Description
The ISAKOS Meetings & Education Manager, an essential role on the Operations Team, is a full-time, non-exempt position performing duties requiring specialized knowledge, technical skills, and demonstrated experience. Under the general direction of an ISAKOS Senior Leader, this position is engaged in managing a variety of logistical and administrative duties in support of ISAKOS’s conferences, meetings/courses, webinars and education programs, including catering, AV requirements, travel, accommodations, venue, host, and PCO management, as it relates to ISAKOS’s events and programs, including the ISAKOS Biennial Congress, a complex, large-scale international educational conference with an estimated 3,000 attendees.
The Meetings & Education Manager must be organized, model strong attention to detail, and demonstrate working knowledge of operating procedures and practices of meeting planning, event coordination, and project management. Responsibilities in this role include working with the ISAKOS team and outside resources to support logistics of the Biennial ISAKOS Congress, assist with faculty coordination, and manage programs associated with ISAKOS events such as fellowships, awards, and more. In addition, this role supports successful planning and execution of the ISAKOS Knee Arthroplasty Forum (IKAF), surgical skills courses, ISAKOS Webinars, and other ISAKOS meetings and educational offerings, working in collaboration with ISAKOS teammates, volunteers, vendors, and collaborating partner organizations.
Work Arrangement: This position is hybrid, work on-site in Danville, CA, and work from home.
Primary duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
Meetings
Coordinate logistics like transportation, meals, accommodations, wayfinding, and registration for events.
Serve as key ISAKOS contact onsite/online during events, overseeing all aspects of event or program execution.
Conduct rehearsals and perform system checks for equipment and connectivity.
Participate in the training, development, and oversight of less experienced staff in their roles with events.
Create and manage planning documents for all event purposes, including but not limited to F&B, housing, budgets, project timelines, staff schedules, floor plans, affiliate meeting requests, agendas, event specifications, transportation, events, post-event reporting and expense reporting.
Collaborate on event space usage and room layout and assist in the development of schedules and systems to accomplish event goals, ensuring work is completed in a timely, efficient, and correct manner.
Serve as backup as it relates to course and event matters in the absence of the Senior Director of Education.
Research sites, venues, PCOs and other key vendor partners including preparation and distribution of RFPs.
Review RFP submittals to ensure all proposed contract provisions/concessions meet ISAKOS requirements.
Collect, organize, and prepare reports from RFP submittals for leadership review and consideration.
Accompany Senior Team on site visits, as requested.
Participate in developing and monitoring budgets for workshops, courses and events.
Support Congress abstract submission process including review and selection; assist in facilitation of paper and poster presentations, as well as publication of Congress abstracts with Journal of ISAKOS Editors and publisher.
Provide email management for a large volume of emails related to events, abstracts, fellowships and awards; ensure timely, detailed responses to inquiries.
Provide technical support in applying for and administering continuing education credits, when offered, and ensure consistency with accreditation and compliance requirements, including quality documentation.
Act as liaison to staff and members and respond to all inquiries related to continuing education.
Collaborate with database programmer and Controller to ensure effective registration processes for members and non-members, including payment processing, confirmations, receipts, database reporting, administering fees and special offers.
Handle registration related inquiries regarding registration status, payments, and event questions.
Represent ISAKOS in a limited capacity at various events in the absence of the Senior Team.
Develop and maintain positive, strong relationships with vendors, suppliers, hotels, venue personnel, etc.
Foster an environment that embraces integrity, excellence, dedication, partnership, and a global perspective.
Be an integral team player, demonstrating strong teamwork, communication, accountability and responsibility.
Assist with supporting ISAKOS participation at Partner Society events, webinars, and collaborations, including content uploads, administering travel support, and liaising with Partner Society contacts.
Collaborate with senior team to administer budget, travel, and other financial aspects.
Collaborate with the Market Growth team to develop website copy, ensure the accuracy of event details and contribute creative ideas for enhancing promotions.
Administer event attendee survey and certificates, develop reports on survey feedback.
Document Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for event and meeting management.
Perform related duties as assigned.
Education
Support key ISAKOS Committees, assisting with scheduling meetings, drafting agendas and minutes, data entry of action items, and ensuring follow-up.
Help administer ISAKOS Grants, Awards, and Fellowship Programs including applications, reviews, notifications, award certificates, necessary documentation for budgeting/accounting, in collaboration with committees.
Support operations of traveling fellowship programs including communication with fellows, host sites and Godparents, travel support working with a travel agency, budget documentation, and registration support, as necessary.
Outline and maintain standard operating procedures, documenting the SOPs associated with these programs, processes and committees.
Requirements
Education: Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in communications, marketing, event management, business administration, public relations, or related field or equivalent experience, and at least five years of responsible professional experience in meeting and large venue or event planning and support. Meeting Planner and/or Project Management certification a plus.
Experience: 5+ years of professional experience in a position(s) with similar functions; demonstrated conference/meeting management experience required with an average audience of 500-4,000 attendees. International meeting planning experience a plus. Experience with scientific associations or medical societies strongly preferred. Qualified individuals will have a strong event planning background, be detail-oriented, have excellent organizational skills, have the ability to manage/plan at the operational level and set priorities effectively, work effectively both as an individual and as part of a collaborative team, and have the confidence to interact with high-profile professionals and outside service providers. Proven experience working with physicians, and experience administering continuing education credits a plus.
Specific Skills and Abilities:
Strong negotiation skills with demonstrated experience soliciting and evaluating bids.
Ability to effectively work on multiple projects at once, managing timelines and meeting deadlines.
Develop and maintain effective working relationships with colleagues, volunteers, outside resources.
Demonstrated technology skills and confidence to use and optimize a conference management system.
Advanced knowledge of meeting planning techniques and trends.
Familiarity with principles of program content management.
Experience contributing to marketing content and strategies/techniques to promote events.
Ability to apply principles of project management as it relates to ISAKOS events.
Skilled in meeting/event budget development and monitoring.
Practiced in providing training/functional supervision to teams and working with outside resources.
Effective at committee management and support, to effectively plan and deliver events.
Excellent customer service, problem-solving, RFP and report writing skills, and interpersonal relations.
Adept at teamwork and collaboration, working in partnership with others to drive program success.
Skilled in using Microsoft Office tools, Adobe Acrobat, Google drive/email/calendar, Asana or similar project management solution, and Zoom or similar meetings platform.
Experience working with PCOs, meeting vendors and other key resources to execute effective programs.
