Corporate Event Planner (Hybrid)

Aquent is partnering with a leading organization in the financial services sector, renowned for its commitment to excellence and fostering strong internal communities. This is an exciting opportunity to join a dynamic team where your expertise in event planning will directly contribute to impactful internal meetings, training programs, and corporate events. You will play a crucial role in shaping engaging experiences that support business objectives and enhance associate engagement, making a tangible difference in the organization's success.

Your Impact

As a key member of the event planning team, you will manage standard to moderately complex meetings and events with a blend of independence and collaborative spirit. You will be instrumental in coordinating and executing a diverse range of internal gatherings, ensuring seamless operations from concept to completion. Your ability to skillfully manage logistics, negotiate with vendors, and foster strong relationships will directly elevate the quality and effectiveness of critical corporate functions, supporting the strategic goals of the organization and enhancing the overall associate experience.

What You'll Do

• Collaborate with internal clients to plan meetings, offering expert advice and recommendations on agenda flow, logistical arrangements, and attendee experience best practices.
• Execute comprehensive meeting and event plans, overseeing all aspects from venue selection and audio/visual technology to attendee management, catering, transportation, accommodations, and budget adherence.
• Select, recommend, and negotiate contracts with vendors and venues, balancing cost-effectiveness, risk management, and service quality.
• Manage multiple event planning timelines, stakeholders, partners, and vendors simultaneously for assigned programs.
• Handle all attendee communications, including pre-event outreach, invitations, registration processes, and prompt responses to inquiries.
• Provide valuable support and resources to other event planning team members on larger, strategic initiatives when not leading your own programs.
• Exercise sound judgment in resolving routine event planning challenges, escalating complex issues to management as needed.
• Contribute to post-event evaluations and lessons learned, continuously seeking opportunities to enhance future meeting and event outcomes.
• Cultivate and maintain strong professional relationships with internal customers, business partners, vendors, and colleagues.
• Research market rates, supplier capabilities, and industry best practices to inform planning recommendations.
• Identify operational inefficiencies or issues, propose effective solutions, and implement improvements.
• Oversee onsite attendees, monitoring meeting attendance, ensuring health and safety protocols, managing live travel status, and coordinating ground transportation.
• Support special projects that contribute to the overall operational excellence of the department.

What You'll Bring

Must-Haves:

• Foundational to intermediate knowledge of meeting planning processes, event logistics, budget tracking, and basic project management principles.
• Proven ability to be a creative and decisive problem solver, demonstrating sound judgment in dynamic environments.
• Strong capability to manage effective professional relationships with key external and internal customers, business units, vendors, and colleagues.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and familiarity with event management platforms such as Cvent.
• Demonstrated ability to handle sensitive information with discretion and maintain data confidentiality.
• A high degree of self-awareness in professional interactions and decision-making.

Working Conditions:

• Local travel required (up to 25%).
• Ability to perform extensive standing and walking (up to 8 hours a day).
• Flexibility to work irregular hours, including evenings, early mornings, and weekends, as dictated by event schedules.
• May be required to drive a personal vehicle to events.
• Ability to transport supplies and materials weighing up to 50lbs/23kgs.

About Aquent Talent:

Aquent Talent connects the best talent in marketing, creative, and design with the world's biggest brands. Our eligible talent get access to amazing benefits like subsidized health, vision, and dental plans, paid sick leave, and retirement plans with a match. We also offer free online training through Aquent Gymnasium. More information on our awesome benefits! Aquent is an equal-opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, and other legally protected characteristics. We're about creating an inclusive environment-one where different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives are valued, and everyone can contribute, grow their careers, and thrive.