Associate Director, Hospitality

Wasserman powers the business of sports, music, entertainment and culture. We serve clients with exceptional insight, influence and creativity, while making a positive impact on our industry and each other.

Founded in 2002, Wasserman represents many of the world’s most iconic sports and entertainment figures, musical artists, brands and properties, empowering them to shape culture and captivate audiences worldwide. We operate globally across more than 45 cities, 23 countries and six continents. For more information, please visit www.teamwass.com.

We are looking for a driven and enthusiastic event Associate Director to produce and oversee events from strategy through completion. You'll aid in enhancing Wasserman’s visibility in the marketplace. This senior role will be responsible for leading the day-to-day operations of a key retainer client in addition to showcasing outstanding, forward-thinking service and organizing memorable high-touch events that meet quality expectations.

Role and Responsibilities:

• Act as a subject matter expert on corporate event management, B2B hosting, hospitality, and relative industry knowledge
  
• Showcase forward-thinking initiative to identify the best strategic opportunities and deliver best-in-class solutions to the client
• Develop and deliver polished client deliverables and other critical framework materials to support client decision-making
• Oversee multiple direct reports, providing impactful leadership, motivation, direction and support for client objectives and individual career paths; May also involve freelance support team members and other internal service experts
• Lead responsibility of annual hospitality strategy laddering up to parent partnership strategy and objectives
• Ideation, operations, oversight and delivery of numerous hospitality projects, informed by established hospitality strategy
• Manage large-scale project budgets from initial build through reconciliation
• Maintain a working relationship with existing partners, vendors, and properties on behalf of the client and Wasserman
• Oversee all aspects of the event planning process, including project plans, partner and vendor relationships, event communications, hotel contracts, decor, catering, entertainment, transportation, invitee lists, special guests, gifting and amenities, promotional materials, and more
• Set, communicate and maintain timelines on every project to remain ahead of client expectations
• Research, planning, and execution of site visits on behalf of client and projects
• Manage and oversee event on-site execution, including set-up, staffing, guest logistics, stakeholder communications, vendor organization and problem-solving
• Core knowledge of all Wasserman service offerings, including proactive identification of when to involve related teams in project-related or independent needs
• Collaboration with other Wasserman service teams as necessary based on project need
• Anticipate challenges and proactively handle any arising issues across various entities to ensure flawless execution
• Deliver quality events that meet (and hopefully exceed) client expectations
• Provide feedback and periodic reports to stakeholders as necessary
• Conduct post–event evaluations and recaps to showcase event success and ROI
• Understand the landscape of our client’s business/sector, as well as the industry contexts for their investments
• Confidently comprehend the role of hospitality programs as it relates to individual client business objectives and the “big picture”
• Garner strong client and partner relationships for future events, including possessing a strong working knowledge of Wasserman capabilities to further these opportunities

Requirements

• Robust experience managing multiple direct reports
• Proven experience as an event planner or organizer, preferably in the high-end hosting space
• Impressive portfolio of previously managed events
• Self-starter who requires little to no supervision to meet and carry out event and service responsibilities
• Excellent customer service, time management and communication skills
• Basic sales skills and ability to build productive business/vendor relationships
• Ability to identify and maximize event opportunities
• Ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects independently
• Up-to-date and informed knowledge of the sports and entertainment industries

• High level of initiative and interpersonal skills and ability to work well independently and in a team environment
• Genuine passion for hospitality, events, and hosting
• Negotiation experience
• Strong at