Meeting Event Planner

Meeting Planner – Medical Affairs

Location: Golden Valley / Minneapolis, MN

Employment Type: Contract with potential for long-term conversion

Work Arrangement: Primarily onsite Monday–Thursday, remote Friday

Pay: $30-$35/hr with full benefits (health, dental, vision, PTO, 401K match)

About the Opportunity

We are seeking a Meeting Planner – Medical Affairs to join the growing meetings and events function of an innovative medical device company.

This is an exciting opportunity for an early-career meeting planner who wants to build deeper experience in medical education, corporate meetings, venue sourcing, vendor management, contracting, budgeting, and event operations.

You’ll partner closely with Medical Affairs and Medical Education teams to take ownership of the logistical side of meetings and programs—allowing internal teams to focus on developing meaningful educational content and engaging healthcare professionals.

Beyond executing meetings, you’ll also have an opportunity to help centralize and standardize how meetings are planned across the organization, creating more consistent processes, stronger vendor partnerships, and better purchasing leverage as the company continues to grow.

What You’ll Do

Meeting Planning & Logistics

Plan and coordinate logistics for medical education meetings, advisory boards, trainings, internal meetings, and related programs.Manage venue sourcing in partnership with the organization’s venue sourcing partner.Coordinate hotel and meeting space requirements, including sleeping room blocks, meeting rooms, room sets, layouts, and attendee needs.Manage audiovisual requirements, food and beverage, signage, materials, shipping, and other event logistics.Develop detailed planning timelines, checklists, specifications, and meeting documentation.Serve as a central point of contact for meeting logistics from initial request through event handoff and closeout.Ensure meeting details are fully prepared before handing execution to onsite program leads.

Vendor & Contract Management

Build and manage relationships with hotels, AV providers, venues, and other event partners.Request and evaluate proposals based on cost, service, availability, and program requirements.Support negotiations around pricing, concessions, terms, and deliverables.Coordinate contracts, deposits, cancellation terms, deadlines, and vendor commitments.Identify opportunities to consolidate meetings and vendor relationships to strengthen purchasing power and create efficiencies.Help develop consistent vendor practices across multiple programs.

Budget Management

Develop and maintain budgets for individual meetings and programs.Track projected costs, committed expenses, invoices, and final actuals.Monitor spending across venue, food and beverage, AV, and other event categories.Proactively identify budget risks, savings opportunities, or unexpected expenses.Review vendor invoices and support reconciliation and event closeout.

Conference & Event Operations Support

Support conference logistics such as electrical, internet, lead retrieval, cleaning, material handling, flooring, and other show services.Coordinate ordering deadlines, specifications, confirmations, and event requirements.Partner with internal conference and program leads to ensure logistics are complete and ready for execution.Occasionally assist with local programs or events to gain additional exposure to onsite execution.

What We’re Looking For

1–3+ years of hands-on meeting planning, event logistics, hospitality, venue sourcing, or related experience.Experience actually planning meetings and events, rather than solely attending or staffing events.Working knowledge of common meeting terminology and room configurations, such as:ReceptionBanquetClassroomConferenceFoundational understanding of audiovisual requirements and terminology.Experience working directly with hotels, venues, caterers, AV providers, or other event vendors.Experience supporting venue sourcing and contract negotiations.Experience managing food and beverage, room sets, timelines, and event logistics.Comfort developing and maintaining event budgets and reviewing invoices.Exceptional attention to detail and follow-through.Strong organizational and project management skills.Ability to manage multiple meetings and competing deadlines simultaneously.Strong communication and relationship-building skills.Ability to remain calm, flexible, and solutions-oriented when plans change.A positive attitude, curiosity, and willingness to learn.

Nice to Have

Experience planning meetings in medical device, healthcare, pharmaceutical, life sciences, or another regulated industry.Experience supporting medical education programs, advisory boards, investigator meetings, or clinician-facing events.Corporate meeting planning experience.Experience with conference or trade show logistics.CMP, CMM, or similar meeting-industry certification is a plus, but not required.

Candidates coming from hospitality, experiential events, or even wedding planning backgrounds may also be considered if they bring strong hands-on vendor, venue, contracting, and logistical experience.

Why This Opportunity?

This is a unique opportunity to join a growing medical device organization and develop your career alongside an experienced meeting planning leader.

The organization is expanding its medical education programming and broader meeting and conference activity, creating the need for a dedicated professional who can bring greater structure and consistency to how these programs are planned.

You'll have the opportunity to:

Build hands-on experience in Medical Affairs and medical education meetingsDevelop deeper expertise in vendor and hotel negotiationsOwn meetings from initial request through closeoutHelp create new meeting planning processes and standardsWork closely with experienced meeting and event professionalsGain exposure to a growing medical device organizationMake a visible impact as the meetings function continues to evolve

This position is ideal for someone who already understands the fundamentals of meeting planning but is looking for an opportunity to learn, grow, take greater ownership, and build a long-term career in corporate and healthcare meetings.

Position Details

Location: Golden Valley / Minneapolis, MinnesotaSchedule: Full-timeWork Arrangement: Primarily onsite Monday–Thursday with remote Fridays; some flexibility may be available for the right candidateContract: Initial contract opportunity with the potential to convert to a full-time position in 2027Travel: Minimal; this role is primarily focused on planning and logistics rather than traveling to execute every meetingOccasional availability outside standard business hours may be needed for true event-related issues or emergencies.