Meeting Manager

About the American College of Surgeons

The American College of Surgeons (ACS) is a professional and educational organization of surgeons that was founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical practice and improve the quality of care for surgical patients. The College is dedicated to the ethical and competent practice of surgery. Its achievements have significantly influenced the course of scientific surgery in America and have established it as an important advocate for all surgical patients. The College has more than 80,000 members and is the largest organization of surgeons in the world. For more information, visit www.facs.org.

Summary:

This position will work with the Senior Manager and will oversee the operations of ACS key Client accounts by working in conjunction with the assigned meeting planner(s) and provide strategic guidance of operational procedures and best practices. This position will hold on-going and/or annual meeting strategy sessions that provides recommendations and suggest meeting trends for operational improvements. In addition, this position will also play a key role in re-engineering ACS in-house meeting operations and assist in assessing current & potential future use of ACS meeting space. The Meeting Manager will have one direct report, the In-House Meeting Coordinator, and will oversee all of the internal/external client meetings with a capacity of <100ppl using ACS meeting space (estimated # of meetings 150-200 annually) and are all Chicago-based meetings. The position will also negotiate and secure local discounted rates with local hotels and manage group/individual reservation requests, group dinner arrangements, manage logistics for F2F and hybrid meetings, work with Senior Manager on developing future opportunities for meeting space, and collaborate with internal departments for a professional meeting experience. Other meeting assignments will be assigned, as needed, and support the annual Clinical Congress.

This exempt position will report to the Senior Meeting Manager in the Division of Convention and Meetings. It is based in our Chicago office and is a hybrid role: 2 days per week in the office/3 days per week remote, planning to move to 3 days per week in the office/2 days per week remote after Labor Day, 2022.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Manage in-house meeting room inventory and collaborate with internal teams (IT/Facilities and others) on meeting room functionalities & needs; ensure that all stakeholders are involved with inventory/updates. Provide best practices recommendations on ACS meeting space; Manage, operate, and provide onsite assistance for F2F and hybrid meetings held at ACS meeting space; negotiate local vendor (hotels/restaurants, etc.) contracts; process vendor invoices.
  
• Assist and provide continual training/support to staff as needed on industry best practices in hybrid meetings and room set-ups for staff who plan small meetings. Ensures all meeting health safety protocols are implemented for ACS meeting space. Manage in-house meeting request forms and assign to staff accordingly.
  
• Oversee and manage multiple ACS Client meetings ensuring a high level of deliverance from meeting staff and provide strategic guidance/recommendations for implementing innovative meeting trends & best practice approaches.
  
• Works with assigned meeting staff and provides best practice approaches to reduce financial liability through cancellation penalties and ensures consistent health safety procedures are implemented for all client meetings. Provides guidance to client's Board members, Chairs and committee members as needed. Continually researches & recommends enhancements for client associations meeting goals & objectives.
  
• Assist Senior Manager in developing and managing operational budgets. Continually evaluates other perspective to increase revenue along with cost-saving opportunities for ACS and Clients.
  
• Assist Team in any assigned Clinical Congress task, as needed and/or any other ACS meeting needs.
  

• Other duties as assigned.

Required Education and/or Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university is preferred.
  
• Minimum of 5 years’ hospitality industry/conference management or similar experience is required.
  
• CMP (Certified Meeting Planner) and/or DES (Digital Events Strategist) certifications are a plus.
  
• Excellent communication skills (verbal and written) necessary to effectively interact with all levels of organization.
  
• Capable of providing excellent customer service.
  
• Attention to detail and organizational skills.
  
• Must be able to multi-task.
  
• Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office Products (Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint).
  
• Display high level of energy and thrive in a fast-paced environment.
  
• Self-motivated and able to work independently and as a member of a team.
  
• Ability to plan and prioritize workload and meet deadlines.
  
• Ability to establish strong working relationships with all division teams and management.

Supervisory Responsibilities: This position is required to make specific work assignments to others and to ensure their timely and accurate completion; also required to complete formal annual performance evaluations for direct reports.

Fiscal Management: This position is required to develop and manage the unit’s annual, program or project budget.

Physical/Work Environment: Fast paced with significant people interaction. No lifting over 20 pounds, minimal reaching bending and stooping. Performs work in a normal office environment with long hours in front of the computer.

Other Necessary Requirements: Occasional evening or weekend duties may be required. Moderate travel for activities such as out of town meetings is required.

The American College of Surgeons is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If, because of a medical condition or disability, you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please send an e-mail to recruitment@facs.org or call (312) 202-5000 and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)