Director, Travel & Events – Insurance Co./Prof. Association

On-site & Hybrid-  Downtown Chicago

Ref #1005

Summary:

Do you have 5-7 years of experience in meeting planning, hospitality or association management? Committed to excellence & building professional relationships? Like to facilitate on &  off-site meetings/events, including personal travel arrangements for executives? Trusted advisor  for culinary experiences with service-oriented approach? Enjoy catering events? Able to manage budgets/contracts with vendors? Enjoy communicating with Board Members & executives? Detail oriented? Live in Chicago area? Immediate hire. 

Director, Travel & Events will manage Companies’ travel/ event planning; will assure execution of all on &  off-site meetings, events/travel related activities. September-June is the busiest time of the year. 

Reports to Vice President, Management Services

Insurance Co./Prof. Association offer excellent benefits & ample growth opportunities. Hybrid position. 3 days/week in office. Hours: 8:30-4:45 pm.

Background:

• 5-7 years of experience in meeting planning, hospitality management or association management.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in related fields.
• Microsoft Office experience
• Demonstrated organizational skills. Excellent attention to detail.
• Highly professional. Service-oriented;
• Able to deal with variety of personalities. 
• Diplomatic, friendly, kind; high standards of excellence.
• Able to multitask & handle multiple projects simultaneously.
• Strong negotiation skills. 
• Enjoys building strong relations with colleagues, executive staff &  vendors.
• Resourceful. Always has a “Plan B” ready for any situation.
• Strong appreciation of food. Trusted advisor for culinary experiences. 
• Knowledge of different restaurants, venues, etc. Stays updated.
• Extremely polite, diplomatic, and patient. 
• Becomes point-person for all events. Gets to know everyone better.
• Works well under pressure and strict deadlines.
• Has valid driver’s license and passport.
• Occasional travel as needed.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Facilitate execution of all travel arrangements for the Companies. Serve as liaison between management & staff to determine needs, requirements & coordination of travel arrangements. 
• Organize personal travel plans for executives, as necessary.
• Facilitate all on & off-site meetings and events. Work with management & staff to determine needs, requirements & coordinate arrangements. Oversee creation & shipping of materials. Assist appropriate staff as needed for off-site events & conferences.
• Communicate, coordinate &  contract with staff & outside entities, includes board members &  professional associations, to prep for meetings & travel
• Build trusted partnerships both inside the Companies &  externally. Anticipate needs, act proactively, think strategically &  meet deadlines.
• Conduct due diligence to source, negotiate &  contract with vendors such as hotels, audio visual companies, restaurants, transportation companies &  other vendors throughout U.S.
• Oversee &  manage outside meeting &  travel vendors. 
• Create  budget for each meeting/event & monitor budget(s)
• Create Final Meeting Spend report for each meeting. 
• Coordinate monthly reconciliation of meeting &  travel budget, credit card meeting & travel expenses for Finance.
• Establish &  maintain policies, procedures &  guidelines for off-site meetings, travel arrangements & on-site meetings including catering.
• Assist with prep of annual division budget, as appropriate to scope of responsibilities.
• Assist other divisions with projected & estimated meeting/ travel costs to prep for annual budget.
• Cross train other Management Services’ employees to provide backup services for on &  off-site meetings  & travel.
• Supervise catering vendor staff who work in Chicago Headquarters.
• Provide superior service in all areas of responsibility.
• Additional duties &  responsibilities as required.

Internal Contacts:

• All employees & divisions of the Companies.
• Committees: Underwriting, Risk Management, Claims. 

External Contacts:  

• Board members
• Third Party societies/ organizations
• Third-party vendors involved in meeting/ travel

To Apply:

Please send your resume, writing samples & answers to the questions from https://lhazan.com/candidate-services/qa  to Lynn at lynn@lhazan.com or Falguni Shah at Falguni@lhazan.com. Please refer to: Director, Travel & Events – Insurance Co./Prof. Association, Ref #1005 in the header.