Event Support Specialist

🎯 Role Definition

The Event Support Specialist is the backbone of our events team, providing critical logistical and administrative support across the entire event lifecycle. You will be a key player in bringing our events to life, from initial concept to post-event analysis. This role requires a hands-on approach, a keen eye for detail, and a passion for creating exceptional experiences. You will collaborate with multiple departments, manage vendor relationships, and be a primary point of contact for attendees, ensuring every detail is perfectly executed.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Event Assistant
Administrative Coordinator
Marketing Assistant

Advancement To:

Event Coordinator
Event Manager
Marketing Program Manager

Lateral Moves:

Project Coordinator
Marketing Specialist

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Provide comprehensive logistical support for a wide range of corporate events, including conferences, trade shows, webinars, and internal meetings.
Manage the end-to-end event registration process, including building registration sites, tracking attendance, and handling attendee inquiries.
Serve as a key on-site or virtual point of contact during events, providing exceptional customer service and troubleshooting issues in real-time to ensure a smooth attendee experience.
Coordinate with and manage relationships with external vendors, including venues, caterers, A/V providers, and transportation services, to ensure flawless execution.
Develop and maintain detailed event project plans, timelines, and production schedules, ensuring all milestones are met on time and within budget.
Assist in the creation and distribution of event-related communications and marketing materials, such as invitations, reminders, and post-event follow-ups.
Handle the procurement, packing, and shipment of all necessary event materials, supplies, and marketing collateral to event locations.
Support the technical aspects of virtual and hybrid events, including platform setup, speaker rehearsals, and live-event technical assistance.
Process vendor invoices, track event expenditures, and assist the Event Manager with budget reconciliation and financial reporting.
Conduct post-event activities, including distributing attendee surveys, compiling feedback, and contributing to comprehensive event debrief reports.
Maintain and organize the inventory of event-related equipment, signage, and promotional items.
Coordinate travel arrangements and accommodation logistics for event staff, executives, and guest speakers.
Update and maintain accurate event data within our CRM and other internal databases to support reporting and analysis.
Collaborate closely with marketing, sales, and product teams to ensure event objectives are aligned with broader company goals.
Assist in sourcing and securing venues for future events, including conducting site visits and comparing proposals.
Prepare and assemble event-specific materials such as name badges, welcome packets, and informational signage.
Respond promptly and professionally to a high volume of email and phone inquiries from prospective attendees, sponsors, and partners.
Actively participate in event brainstorming and planning sessions, contributing creative ideas for themes, activities, and engagement strategies.
Set up, manage, and tear down physical event spaces, ensuring they are professional, on-brand, and functional.
Provide administrative support to the events team, including scheduling meetings, taking notes, and preparing documents.
Monitor event performance against key performance indicators (KPIs) and assist in gathering data for ROI analysis.

Secondary Functions

Assist the marketing team with social media updates and community engagement related to events.
Contribute to the content creation process for event-related blog posts, newsletters, and promotional copy.
Conduct competitive research on industry events to identify trends, new vendor opportunities, and best practices.
Participate in cross-functional team projects, providing an events perspective on new initiatives.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Proficiency in event management platforms such as Cvent, Eventbrite, or Bizzabo.
Demonstrated experience with virtual event and webinar technologies like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Webex, or Hopin.
Advanced skills in the Microsoft Office Suite (especially Excel, PowerPoint, and Word) and/or Google Workspace.
Familiarity with CRM software, particularly Salesforce or HubSpot, for managing attendee and lead data.
Basic understanding of audio/visual (A/V) equipment and an ability to perform simple troubleshooting.
Experience with project management tools like Asana, Trello, or Monday.com.

Soft Skills

Exceptional organizational and time-management abilities, with a proven capacity to manage multiple projects simultaneously under tight deadlines.
Superior verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to interact professionally and courteously with attendees, vendors, and internal stakeholders.
A proactive, resourceful, and unflappable problem-solver who can think on their feet in high-pressure situations.
Impeccable attention to detail and a commitment to high-quality execution in all tasks.
Strong customer service orientation with a genuine passion for creating positive and memorable experiences.
Ability to thrive in a collaborative, fast-paced team environment while also being capable of working independently.
High degree of adaptability and flexibility to accommodate changing event needs and last-minute requests.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Associate's Degree or equivalent practical experience.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor's Degree.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Hospitality Management
Marketing
Communications
Business Administration

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

1-3 years of experience in event coordination, hospitality, project management, or a related administrative role.

Preferred:

Direct experience supporting both in-person and virtual corporate events. Experience working with event technology platforms is a significant plus.