Senior Meeting Planning & Hospitality Specialist

Solutions for Today’s Challenges. Vision for Tomorrow’s Opportunities.

Join William Blair, the Premier Global Partnership.

The Senior Meeting Planning & Hospitality Specialist will coordinate the planning of mid-to-large-scale onsite and offsite meetings, events, and conferences. Work with business units to establish budgets and meeting/event objectives. Manage site/conference room selection, hotel room block coordination, ground transportation and contract(s). Troubleshoot issues during meeting/event and manage post meeting/event communication, including final budget. Conduct pre- and post-conference meetings, including but not limited to: Meeting Planning & Hospitality, Brand Marketing & Communications, hotel or event management and IT/AV teams. Establish relationships with vendors and act as a resource for internal clients and less experienced team members.

Responsibilities include but may not be limited to:

• Coordinate and manage the sourcing and planning of mid-to-large-scale, high-visibility firm meetings, events, and conferences.
• Create and manage event budgets using existing templates from program history, industry knowledge, and collaboration with internal Client Events peers
• Liase between hotel and venue contacts for room/site selection, hotel room blocks, event space set-up, food and beverage selections, and more.
• Collaborate with meeting planning staff to provide excellent service to all participants. Serve as an escalation point for conference/meeting questions or issues. Collaborate with internal planning partners on pre- and post-conference meetings with all parties involved in the execution of event.
• Troubleshoot complex issues during firm events, meetings, and conferences. Liaise and proactively communicate with Information Technology to insure technology is running smoothly.
• Analyze reports summarizing meeting trend data, recurrent problems and financial data. Identify opportunities for improvement and recommend changes to enable improved customer support, efficiency and cost savings. Proactively track spending against established event budgets.
• Build strong working relationships with vendors.
• Prepare and present post-meeting financials to business unit contact(s). Review meeting/ event related bills for payment.
• Provide training and act as a resource for less experienced employees.
• Provide support for internal meetings, events, and conferences as requested.
• Guide and mentor Meeting Planning & Hospitality Specialists and Associates. Serve as a resource and escalation point for internal clients and Meeting Planning & Hospitality staff.
• Support in-office meetings and events as requested.
• Additional responsibilities as requested.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree required, Hospitality Management degree preferred
• 5-7 years of hospitality and/or meeting planning experience required
• Strong ability to work independently to achieve team objectives and exercise good judgment
• Expertise in delivering clear, effective written and verbal communication
• Proven problem solving skills
• Expert organizational skills and ability to prioritize tasks and handle many responsibilities simultaneously
• Proven committed to satisfying internal and external customers
• Strong detail-orientation to ensure that high standards are met or exceeded
• Ability to guide and mentor staff
• Proficient knowledge of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Power Point)
• CVENT or meeting planning tool working knowledge
• Flexible with late or early event related hours

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