Conference and Events Planner

$47,080 - $58,849/Yr

University of South Florida - Tampa, FL

Full-time - Mid Level

Hybrid - Tampa, FL

Educational Services

About the position

The Conference and Events Planner at the University of South Florida (USF) plays a crucial role in supporting the mission of USF Research & Innovation (USFRI) by organizing and overseeing a variety of educational and research-related events. This position is integral to advancing USF's strategic goals, which include enhancing student success, faculty engagement in research, and community involvement. The planner will work closely with faculty, staff, students, and external partners to ensure that events are well-coordinated and effectively executed. The planner will be responsible for independently planning, scheduling, and implementing conferences, workshops, seminars, webinars, and other special events. This includes managing all logistical aspects such as registration, catering, lodging, IT support, vendor coordination, and transportation. The planner will also evaluate events post-implementation to assess their success and areas for improvement. In addition to event planning, the Conference and Events Planner will oversee the activities of volunteers and staff, ensuring they are trained and effectively allocated to tasks. Budget development and reporting for events will also be a key responsibility, requiring the planner to secure bids, negotiate contracts, and monitor fiscal planning to ensure compliance with permissible expenditures. Collaboration with marketing and communications teams to develop promotional materials for events is also expected, making this role multifaceted and dynamic.

Responsibilities

• Serves as primary liaison with internal and external constituencies on all matters relating to program activities.
• Coordinates event planning efforts with sponsoring members of USFRI, USF colleges, departments, centers, institutes, and/or the external community as appropriate.
• Plans, schedules, and monitors all logistical activities for special events, including arrangements for registration, facilities, meals/catering, lodging, IT, vendors, volunteers, transportation and tours, and oversees/manages events on site.
• Evaluates and reports on events.
• Oversees and coordinates the activities of volunteers, staff, and students to include training, scheduling, work allocation, and problem resolution.
• Participates in budget development and reporting for special events.
• Secures bids and negotiates contracts with event sites; monitors and evaluates contract performance.
• Monitors fiscal event planning for permissible expenditures, oversees billing accuracy from vendors and coordinates invoice processing.
• Collaborates with other members of USFRI to develop marketing and communications plans related to events, and related marketing materials, brochures and flyers for meetings and conferences.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree and four years of research or research administration experience; a Master's degree may substitute for two years of the required experience.
• Experience in a public research university or comparable institution is preferred.
• Advanced knowledge of federal agency guidelines and regulations is preferred.
• Participation in professional organizations is preferred.
• Experience training and mentoring is preferred.
• Ability to utilize University Enterprise Systems (FAST, GEMS, and Banner) for basic data validation/gathering.