Senior Manager, Conferences & Events

About the role

The Senior Manager, Conferences & Events is responsible for planning, coordinating, and executing Big Brothers Big Sisters of America’s national conferences, meetings, virtual convenings, and internal events, with a primary focus on the Annual National Conference. This role serves as a key execution partner within the Conferences & Events team, translating event strategies and organizational priorities established by the Senior Director into well-managed attendee, presenter, registration, housing, virtual engagement, and onsite experiences. The position provides day-to-day leadership for registration and housing management, the Call for Presenters process, virtual engagement, workshop and presenter coordination, and assigned event workstreams, collaborating across BBBSA and the Big Brothers Big Sisters Network while working directly with vendors, presenters, affiliates, executives, and other stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Manage the Annual National Conference Call for Presenters process from launch through final selection, including platform configuration, submission criteria, development tracking, reviewer assignments, judging, notifications, and presenter onboarding.
• Coordinate with internal committees and organizational leaders to support educational programming aligned with BBBSA priorities and stakeholder needs.
• Manage workshop presenter communications and deliverables, including biographies, headshots, presentation templates, audiovisual requirements, deadlines, speaker resources, training, and onsite details.
• Maintain accurate session and presenter data across event registration website, schedules, mobile application, website, and conference management platforms.
• Partner with the Director on program readiness, presenter escalations, session quality, and final conference program implementation.
• Lead day-to-day registration management for assigned BBBSA conferences and events, including build requirements, registration categories, session scheduling, special events, attendee data, and testing.
• Serve as the primary internal liaison with registration technology providers or outsourced registration partners and coordinate timelines, system requirements, testing, reporting, and attendee-facing processes.
• Monitor registration trends, attendee data, capacity, and participation reports and provide timely updates and recommendations to the Senior Director.
• Manage registration customer service workflows and escalations for attendees, affiliates, presenters, sponsors, exhibitors, and VIPs.
• Coordinate onsite registration readiness, including staffing plans, badge production, materials, attendee troubleshooting, and registration desk procedures.
• Lead day-to-day housing block management for assigned events in partnership with hotels and/or third-party housing providers.
• Maintain room block inventory, assignments, capacities, deadlines, pickup reports, VIP requirements, rooming lists, and housing communications.
• Monitor hotel pickup and attrition exposure and provide regular reporting and recommendations to the Director.
• Coordinate VIP accommodations, special requests, staff housing needs, and housing-related attendee escalations.
• Support hotel reconciliation and post-event housing review.
• Lead virtual engagement planning and execution for assigned events, including virtual or hybrid components of BBBSA meetings, conferences, and the Youth Safety & Well-being Virtual Summit.
• Manage platform configuration, session scheduling, presenter readiness, attendee access, technical rehearsals, and day-of virtual support in partnership with vendors and internal teams.
• Develop virtual engagement approaches that support participation, accessibility, networking, learning, and a consistent BBBSA attendee experience.
• Coordinate post-event recordings, resources, analytics, and participant reporting as appropriate.
• Manage assigned workstreams across BBBSA’s event portfolio, including the Annual National Conference, Regional Conferences, Capitol Hill Day, National Leadership Council Meetings, National Board Meetings, All-Staff Meetings, leadership convenings, cultivation events, and other organizational gatherings.
• Develop and maintain detailed project plans, timelines, task assignments, run-of-show documents, staffing plans, and operational checklists.
• Support onsite execution including registration, presenter management, breakout sessions, rehearsals, meeting schedules, vendor coordination, food and beverage, attendee services, and general event operations.
• Coordinate logistics with hotels, venues, audiovisual partners, technology providers, and other vendors as assigned.
• Participate in site visits and pre-conference planning meetings as assigned and provide follow-up documentation and action items.
• Develop and coordinate attendee and presenter communications for registration, housing, sessions, virtual engagement, and assigned event workstreams.
• Support event content across conference websites, the BBBSA Network Intranet, mobile event applications, conference program guides, email communications, and other event channels.
• Collaborate with Marketing & Communications to ensure event information is accurate, timely, on brand, and aligned with organizational communications.
• Communicate with cross-functional planning teams, including senior leaders and subject matter experts, to establish timelines, deliverables, responsibilities, and project requirements.
• Prepare planning updates, dashboards, reports, and attendee feedback and post-event evaluations for the Senior Director and other stakeholders.
• Provide professional communications and direct support to executives, presenters, affiliate leaders, partners, and other high-level stakeholders within assigned areas.
• Develop and track budgets for assigned event workstreams; monitor expenses, review invoices, support accruals, and assist with final reconciliation.
• Manage day-to-day vendor relationships and deliverables within assigned areas, ensuring adherence to contracts, timelines, service standards, and budget parameters.
• Support RFPs, vendor research, sourcing, bid evaluation, contract review, and negotiation processes as assigned.
• Maintain accurate event records, standard operating procedures, planning templates, and historical documentation.
• Ensure assigned event activities comply with BBBSA policies and applicable accessibility, legal, safety, and procurement requirements.
• Demonstrate commitment to BBBSA’s shared leadership competencies and organizational values.
• Build collaborative relationships across BBBSA and the Big Brothers Big Sisters Network.
• Provide consistent follow-up on assigned projects, decisions, and action items.
• Contribute to an environment where team members and stakeholders feel valued, included, and empowered to achieve their potential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience required; consideration given to equivalent combinations of education and progressively responsible experience.
• 5+ years of progressively responsible experience in conference management, event planning, registration, housing, virtual events, nonprofit events, hospitality, or related disciplines.
• Demonstrated experience managing complex event workstreams, registration systems, presenter or session management, housing blocks, event technology, vendors, budgets, and onsite execution is strongly preferred.
• Intermediate to advanced administrative experience preferred, with ability to independently apply knowledge and skills within the project management platform, Asana.

Skills

• Well versed in non-profit culture and able to keep up with evolving priorities.
• Advanced creative problem-solving skills and ability to remain flexible.
• Keen organizational and time management skills, incredibly detail oriented.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills, both internal and external and across all levels.
• Ability to manage multiple projects or priorities simultaneously.
• Highly self-motivated and demonstrates initiative.
• Superior project management skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office, CRM and/or AMS platforms, event registration systems, and online applications.
• Experience with negotiating and building partnerships with vendors, sponsors, and exhibitors.
• Supports the development and adoption of best practices, training, and high standards of excellence across all events.
• Certified Meeting Planner Certification.