AVP / Director, Event & Meeting Strategy

Full Time, Permanent | Hybrid (2–3 Days in Office), New Jersey | Approximately 25–35% Travel

Reports to the SVP, Member Services

Salary range: $150k-$220K DOE, plus bonus

A leading insurance firm is seeking a senior events management professional to lead its enterprise-wide meetings and events function. (AVP/Director, Event & Meeting Strategy). The ideal candidate will have a proven track record of delivering large, multi-day conferences.

Reporting to the SVP, Member Services, this role is responsible for developing and executing the organization’s meeting and event strategy, ensuring all internal and external events strengthen stakeholder engagement, enhance the brand, and support business objectives.

The successful candidate will oversee large-scale conferences (1,000-2,000 attendees), member events and Board meetings, while leading a high-performing meetings team. This opportunity is suited to an experienced events leader who combines exceptional people leadership with strategic thinking, operational excellence, and the ability to deliver both executive-level experiences and complex conferences.

Candidates from a variety of sectors will be considered, although experience within the insurance or pharmaceutical industry (or another environment delivering similarly complex events) is particularly attractive.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

Strategic Meeting & Event Leadership

• Develop and execute the strategic roadmap for enterprise-wide meetings, conferences, and event programs.
• Partner with senior leadership to align event strategy with organizational priorities, stakeholder engagement objectives, and brand standards.
• Lead the planning and delivery of flagship conferences, including complex multi-day events for up to 1000-2000 attendees.
• Evaluate and implement new technologies, systems, reporting processes, and best practices to improve attendee experience and operational efficiency.
• Drive continuous improvement through innovation, data analysis, and effective event planning processes.

Executive & Stakeholder Engagement

• Serve as a strategic advisor to senior leadership and Board representatives on meeting strategy, event design, and execution.
• Lead the planning and delivery of Board meetings, executive events, member programs, and key organizational gatherings.
• Partner with cross-functional teams to ensure events support business objectives and stakeholder needs.
• Build strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders, vendors, and strategic partners.

Team Leadership

• Lead, mentor, coach, and develop a high-performing meetings and events team.
• Foster a collaborative, accountable, and service-focused culture.
• Establish best practices across planning, communication, vendor management, quality standards, and risk mitigation.
• Empower the team to deliver successful events while providing strategic direction and support.

Budget & Vendor Management

• Oversee enterprise-wide meetings and events budgets, including financial planning and cost optimization.
• Manage key vendor relationships across hotels, destination management companies, production partners, and technology providers.
• Lead contract negotiations and ensure strong vendor performance, quality standards, and value delivery.

Operational Excellence

• Ensure consistent planning processes, governance, contract compliance, and contingency planning across all events.
• Oversee event communications, registration platforms, and digital tools to ensure a seamless attendee experience.
• Lead post-event evaluation, reporting, and analysis to identify improvements and measure success.
• Travel approximately 25–35% to support key meetings and conferences.

WHO YOU ARE

• 12–15+ years of progressive corporate meeting and event management experience delivering large-scale conferences, executive meetings, and complex event programs.
• Demonstrated success delivering large, multi-day conferences.
• Experience within the pharmaceutical industry is highly desirable, although candidates from other sectors delivering events of similar scale and complexity will be considered.
• Proven experience supporting Board-level executives and delivering executive meetings within luxury hotel environments.
• Strong people leadership experience, with a track record of mentoring, coaching, and developing high-performing teams.
• Experience managing enterprise-wide and multi-million-dollar event budgets.
• Strong knowledge of event technology platforms, registration systems, analytics tools, and reporting processes.
• Experience using data and metrics to evaluate event performance and drive continuous improvement.
• Established relationships with hotels, destination management companies, production agencies, and strategic event partners.
• Strong executive presence with the ability to influence senior leaders and build trusted stakeholder relationships.
• Excellent troubleshooting, problem-solving, and decision-making skills with the ability to remain calm under pressure.
• Highly organized, strategic, and commercially minded with exceptional attention to detail.
• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree or Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) designation preferred.

REF: 203936