Meetings Manager

The American Dental Education Association (ADEA) is seeking to add an experienced Meetings Manager to its team.

The Meetings Manager works as part of a team-based environment within the Meetings, Conference and Educational Technology (MCET) team.  At times, depending on the assignments and size of the meeting, a manager may be called on to act as a team leader with respect to the assigned meeting and in other cases may serve in a secondary capacity. The Meetings Manager works collaboratively with the Vice President of MCET, MCET team and other ADEA staff to coordinate the planning of ADEA meetings to ensure the quality of pre-meeting preparation, on-site logistics, registration, and online program content.  This position also manages assigned logistical details related to the ADEA Annual Session and Exhibition, creates and maintains all necessary files and records to track progress, contacts, and ensures the future success of a meeting. 

This position requires a high level of attention to details, excellent organizational skills, professional integrity, and the ability to perform multiple, varied tasks well in a team environment.

Primary Responsibilities

ADEA Annual Session & Exhibition:

Logistics:

• Coordinate logistics, create and manage Annual Session & Exhibition details (“event specification guide”) for ADEA Annual Session. Develop event specification guide to include all Annual Session events and communicate with Annual Session vendors.  May be required to support other Annual Session on-site logistics.
• Manages and coordinates logistics for all business, governance, affiliate and special events for the Annual Session to include room setup and food and beverage requirements.
• Manages on-site logistics and plans staff involvement in the event.  Develop staff, volunteer and temporary staff schedules.
• Solicit RFP’s from CVB’s, temporary staffing agencies, and other vendors in addition to evaluating proposals and executing agreements.
• Responsible for the record keeping management of ADEA Annual Session to track history (destination, site, room block and pick up, F&B information, AV and spending); facility details (from RFP responses) and performance. 
• Reconcile invoices.

ADEA Interim & Other Meetings:

Planning:

• Meeting manager for one of the largest ADEA Meetings, the Business and Financial Administration and Clinic Administration (BFACA) meeting (200+) and primary lead for the Summer Dean's Institute and the ADEA Leadership Institute Phase 1, 2 and 3.
• Assist and contribute in the coordination of all aspects of conferences, meetings and events (pre-planning including program planning facilitation, onsite execution and post event wrap up).
• Lead staff meetings and/or meet individually with clients for each assigned meeting in order to assist ADEA’s staff and/or volunteers in setting goals and objectives for all meetings. Ensure that venues and vendors support meeting goals and objectives.
• Coordinate with other ADEA staff, volunteer leaders, and consultants to ensure destination and facility selection for all ADEA meetings are in line with goals, objectives, budgets and preferences.
• Manage the speaker agreement process.
• Manage logistics and provide site management details (“spec book”) for all ADEA meetings at ADEA’s office and off site to include: registration, submission of housing lists, transportation, F&B, shipping, transportation, VIP arrangements, exhibits and/or displays, etc.
• Manage all on-site logistical arrangements for meetings to include: audio-visual, food and beverage, group transportation, and housing.
• Develop and continually refine RFP formats to be used for destination and site selection, and selection of other outside vendors; provide proposal comparison and recommendation reports; negotiate and executive agreements with selected venues and outside vendors.
• In coordination with the VP, MCET, develop and maintain relationships with National Sales Office (NSO)/Global Sales Office (GSO), individual properties and other meetings industry vendors.
• Review master account postings on-site at all meetings.
• Manage travel and lodging for staff, speakers, and VIPs traveling to meetings or other business travel.
• Develop and maintain solid relationships with exhibitors/sponsors.
• Work with staff in the Office of Communications and Marketing to prepare appropriate promotional and informational materials about ADEA’s meetings to support the marketing and promotion of meetings to increase meeting attendance. This includes content for brochures, Bulletin of Dental Education, articles, listserv announcements, target audience outreach, social media and other media.
• In coordination with the VP, MCET, negotiate meeting and meeting vendor contracts using ADEA’s model contract.
• Support VP, MCET in their role as staff liaison to other organizations with whom ADEA collaborates in meeting opportunities.
• Contribute to overall team success by identifying and resolving problems and proactively seeking out methods to improve self-performance and/or efficiency of an operation or task.
• Help develop, revise, and support ADEA’s meeting management and related policies and procedures including but not limited to ethical behavior and budgeting.

Budgets and Record Keeping:

• Create all assigned meeting-related web details to be posted on ADEA.org including FAQ’s, registration and hotel rates, and most current draft program agendas. Coordinate with the Office of Communications and Marketing to ensure proper ADEA style and Web Team to create web page. 
• Track history (destination, site, room block and pick up, F&B information, AV and spending); facility details (from RFP responses) and performance. 
• Perform financial management for any assigned meeting including budget creation, monitoring revenue/expense performance, and collection of registration and/or exhibit fees
• Responsible for accurate and timely submission of meetings related financial information to accounting such as registration data, vendor invoicing, and billing for contracts. 
• Develop detailed expense and revenue budgets for assigned meetings carefully tracking expenses to maintain budget integrity.
• Process invoices and payments within 21 days of receipt.

Member Services:

• Convey logistical information about all ADEA meetings to members who call or email with a focus on customer/member service. Listen for other issues and refer members and/or assist members in solving other (than meetings) questions. In coordination with other MCET staff, share responsibility for responding to email, phone and web inquiries from constituents and staff about any meetings. 

Additional Responsibilities:

• This description incorporates the most typical duties performed. It is recognized that other related duties not mentioned may also be performed. Specifically, duties are not constrained only to work done in the Division of Meetings, Conference and Educational Technology.  The position requires the ability to work effectively in a cross-functional environment.

• Bachelor’s degree in event planning, communications, marketing or related field.
• Five years of event/meetings industry related experience is required. Association experience is preferred.
• Experience in best practices for meetings including but not limited to destination and site selection, contract negotiation (hotels, convention centers, AV and decorating vendors, food and beverage/catering, exhibitors, registration and housing vendors), budgeting, exhibitor solicitation and management.
• Understanding meeting design and its impact on site selection and meeting outcomes.
• Possess leadership strengths to co-manage, mentor and delegate work cooperatively and collaboratively with other ADEA staff members, volunteers, volunteer leaders, and vendors.
• Exceptional negotiation skills. Negotiation requires knowledge about meeting legalities and liabilities including but not limited to facility contracts, vendor contracts, crisis and contingency planning, insurance (including but not limited to drama, music licensing, etc.) and other areas of risk management involved in planning and managing meetings.
• Capable of managing multiple tasks simultaneously and working across divisions within ADEA.
• Excellent written and verbal communications are essential.
• High level of attention to details, excellent organizational skills, professional integrity, and the ability to perform multiple, varied tasks well in a team environment.
• Meticulous focus on time sensitive activities are critical to success.
• Expertise with Microsoft Office (including Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint), Adobe Acrobat, and videoconference/meeting software such as Zoom/Teams. Ability to learn new technologies as needed. 
• Position requires availability for travel, domestically and occasionally internationally, and works outside the core hours as needed to attend events and meetings.
• Ability to work at ADEA’s DC office on a hybrid basis. The current schedule is work at ADEA's office 3 days per week on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and can work from home on Mondays and Fridays. 

This position's salary range is $70,000 to $80,000. In addition to a rewarding and purposeful mission, ADEA offers you a collaborative team environment with competitive salary and excellent benefits, including health, vision, dental and life insurance, wellness benefits, a 35-hour work week, generous paid leave and a 403(b) retirement plan with 10% employer contribution. Our office is conveniently located across from the Washington Convention Center, near shopping, restaurants and the Red and Green Line Metro Stations. 

For more information and to apply online, visit www.adea.org. 

The American Dental Education Association (ADEA) is The Voice of Dental Education. Its members include all 78 U.S. and Canadian dental schools, over 800 allied and advanced dental education programs, 66 corporations and more than 20,000 individuals. 

The mission of ADEA is to develop an inclusive, future-ready oral health workforce prepared to improve the health of all people and communities through leadership, education , and collaboration.  

ADEA's activities encompass a wide range of research, advocacy, faculty development, meetings and communications, including the esteemed Journal of Dental Education, as well as the dental school admissions services ADEA AADSAS, ADEA PASS, ADEA DHCAS and ADEA CAAPID. 

ADEA is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The Associations EEO policy prohibits discrimination in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin or ancestry, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, child birth or related medical conditions, family responsibilities, genetic information, political affiliation, matriculation, veteran status, union affiliation, disability, credit information, status as a victim or family member of a victim of domestic violence, a sexual offense, or stalking, or any other legally- protected characteristic in accordance with federal or local law (the Protected Categories). EEO applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, training and development, promotion, termination, compensation, and benefits.