EVENT MANAGER

The Event Manager will lead the planning and execution of events that advance the mission of the Mercatus Center, including conferences, workshops, and policy events. This role involves strategic development, logistical planning, venue coordination, contract negotiation, program planning, marketing, and measuring event success. The manager will work closely with event and program teams to ensure each event achieves its goals, and will also support events for other teams as needed.

Responsibilities

• Coordinates attendee travel and lodging for events in portfolio.
• Coordinates and oversees on-site event logistics, including venue setup, food and beverage, security, and volunteer and support staff.
• Builds and manages relationships with vendors, staff, scholars, attendees, and other constituents. Prepares event materials and sets up event spaces as needed.
• Leads post-event debriefs to identify improvements and uphold the Mercatus standard of excellence.
• Plans exceptional events while managing costs, tracking expenses, and overseeing event budgets.
• Submits timely expense reports and invoice payments.
• Provides additional planning and onsite assistance for events managed by other events team members as needed.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education, training, and work experience.
• A minimum of 4 years of related work experience in event strategy, planning, and execution including complex and high-profile events.
• Excellent written and verbal communication.
• Ability to communicate clearly and concisely across all levels of the organization.
• Strong organizational and time management skills.
• Proficiency in MS Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Experience with event registration and management platforms.
• Proficiency with Google communication tools.
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to build and maintain professional relationships.
• Excellent teamwork and customer service skills.
• Ability to think critically, respond effectively to unexpected situations, and exercise sound judgment under pressure.
• Availability to travel and work nights and weekends as needed.

Nice to have

• Prior experience with Cvent is preferred.
• Salesforce experience is a plus.

Benefits

• Salary is competitive and will be commensurate with experience. In addition, Mercatus provides excellent benefits to all individual employees, including full health and dental coverage, unlimited paid time off, long-term disability and life insurance, a 403(b) retirement savings program, parking/travel benefits, and twelve free credits per year at George Mason University.