Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Event Editor

🎯 Role Definition

Are you the go-to person in your friend group for the best concerts, festivals, and hidden gems in the city? Do you have a knack for storytelling and an eagle eye for detail? We are searching for a passionate and meticulous Event Editor to join our vibrant content team. In this pivotal role, you will be the primary curator and voice of our events coverage, responsible for building and maintaining the most comprehensive and engaging events calendar in our market. You will not only list what's happening but also tell the stories behind the events, shaping how our audience discovers and experiences their community. This is a unique opportunity for a creative individual with a journalistic mindset to make a significant impact on our brand's authority and audience engagement.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Editorial Assistant or Content Coordinator
Staff Writer or Journalist
Event Coordinator or Marketing Assistant

Advancement To:

Senior Editor or Managing Editor
Content Manager or Content Strategist
Head of Content or Editorial Director

Lateral Moves:

Social Media Manager
Content Marketing Specialist
Communications Manager

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Proactively research, discover, and source a comprehensive, diverse, and engaging mix of upcoming events through various channels including press releases, social media, data feeds, and direct outreach.
Write, edit, and meticulously fact-check all event listings to ensure complete accuracy of details such as dates, times, venues, pricing, and descriptions.
Craft compelling, on-brand copy for featured events, curated roundups (e.g., "This Weekend's Best Bets"), and thematic guides that resonate with our target audience.
Own and manage the entire lifecycle of event content on our digital platforms, from initial entry and publication in the CMS to post-event archiving.
Develop, maintain, and execute a detailed editorial calendar for all event-related content, ensuring a consistent and timely flow of information for our readers.
Pitch, research, and write original long-form content related to the events scene, including interviews with artists, profiles on new venues, and trend pieces.
Uphold and enforce the company's editorial style, voice, and quality standards across all published event content and related materials.
Optimize all event listings and articles for search engines (SEO) by implementing best practices for keyword usage, meta descriptions, headlines, and internal linking.
Source, select, and perform basic edits on high-quality visual assets, including photos and videos, to enhance the appeal of event listings and features.
Build and nurture strong, professional relationships with a network of publicists, promoters, venue managers, and other key figures in the local events community.
Monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) and digital analytics to track content engagement, identify audience trends, and inform future content strategy.
Manage and moderate a user-submission system for events, ensuring all community-generated content meets our quality and accuracy standards before publication.
Curate, write, and schedule content for our popular events-focused email newsletter, driving traffic back to the website and increasing user engagement.

Secondary Functions

Collaborate closely with the social media team to develop creative promotional strategies and assets for highlighting key events on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Attend key local events, industry functions, and press previews as a representative of the brand to gather content and strengthen community ties.
Work alongside the sales and marketing departments to identify and execute sponsored content opportunities that align with our editorial integrity.
Actively participate in team-wide content strategy meetings and brainstorming sessions, contributing fresh ideas for new editorial franchises, series, and event coverage formats.
Provide support for managing freelance writers or interns, which may include assigning stories, providing feedback, and editing submissions.
Assist in managing the front-end user experience of the events calendar section, suggesting improvements for navigation, filtering, and overall design.
Stay relentlessly informed about local and national cultural trends, new openings, and major announcements to ensure our coverage is always fresh, relevant, and ahead of the curve.
Repurpose and strategically update high-performing evergreen event guides to maintain their relevance and search engine ranking over time.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Expert-Level Writing & Editing: Masterful command of grammar, spelling, and style, with demonstrated experience in copywriting, proofreading, and developmental editing (familiarity with AP Style is a strong plus).
CMS Proficiency: Hands-on experience managing and publishing content using a Content Management System such as WordPress, Drupal, or a similar proprietary platform.
SEO Best Practices: A solid understanding of on-page SEO principles, including keyword research, content optimization, and internal linking strategies.
Digital Analytics: Familiarity with tools like Google Analytics to interpret traffic data, track content performance, and generate actionable insights.
Email Marketing Platforms: Experience using platforms like Mailchimp, Klaviyo, or ConvertKit to build and send engaging email newsletters.
Basic Photo Editing: Competency in using software like Adobe Photoshop or Canva for cropping, resizing, and light editing of images for web use.

Soft Skills

Exceptional Attention to Detail: A meticulous nature and an unwavering commitment to factual accuracy are absolutely essential for this role.
Superior Organizational Skills: Proven ability to manage a high volume of information, juggle multiple deadlines, and maintain a complex content calendar without sacrificing quality.
Proactive Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills for collaborating with internal teams and building rapport with external partners.
Creative & Curious Mindset: A genuine passion for arts, culture, and events, coupled with the creative drive to find unique story angles and content ideas.
Resourcefulness: The ability to independently find information, solve problems, and stay on top of a fast-moving beat.
Adaptability: Thrives in a dynamic, deadline-driven media environment and can pivot strategy based on performance data and emerging trends.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's Degree or equivalent professional experience in a related field.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor's Degree in Journalism, English, Communications, Marketing, or a related discipline.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Journalism & Media Studies
Communications
English Literature & Writing
Marketing

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

2-5 years of professional experience in digital media, editorial, content creation, or a similar role.

Preferred:

Direct experience as a listings editor, city guide editor, or a similar role focused on event-based content for a digital publication.
A demonstrable portfolio of published work, including event listings, guides, and feature articles.
Deep, pre-existing knowledge of and connections within the local arts, music, dining, and culture scene.