a progressive and open-minded company. If you are smart and good at what you do, come as you are.

Pay: $85,000.00 - $95,000.00 per year

Benefits:

401(k)
401(k) matching
Dental insurance
Employee assistance program
Employee discount
Flexible spending account
Health insurance
Health savings account
Life insurance
Paid time off
Parental leave
Professional development assistance
Retirement plan
Vision insurance

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Chicago, IL 60651