Events Specialist

Who We Are / B&T Values Statement?

At Baker & Taylor, we are passionate about changing the world through literacy. We believe that education, access to content, and the freedom to explore are essential. We are dedicated to supporting our library partners across the world who tirelessly provide resources to foster the imagination of future generations and improve outcomes in their communities. Librarians are our heroes and championing and supporting their work is our purpose.

Baker & Taylor is committed to embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion to create an environment that both celebrates and evolves through the unique experiences and contributions of all team members. We are an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. We maintain a drug-free workplace and perform pre-employment substance abuse testing.

Who You Are

* You have hands-on experience in creating and organizing the event schedule for multiple events

* You have a customer-first mindset

* You are good at developing relationships with potential clients

* You are detail-oriented with a keen eye to the small details

What You'll Do/ A Day in The Life Typically Includes

The Events Specialist will serve as the liaison between Baker & Taylor's marketing department and business unit leaders in our Public and Academic divisions. This team member is responsible for effectively planning and managing all national, international, regional, and state tradeshows and conferences, as well as Baker & Taylor hosted events, to ensure that our company goals, initiatives, and messaging are clearly executed and in compliance with company policy. This includes developing event objectives, researching possible venues, developing associated budgets, creating agendas, and overseeing the planning and execution of all events.

In this role you will negotiate and arrange contracts for venues, collaborate with sponsors to implement the scope and format of events as well as meet with sponsors to ensure the final cost of the event aligns with our marketing budget. In addition, the Events Specialist will work collaboratively across other functional departments to accomplish marketing and sales goals and provide extraordinary customer service to our business partners.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities (The following statements describe the general nature of work being performed in this job. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties. Additional responsibilities may be assigned by management):

Key Accountabilities:

* Planning National Tradeshows and Conferences - 35%

* Preparing and communicating project briefs, updates and milestones to department management and key stakeholders. Related marketing support (email, web and collateral development) - 35%

* Planning state or Baker & Taylor events - 20%

* Adhering to tradeshow/convention budgets by managing expenses and reconciling meeting invoices, along with authorizing payment within standard guidelines and approval levels - 10%

Additional responsibilities

• Planning and managing all virtual and in person regional, state, and local conferences for the Public and Academic divisions, including scheduling all internal planning sessions and providing meeting recaps while working with the exhibit space to order all services and provide necessary information. Events Specialist will also work with the marketing team to prepare and order appropriate collateral.
• Co-managing and co-planning all virtual and in person International and National conferences with Marketing Director as above, with additional responsibilities including identifying and analyzing sponsorship opportunities, booking and managing hotel reservations, badges and registration for all attendees, booking and managing meeting room space for offsite meetings or customer events, and managing booth setup and tear down.
• Training and supervising event volunteers and support staff
• Participating in department staff meetings, tradeshows, conferences, and industry meetings as needed
• Conducting post-event assessments to collect feedback from attendees, suppliers, and sponsors to determine effectiveness of events and improve future events
• Providing marketing support across the business including email, web and collateral development)

Travel Requirements

Moderate 10-50%.

Work Environment

Hybrid work environment. Tuesdays and Thursdays in office - Charlotte, NC

Benefits

• Participation in company health (medical, dental) insurance plans on the 1st of the month following your hire date.
• Company short-term and long-term disability benefits
• Flexible PTO - In recognition of the professional environment in which we work, you will immediately be eligible to participate in the Company's pilot Flex PTO program
• Under the Flex PTO program, you may use Flex PTO each year for PTO, illness or other personal time provided good standing and subject to business needs
• There are no predefined number of Flex PTO days, nor do you earn or accrue paid time off under the Program
• Career development and advancement opportunities
• Climate controlled facility

Required Skills & Experience

* Bachelor's degree or equivalent and three to five years of experience in marketing or similar field.

* Manages event budgets, provides reporting and tracking

* Resolves non-routine problems with specialized knowledge

* Exercises judgment within defined procedures and practices

* Self-motivated with strong leadership skills

* Accountable for projects with broad scope

* Event planning experience with a background in project management

* Advanced computer skills

Physical Demands

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk and hear. Specific vision requirements include close vision in order to view PC/CRT and read written documents.

Note: The requirements listed above are representative of the knowledge, skill, ability, and physical demands required to perform the essential functions of this job successfully. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.