VP, Meetings & Events to establish America's Credit Unions as the premier/go-to meetings and events provider for the credit union industry through exceptional service, innovation and quality. As a dynamic people leader, the ideal candidate will guide a high-performing team to plan, organize, and implement America's Credit Unions' meetings and events, while strategically overseeing hotel selections, contract negotiations, stakeholder relationships, and the overall attendee experience.This is a Hybrid Role based in Madison, WI

Responsibilities:
• Establish, drive and continually evolve the strategy for Meetings & Events experience that reflects both the trends in the meeting experience industry while also exceeding the needs and expectations of staff, members, and other event attendees through innovation and quality.
• Define and drive the overall meeting operations and strategy for all in-person and hybrid meetings - to include all schools and conferences and America's Credit Unions' GAC - so that the shared function delivers 'Best-In-Class' Credit Union Solutions in support of the Strategic Plan.
• Work cross-functionally with colleagues on meeting/event strategy, conception, event operations and event activation, audience engagement and execution of virtual and hybrid attendance options.
• Partner with the Learning/Education team on the hybrid platform to oversee project management and timelines of each hybrid event and lead internal project management processes defining key milestones and ensuring deadlines are met.
• Ensure consistency in how programs are managed and run across Learning Events, Councils, and GAC.
• Understand overall trends in meeting and conference experience, bringing new ideas, unexpected experiences, and relevant technology to the table while also:

- Ensuring consistency in experience for attendees across association programs.

- Matching the experience to the learning objectives of the program, to include a focus on building advocacy capabilities.
• Lead Design and Execution of Events including:

- Signature Events (GAC),

- Virtual events - recommend appropriate on-site location for virtual/hybrid production, estimate costs/expenses (internet, a/v, space needs, etc.) for producing events, and coordinating logistics support staff schedule.
• Lead Sourcing, Contracting, and Vendor Management.
• Establish and consistently apply a strategy for sourcing, contracting, and vendor management.
• Manage and partner with current vendors to ensure event needs are met from a provider relationship standpoint.
• Represent America's Credit Unions and ensure that vendor relationships offer the most significant return for the investment.
• Manage the relationships with sales offices and/or hotel management, as needed, attending industry events as requested/required.
• Negotiate:

- Strong contracts that benefit the association and member credit unions.

- Hotels and suppliers that fit the America's Credit Unions brand.
• Manage and maintain other hotel/meeting industry contracts such as airline contracts, exhibit contractors, car rentals, etc. as necessary.
• Team leadership: Provide leadership and supervision to staff. Serve as a coach and mentor, providing regular feedback, and working with them on the establishment of performance goals. Guide the team to pursue professional development opportunities designed to enhance their knowledge, grow their engagement savvy, and continually raise their professional acumen.

- Ensure efficient alignment and allocation among the team of meeting planners and Program Coordinators.

- Define roles and responsibilities of meetings team and Program Coordinators and communicate across association.
• Oversee Budget, Financial and Profitability.
• Support and drive the related budget components for signature events, in partnership with the overall event owner; manage and execute plan to budget, ensuring that other team members are doing the same.
• Support event leaders to maximize the experience while minding revenue and expense considerations.
• Contribute to the financial success of the association through hotel contract commissions for in person events.
• Conduct travel that supports the goals of Meetings & Events.
• Conduct site visits and site planning as well as other pre-planning, generally for signature events.
• Attend other events as required to support on-site experience and/or as the event Meetings Project Manager.

Requirements:
• Bachelor's degree in hospitality management preferred or Business, Meeting Planning, or other similar field; or equivalent experience in lieu of degree is required.
• CMP (Certified Meeting Planner) designation strongly preferred.
• At least 10 years of meetings and events planning experience, with a focus on outstanding attendee experience, exhibit hall sales and management, hotel/food/beverage/travel, and large-scale meeting planning of up to 3,000 - 5,000 attendees.
• Experience in non-profit meetings and event planning is highly desired, but not required.
• Demonstrated success and understanding of contract negotiations in the conferences and meetings space, likely gained with at least five (5) solid years of contract negotiations, some of which is gained in managing multi-million-dollar events.
• Demonstrated success managing/supervising/motivating/inspiring a team. Proven leader who grows and develops a team, likely gained with at least five (5) years of prior supervisory experience.
• Creativity in meeting goals and delivering outstanding experience: Demonstrated experience - through specific examples - of bringing new, unique, creative, and surprising ideas and technologies to the meeting experience.
• Detail oriented: Proven success leading programs and teams and able to swiftly shift from 'big picture' to the 'details' to best support the needs of the team and other internal stakeholders. Programs are well-prepared and documented so that they are easily handed off to the on-site point of contact and external vendors.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills: Proven success and trust as a leader with ensuring everything is in place, communicating such with ease to the various teams and stakeholders involved; able to influence others in all directions with or without direct authority.
• Financial acumen: Accomplishes financial objectives by forecasting requirements; preparing an annual budget, scheduling expenditures, analyzing variances, and initiating corrective actions.
• Leadership: Sets clear expectations while inspiring and motivating the team. Proven experience as a leader who has grown and promoted the careers of the team, involving the team in the process of planning, making decisions, and achieving goals.
• Project management: Demonstrates the ability to prioritize; sets realistic timeframes and fulfills those timelines while also demonstrating a 'cool under pressure' demeanor.
• Data-driven.
• Results-oriented.
• Service oriented (internal colleagues/stakeholders, partners/vendors, conference attendees): Supports internal colleagues and program leaders to maximize the impact of their educational program, conference, or other event, and ensure attendees have an outstanding experience.
• Technology: Fluent in event management technology tools. This includes a relevant understanding and implementation of the trends in meeting space or other on-site event technology.

If you are highly motivated and are interested in this opportunity, we encourage you to apply today!