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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Cultural Events Coordinator

💰 $ - $

🎯 Role Definition

A Cultural Events Coordinator plans, produces, and evaluates cultural programs, festivals, exhibitions and community events that engage diverse audiences and advance an organization’s artistic and civic goals. This role combines program development, logistical coordination, stakeholder and artist relations, budget and contract management, audience development, marketing support, and on-site production oversight. The ideal candidate brings strong project management skills, cultural competency, and proven experience working with community partners, creative practitioners, and public-sector stakeholders to deliver safe, accessible and financially responsible cultural experiences.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Event Assistant / Event Coordinator (entry-level)
  • Arts Administration Assistant or Program Assistant
  • Volunteer Coordinator or Community Outreach Associate

Advancement To:

  • Senior Events Manager
  • Cultural Programs Manager / Festival Producer
  • Director of Cultural Programming or Festival Director

Lateral Moves:

  • Marketing & Audience Development Manager
  • Community Engagement Manager
  • Development / Sponsorship Manager

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Lead end-to-end planning and delivery of cultural events, festivals, performances, exhibitions and public programs, ensuring alignment with organizational mission, audience strategy, and community needs.
  • Develop event concepts and curatorial programming in collaboration with artistic directors, curators, community partners and stakeholders to ensure culturally relevant, diverse and inclusive content.
  • Create, manage and monitor detailed project timelines, run-of-show documents, production schedules, and milestone checklists to deliver events on time.
  • Prepare, manage and reconcile event budgets, forecast expenses and revenues, track vendor invoices, and report financial status to senior leadership; ensure cost control and adherence to budget.
  • Source, evaluate and negotiate contracts with venues, vendors, technical and production suppliers, catering partners, security firms, and freelance technicians; administer agreements and riders.
  • Coordinate artist and talent relations including booking, contract negotiation, travel and accommodation arrangements, technical riders, hospitality, and on-site artist liaisons.
  • Secure required permits, licenses and approvals (city permits, noise exemptions, alcohol permits, special event insurance) and ensure compliance with municipal regulations and site-specific restrictions.
  • Oversee logistics for load-in, technical setup, staging, lighting, sound, AV, staging plans, backstage operations, and production crews to meet artistic and safety requirements.
  • Develop and execute staffing plans for events including hiring, scheduling, training and supervising event staff, front-of-house teams, contractors and volunteers.
  • Recruit, onboard and manage volunteers and community ambassadors; create volunteer training materials, shift schedules and recognition programs to support large-scale events.
  • Plan and execute ticketing and registration strategies including pricing, sales channels, will-call procedures, access control, capacity management and reporting (e.g., Eventbrite, Tessitura, Cvent).
  • Collaborate with marketing, communications and social media teams to develop promotional plans, content calendars, press releases, EDMs and digital campaigns to maximize attendance and visibility.
  • Build and manage partnerships with community organizations, cultural institutions, municipal departments, funders and sponsors to secure in-kind support, funding and co-promotion.
  • Identify, cultivate and support sponsorship opportunities; prepare sponsor packages, manage sponsor deliverables and ensure contractual obligations are fulfilled.
  • Manage risk, health and safety planning, crowd management strategies, emergency response plans and accessibility accommodations to ensure safe and inclusive events.
  • Implement audience development and community engagement strategies to grow participation from target demographics and underrepresented communities; analyze attendance trends and feedback.
  • Draft grant proposals, funding reports and post-event evaluations for public funders, foundations and institutional funders; maintain supporting documentation and outcome metrics.
  • Maintain detailed event documentation, production binders, site maps, technical specifications, contact lists and post-event reports to support continuous improvement and knowledge transfer.
  • Lead post-event debriefs with cross-functional teams to capture lessons learned, document KPIs (attendance, revenue, engagement), and recommend improvements for future events.
  • Coordinate merchandise, concessions and vendor marketplaces, including vendor outreach, contracts, site maps, payment logistics and health & safety compliance.
  • Oversee on-site box office operations, patron services, accessibility services, lost & found procedures and customer service escalation for attendees, artists and partners.
  • Maintain and update CRM/event databases, mailing lists and attendee segmentation to support targeted outreach, retention and reporting.
  • Monitor and report on event performance using KPIs and analytics (attendance, revenue, ticket conversion, social engagement) and prepare executive summaries for stakeholders.
  • Advocate for cultural sensitivity, diversity, equity and inclusion in programming, outreach and hiring; ensure events are accessible and welcoming to diverse communities.
  • Coordinate transportation logistics for artists, equipment and deliveries, including loading zones, parking permits, staging areas and freight coordination for efficient event operations.

Secondary Functions

  • Support strategic planning for seasonal programming, multi-year festival development and budget forecasting in collaboration with leadership.
  • Maintain vendor and supplier relationships and a preferred vendor list; conduct post-contract evaluations and procurement processes for cost efficiency.
  • Assist with grant research, funding prospecting and calendar management for grant submission deadlines and reporting requirements.
  • Provide data and insights to marketing and fundraising teams to align promotional strategy with ticketing and sponsorship goals.
  • Support documentation of health & safety protocols, COVID-related guidelines, crowd-flow modelling and accessibility checklists for event venues.
  • Contribute to creative asset development by providing copy, site maps, signage requirements and accessibility information for design and production teams.
  • Facilitate community consultation sessions, stakeholder meetings, and artist roundtables to inform programming and partnership development.
  • Help maintain inventory of technical equipment and production supplies and coordinate maintenance, storage and logistics for recurring festivals.
  • Provide on-call event management support during off-hours and weekends; troubleshoot operational issues and lead incident response when needed.
  • Support data collection for participant feedback surveys, post-event impact evaluation and audience segmentation analysis.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Event planning and production: demonstrated proficiency managing festivals, public programs, performances and multi-site events.
  • Budgeting & financial management: experience creating and tracking event budgets, vendor invoices and financial reconciliations.
  • Contract negotiation & administration: experience drafting and negotiating artist, vendor and sponsor contracts and riders.
  • Permit & licensing knowledge: familiarity with municipal permitting processes, insurance requirements and site-specific regulations.
  • Ticketing & CRM platforms: experience with Eventbrite, Tessitura, Cvent, Spektrix, or comparable ticketing and CRM systems.
  • Grant writing & reporting: ability to draft grant proposals, prepare deliverables and compile funder reports with measurable outcomes.
  • Technical production literacy: understanding of staging, lighting, sound, AV requirements and production rider coordination.
  • Project management tools: proficient with project management and collaboration tools (Asana, Trello, Microsoft Teams, Google Workspace).
  • Marketing coordination & analytics: ability to work with marketing teams on campaigns, track performance metrics and use analytics to inform decisions.
  • Accessibility & inclusion planning: knowledge of accessibility standards, ADA considerations, sensory-friendly programming and inclusion best practices.
  • Sponsorship development: experience preparing sponsor packages, delivering sponsor benefits and stewarding corporate partners.
  • Health & safety planning: competency in crowd management, emergency planning, and risk mitigation for public events.

Soft Skills

  • Excellent written and verbal communication, with experience liaising with artists, partners, city officials and media.
  • Strong stakeholder management and relationship-building skills; diplomacy working with diverse internal and external partners.
  • Exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail, able to manage multiple high-priority projects and shifting timelines.
  • Problem-solving and crisis management skills; calm under pressure and effective at rapid decision-making on-site.
  • Leadership and team coordination; experience supervising staff, contractors and volunteers with clear direction and support.
  • Cultural competency and community sensitivity; ability to engage respectfully with diverse communities and artistic practices.
  • Negotiation and persuasion skills for securing favorable vendor terms and sponsorship commitments.
  • Time management and prioritization; meets deadlines and manages competing logistical demands.
  • Adaptability and resilience working in fast-paced, deadline-driven event environments.
  • Customer-service orientation with strong audience-facing skills and experience resolving attendee issues.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • High school diploma or equivalent. Many employers require or prefer post-secondary education.

Preferred Education:

  • Bachelor's degree in Arts Administration, Event Management, Cultural Studies, Hospitality Management, Communications, Marketing, Public Administration, or a related field.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Arts Management
  • Event Management / Hospitality
  • Cultural Studies / Performing Arts
  • Communications / Marketing
  • Public Administration / Nonprofit Management

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 2–5 years of event coordination or arts programming experience for mid-level roles; entry-level coordinator roles may require 1–2 years.

Preferred:

  • 3–5+ years producing cultural events, festivals or public programs, ideally with experience in municipal, nonprofit, arts or cultural institutions.
  • Demonstrated experience managing event budgets (e.g., $50K–$500K project budgets), negotiating contracts, and overseeing production crews.
  • Experience working with community partners, funders and municipal stakeholders, and a track record of achieving attendance, sponsorship and engagement targets.
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