Director of Events and Technology Experience - Warren Whitney

The Opportunity

The Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA), founded in 1965, is one of the oldest and largest professional organizations for industrial designers. IDSA is a national professional society for industrial designers who create and develop concepts and specifications that optimize the function, value and appearance of products and systems for the mutual benefit of the user and manufacturer.

The Director of Events & Technology Experience is an integral part of the Learning & Design Curriculum department. The Director plays a vital role in both the curation and delivery of industry-leading, experiential, in-person and virtual engagement opportunities, that are both immersive and sensory-stimulating. The design and execution of these engagements generate excitement and participation from the global design community.

This is a fully remote position, reporting to the Chief Operating Officer (COO). This position can expect travel for IDSA events, site visits, and industry events as needed, as well as staff gatherings throughout the year.

The Director is a highly organized, creative, detail-oriented individual with impeccable written and verbal communication skills, and thrives in fast-paced, high-performance environments. Further, they accomplish short and long-term objectives through meticulous strategic and tactical planning, and hands-on execution, ensuring their approach is based upon extensive knowledge of best practices in the events, association, design, and technology professions.

Interested candidates should submit their resume outlining their qualifications and experience with a cover letter.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Management and Operational Excellence

• Supports the Learning & Design Curriculum department in strategic planning efforts for a global industrial design community that strives to continuously improve its position as a trusted resource, sought-after partner, and recognized authority within the global landscape.
• Translates the association's objectives into business plans for annual and long-term organizational objectives, developing metrics and measurements that maximize impact, effectiveness, and efficiencies.
• Embraces a culture of operational excellence, continuously evaluating the need for new internal and external policies, practices and procedures to deliver a unique and positive experience for stakeholders of the organization.

Leadership and Team Development

• An accomplished, proven professional that remains current of curation trends in immersive and experiential event design, successfully proposing and executing innovative ideas for IDSA's audience experiences and portfolio of engagement activities.
• Calculated, data-driven risk taker who is unafraid to experiment with new formats and experiences that push the boundaries of IDSA's traditional event curation and design.
• Actively leads and mentors an event support professional, providing opportunities for demonstrated career growth and development through delegation and expanding scopes of responsibility.
• Helps foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous learning within the Learning and Design Curriculum department.
• Manages budgets, timelines, and resources effectively to deliver high-quality events on time and within budget.
• Manages change with a constant forward-looking and strategic orientation.

Conference Experience/Scenario Journey Curation Strategy and Execution

• Curates and implements comprehensive annual and long-term strategies that position IDSA's in-person and virtual audience engagement activities as industry-leading and best in class.
• Oversees all aspects of the planning, production, and execution of IDSA in-person and virtual audience engagement activities.
• Ensures that the curation of the conference experience, beginning with registration, of all in-person and virtual audience engagement activities are designed to be immersive and sensory-stimulating, using up-to-date technology, conference apps, and other appropriate tools that deliver a seamless and connected audience-centered journey and experience.
• Collaborates with the IDSA marketing team to plan comprehensive, omni-channel, and timely marketing and communication engagement activity campaigns that generate excitement, increase registration sales, and strengthen IDSA's brand reputation.

Technology Selection and Integration

• Oversees the selection, implementation, integration, testing, and launch of modern technologies to support a seamless, connected, top-tier audience and speaker-centered experience.
• Collaboratively and productively works with IDSA's IT and technology support staff to properly plan and execute timely integration of technology that provides a modern-day, top-tier experience for all in-person and virtual engagements.
• Has up-to-date knowledge of emerging logistics and event management technologies, as well as the ability to implement appropriate evaluative processes to assess their potential to enhance IDSA's ability to curate and deliver industry-leading experiences.

Data Collection and Analysis

• Collaborates with IDSA's Research Committee to establish and implement processes for collecting, analyzing, and utilizing engagement data to inform decision-making and enhance the curation of future engagement experiences.
• Monitors trends in attendee behavior and utilizes feedback to continuously enhance and position IDSA's in-person and virtual engagement activities as best-in-class.
• Collaborates with IDSA's Research Committee to develop and implement evaluative measures to assess the effectiveness and impact of in-person and virtual engagement activities, ensuring continuous improvement and positioning of IDSA activities as industry-leading.

Volunteer and Stakeholder Engagement

• Engages with key stakeholders, including members, sponsors, partners, and speakers, to ensure their needs and expectations are met.
• Serves as the internal and external primary point of contact for IDSA engagement activity logistics inquiries and issues, providing leadership and problem-solving support.

Financial Management

• Develops and oversees budget and ensures financial goals are met.
• Ensures accurate and timely financial information processes regarding registrations, invoices, credit card transactions, and billing, etc.
• Collaborates with department lead on monthly and yearly reconciliation process for department.
• Strategizes engagement revenue expansion and ways to increase efficiency while reducing expenses.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher.
• Minimum of 10 or more years of event management experience focused on growth and expansion initiatives.
• Prior supervisory experience and ability to lead direct reports through change management initiatives by enacting motivational techniques and effective performance management.
• Demonstrated ability to thrive in a fast-paced, high-performance environment.
• Exceptional organizational skills with a keen attention to detail.
• Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines.
• Impeccable written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work autonomously and take initiative.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite, project management software (e.g. Trello), with expertise in event technology software.

Preferred Qualifications

• Certified Meeting Planner (CMP) strongly preferred
• International event planning experience

Personal Attributes

• Ambitious about career progression and welcomes expanding responsibilities and scopes of work.
• Highly organized and detail oriented.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build relationships with diverse stakeholders.
• Proactive and solutions-oriented mindset.
• Passionate about excellence and continuous improvement.
• Ability to quickly adapt to changing priorities and manage competing demands effectively.
• Not easily overwhelmed by large scopes of responsibility and expanding portfolios of work.
• Able to maintain composure under pressure.

Compensation Package Includes:

• Starting annual salary range of $90,000 - $120,000
• Excellent health, dental, and vision insurance
• Employer paid life insurance, AD&D, short-term disability, and long-term disability insurance
• Generous paid vacation and sick time policy
• IDSA recognizes 12 standard holidays and 1 flexible holiday per year
• 401(k) and Roth 401(k) accounts

How to Apply

Interested candidates should submit their resume outlining their qualifications and experience with a cover letter.

For questions, please contact Eric Wann at ericw@idsa.org.

The Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive virtual environment for all employees.

This comprehensive job description ensures that potential candidates understand the scope of responsibilities and the skills required for the role of the Director of Events & Technology Experience.

We encourage candidates to apply even if your experience is not a 100% match with the position description; we will consider people from a variety of backgrounds and career experiences