Event Program Manager

Crawford Group is seeking an Event Program Manager to join our team, delivering a field marketing and ambassador program for a leading spirits brand. The program will engage legal drinking age (LDA) consumers in high-energy environments such as bars, nightlife districts, game day events, festivals, and other social moments. This role requires hands-on program management across eight priority markets: Chicago, Phoenix, Philadelphia, Boston, Denver, Kansas City, Tallahassee, and Madison. Candidates must reside in one of these markets.

About Crawford Group

Crawford Group provides expert marketing, digital, creative, events, and communications talent solutions for marketers. We focus on delivering flexible workforce solutions and collaborative customer relationships to drive revenue and pipeline growth through marketing activities.

Responsibilities

• Pre-Event — Staffing, Training & Program Build:
  • Staffing & Onboarding: Manage staffing and support onboarding of the field ambassador team across all eight priority markets. Partner with recruiting to identify talent needs, then oversee candidate selection, paperwork, certification, briefing, and first shift.
  • Scheduling & Coverage: Build and manage the ambassador schedule, ensuring shift coverage aligns with the activation calendar, including call times, check-ins, and breaks. Adjust for tentpole moments, game days, and market demand while maintaining a bench for replacements.
  • Training Delivery: Deliver training and briefings to brand ambassadors and third-party samplers, covering brand messaging, activation mechanics, conduct expectations, and compliance protocols.
  • Compliance Documentation & Permitting: Execute venue contracts and secure permits, licenses, and documentation required for activations, ensuring compliance with federal, state, local, and brand guidelines. Confirm liquor liability insurance for field staff and vendors.
  • Sampling Vendor Management: Manage and direct the third-party sampling vendor, including onboarding, staffing requests, hours/rate confirmation, performance standards, and issue resolution. Align the sampling calendar with the activation schedule, including branded RV program activities.
  • Kit, Merchandise & Storage: Support activation kit builds, inventory management, merchandise allocation, shipping, and market-level storage to ensure timely availability of resources.
  • Run-of-Show & Playbooks: Adapt and distribute run-of-show templates and operational playbooks by activation type to ensure consistent execution across markets.
  • Calendar Maintenance: Keep the rolling event calendar updated and accurate, supporting the Program Lead in maintaining 90-day, 180-day, and annual master calendar views.
• During Event — Live Execution:
  • Field Supervision & Compliance: Ensure LDA verification, sampling compliance, and pour standards are upheld at every activation. Supervise Brand Ambassador Leads and their teams remotely and on-site, enforcing brand and conduct standards.
  • Escalation & Live Troubleshooting: Serve as the escalation point for staffing gaps, venue changes, weather, product, and logistics issues, including evenings and weekends. Escalate to the Program Lead and client as needed.
• Post-Event — Reporting & Optimization:
  • Data Capture: Ensure post-activation data capture for every event, recording ambassador hours, estimated LDA consumer engagements, and required tracking.
  • Performance Reporting: Produce market rollups, post-event recaps for tentpole activations, and performance reports against KPIs. Support quarterly program reviews and optimization.
  • Budget Support: Assist the Program Lead with budget tracking, monthly reconciliation, vendor invoicing, and expense reporting.
  • Field Feedback: Gather feedback from the field, identify what works or doesn’t by market, and incorporate learnings into future planning.

Requirements

• 5+ years in field marketing, experiential marketing, event production, or brand/event management, including hands-on management of multi-market field or ambassador teams and multiple concurrent activations.
• Direct experience in the alcohol beverage category or another regulated industry, with a working command of compliance disciplines (LDA verification, sampling compliance, staff conduct, incident escalation).
• Proven ability to onboard, train, schedule, and supervise field staff at scale, including hourly and part-time talent across multiple cities.
• Experience managing third-party vendors and staffing partners, including setting performance standards and resolving issues.
• Comfort with venue contracts, permitting, certificates of insurance, and event compliance paperwork.
• Experience operating in nightlife, game day, and event environments.
• Strong reporting skills, including accurate data capture, on-time recaps, and clear performance summaries.
• Highly responsive and available during live activations, including evenings and weekends for key events.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with scheduling, staffing, or workforce management platforms and third-party data collection tools.
• Existing relationships with venues, promoters, local staffing sources, or sampling vendors in one or more priority markets.
• Experience with content capture, creator/influencer coordination, or social amplification.
• Background in standing up new programs, including building processes, templates, and staffing infrastructure from scratch.
• Experience supporting mobile or vehicle-based activation programs.

Location

Remote work within the U.S., but candidates must reside in one of the following priority markets: Chicago, Phoenix, Philadelphia, Boston, Denver, Kansas City, Tallahassee, or Madison. Willingness to travel across these markets as needed is required.

Duration: Full-time, consulting role.