Director of Events

NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association

Remote within South Dakota 

About NATE

NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association is a non-profit trade association serving the tower and communications infrastructure construction, service, and maintenance industries. With 1,000 member companies across the United States and globally, NATE provides a unified voice for this dynamic sector. For more information, visit www.natehome.com.

About The Opportunity

The Director of Events will provide visionary leadership, strategic planning, and oversight of NATE events, including NATE UNITE, the association’s flagship event, and other events. This role is responsible for setting the strategic direction of NATE’s events, ensuring budget management goals are met, while managing and empowering a high-performing team, including an events department and additional administrative staff who may from time to time be assigned tasks to execute related to, or collaborating with, the events department.

The Director of Events will function as a motivator and accountability leader, working in unison with other departments and directors to fulfill the mission and vision of NATE. This role will work in close collaboration with the accounting department on budgets and proformas and with the member services department on data sharing and integration efforts. This role will focus on delivering innovative, high-value experiences that elevate NATE’s brand and drive member engagement and satisfaction.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES TO ACHIEVE SUCCESS

The Key Accountabilities for the position include but are not limited to the following:

Leadership and Team Management

• Provide direction, guidance, and mentorship to the events department, ensuring alignment with organizational goals.
• Delegate tasks and empower team members to excel in their roles, while holding them accountable for their responsibilities.
• Cultivate collaborative and motivated team culture, encouraging innovation, ownership, and professional growth.
• Manage performance and provide constructive feedback to department, helping them develop their skills and achieve their goals.

Strategic Events Planning and Oversight

• Lead conceptualization and development, establishing goals, objectives, and success metrics.
• Specific expertise and experience in events location and venue research, selection, contract negotiation, and multi-hotel housing contract oversight required.
• Oversee execution of event logistics, content curation, and stakeholder engagement, ensuring the events department successfully handles all aspects of daily responsibilities, action items, and deadlines.
• Collaborate with marketing teams to create campaigns that drive engagement and oversee development of event materials (including digital, print, & electronic) for all outreach stages.
• Function as the escalation point for resolving complex challenges or issues during strategic planning processes.

Stakeholder Engagement & Collaboration

• Maintain clear and consistent communication with key stakeholders, including committee leadership, executive leadership, Board of Directors, members, sponsors, exhibitors, staff, and vendors.
• Partner with member services department to integrate data and insights into event strategies and ensure seamless member experiences.
• Build relationships across diverse audiences, including C-suite executives, field technicians, and industry partners, to ensure events address their unique needs and priorities.

Execution and Innovation

• Lead high-level planning and execution, ensuring delivery of innovative content, unparalleled networking, attractive locations, and a strong return on investment for attendees, exhibitors, and sponsors.
• Elevate the creative aspects of events, incorporating new trends and technologies to enhance engagement and value.
• Function as the escalation point for resolving complex challenges or issues during event execution.
• Oversee the coordination and logistics of event setup, execution, and teardown.

Financial & Compliance Oversight 

• Ensure events adhere to all relevant regulations, permits, and safety protocols while proactively managing potential risk, including health and safety concerns.
• Maintain accurate reporting throughout event campaign cycles to ensure transparency and accountability.
• Develop and manage event budgets and financial proformas, strategically identifying revenue opportunities and optimizing expenses.
• Align financial decisions with organizational goals, balancing fiscal responsibility with quality standards.

Industry Events & Conference Operations

• Build and maintain strong relationships with key industry stakeholders to support event success.
• Manage lead generation, follow-up, and communication efforts to maximize engagement opportunities.
• Facilitate post-event debriefs, gathering stakeholder feedback to evaluate success against key metrics and ensure high-quality post-event surveys and analytics.
• Deliver comprehensive reports on event outcomes, including ROI, attendee satisfaction, and actionable recommendations for future events.
• Set benchmarks to drive continuous improvement in event strategy and execution. 
• Confidently represent the organization at events and shows, effectively conveying the brand's values and messaging through engaging conversations and professional presentations. 

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

The Director of Events role offers a competitive salary and a robust benefits package, including health, dental, vision, and life insurance, pension plan, paid holidays, and paid time off.

REQUIREMENTS OF THE POSITION

• Bachelor’s degree in Event Management or related field (or equivalent experience).
• Experience in event strategy, planning, and oversight of large-scale conferences and expos.
• Experience in safety planning and crisis management for large gathering scenarios.
• Demonstrated success in leading teams and managing direct reports, with an emphasis on accountability and professional development.
• Strong collaboration skills with the ability to work cross-functionally across departments and with senior leadership.
• Exceptional financial acumen, including experience managing budgets, forecasting, and assessing revenue opportunities.
• Proficiency in event technology, and event management tools (registration platforms, CRM systems, AV tools, graphics design) and excellence in Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint). Familiar with Airtable, Map Your Show and iMIS a plus.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, including experience with public speaking and presentation delivery.
• Experience with food and beverage programming and planning.
• Experience with planning audio visual technologies programming and planning.
• Ability to travel to site inspections, oversee event execution, and represent at industry events, as required.

PREFERRED SKILLS

• Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) certification.
• Experience in team development and management.
• Experience in public relations, branding, and marketing communications.
• Familiarity with the telecommunications or trade association sectors.
• Experience with high level educational programming and speaker selection processes.
• A portfolio of successful trade shows and conferences production.

THE SEARCH

Sagency, an executive search and leadership consulting firm, has been retained for this Director of Events search.  

Sagency consultants will review and evaluate all interested parties to help the hiring team review a final group for consideration.

The search will be conducted in a professional manner and all potential candidates will be given consideration. Candidate conversations and information will be handled with great discretion and confidentiality. Sagency and our client are equal-opportunity employers.

If after reading this Opportunity Profile, you feel that your experience, skills, and passion are a good match for the organization and this role, we would like to engage with you. Please read below for the first part of the application and selection process.

The first five steps of the application and selection process:

Step 1:  Interested candidates complete the online application.

• Upload your resume.
• The online application will be posted until the position is filled.

Step 2: A Sagency Executive Search Consultant may schedule an initial phone call with qualified applicants.

Step 3: A Sagency Executive Search Consultant will schedule a 60-minute interview with select candidates.

Step 4: If you are selected and choose to move on to interviews with our client, you will be asked to complete an online assessment.

Step 5: First-round interviews with the client.

 Thank you for your time and your interest in this role.