Director, Meetings & Experiences

Location: St. Louis, MO | Hybrid (4 days/week in office) | Relocation considered | Travel: ~15-20% | Full-time, Salaried Exempt

The Genome Partnership is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to advancing genomics through scientific collaboration, community building & exceptional meetings. We host the AGBT Meeting Series, which brings together leading researchers, innovators, industry scientists & emerging leaders from around the world to exchange ideas, share discoveries & advance the field. AGBT meetings are known for exceptional scientific programs, distinctive venues, thoughtful experiences & a high level of service. We are a small, mission-driven organization with an entrepreneurial culture & high standards for both the quality of our meetings & the stewardship of our resources.

The Opportunity

The Director, Meetings & Experiences will lead the planning, operational strategy & execution of the AGBT Meeting Series, ensuring that every meeting delivers the exceptional experience our community expects while operating with strong financial discipline. This role plays a critical part in creating environments where scientific collaboration, innovation, networking & discovery can flourish, helping advance the mission of The Genome Partnership. We are looking for an exceptional meetings leader who believes great experiences & fiscal responsibility should reinforce one another. Reporting to the President, the Director will lead the Meetings & Experiences function & take responsibility for meeting timelines, budgets, quality control, vendor strategy & operational execution across the portfolio. This role currently leads a small team & oversees the work of external agencies, consultants, & specialty event partners. The ideal candidate is a strategic & hands-on leader who combines strong operational discipline, financial acumen, & exceptional attention to detail. They anticipate challenges, create clarity across stakeholders, & take ownership for delivering high-quality meetings that advance the organization's mission.

Responsibilities

Meeting Strategy & Execution

• Lead planning & operational execution across the AGBT General Meeting, Precision Health & Agriculture meetings including responsibility for meeting timelines, workplans, dependencies & operational readiness.
• Establish clear roles, responsibilities, deadlines & quality standards across the team & external partners & develop contingency plans to proactively identify operational, financial & guest experience risks.
• Maintain master meeting calendars, planning tools & operational documentation.
• Lead planning processes & ensure effective communication across internal teams, vendors & other stakeholders & serve as a senior operational leader onsite, ensuring issues are addressed quickly & professionally.
• Lead post-meeting reviews to create improvements for future events.

Experience & Quality

• Lead the design & delivery of exceptional experiences across all AGBT meetings, ensuring every participant interaction reflects the organization's high standards. based on established quality-control processes & performance standards for venues, vendors, & partners to ensure consistent execution & service excellence.
• Identify opportunities to enhance attendee value, operational efficiency, & meeting impact while maintaining responsible stewardship of organizational resources.
• Monitor industry trends & emerging practices to continuously improve meeting quality, innovation, & participant engagement.

Financial Management & Meeting Economics

• Develop & manage detailed budgets for each AGBT meeting in partnership with the President & Finance, maintaining current forecasts throughout the planning cycle & proactively identify risks, savings opportunities & potential variances.
• Conduct rigorous pre and post event financial analysis to understand meeting performance & inform future decisions and develop historical benchmarks for expense categories, consumption, attendance & other operating metrics.
• Identify opportunities to reduce costs, improve contract terms & use organizational resources more efficiently without compromising experience quality.
• Contribute operational & financial analysis about registration pricing, hotel pricing, meeting packages & participant fees.

Hotels, Venues & Vendor Strategy

• Lead hotel sourcing, site selection, site visits & venue evaluation in partnership with the President & external resources.
• Participate in the negotiation of hotel & major meeting contracts.
• Lead RFPs, selection & management of meeting-related partners, including meeting management agencies, AV/production companies, decorators, DMCs, transportation providers & other specialty vendors.
• Continually evaluate the most effective allocation of work between internal capabilities & external specialists based on expertise, capacity, quality & cost.
• Build productive relationships with agencies & vendors, holding partners accountable for performance, budget & quality.
• Identify opportunities to simplify workflows, eliminate duplication & improve value from external partners.

Team Leadership & Operational Excellence

• Foster a collaborative, high-performance environment where team members collaborate, communicate openly & support one another while focused on quality execution, continuous improvement, & shared responsibility for results.
• Ensure effective coordination among Scientific Programs & Engagement, Marketing & Communications, Business Development & Partnerships, and external partners to deliver successful meetings and sponsorship activations by creating clear expectations, ownership, accountability & opportunities for professional growth.
• Build & assess organizational capabilities, identifying where additional skills or capacity should be developed internally & where specialized external expertise adds greater value.

Registration, Housing & Meeting Technology

• Oversee registration, housing & attendee-management processes, whether delivered internally or through external partners, ensuring registration systems, rooming processes & attendee communications are accurate, efficient & user-friendly.
• Oversee meeting technology & operational platforms used to support registration, agendas, mobile applications & onsite experiences.
• Ensure data, processes & responsibilities transition effectively between internal teams & external partners.

Program & Sponsor Execution

• Partner with Scientific Programs & Engagement to translate scientific programming into a complete, executable meeting agenda, including scheduling, rooms, timing, AV requirements, speaker logistics, posters & workshops.
• Partner with Business Development & Partnerships on the operational feasibility & fulfillment of sponsorship & exhibitor opportunities.
• Lead the operational execution of contracted sponsor & exhibitor benefits, including onsite spaces, activations & other meeting requirements.
• Coordinate closely with Marketing & Communications on registration timelines, attendee communications, website information & onsite needs.

What We're Looking For

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in hospitality management, event management, business administration, communications, or a related field; equivalent experience may be considered.
• 7 – 10 years of demonstrated success managing large, multi-day meetings with complex hotel, production, food & beverage, registration, housing & vendor requirements with significant progressive experience leading complex meetings, conferences or high-end events preferred.
• Experience leading a meetings team & creating clear accountability across multiple simultaneous work streams.

Meeting & Event Leadership

• Experience with meeting management agencies & external partners, as well as experience delivering functions internally.
• Strong understanding of hotel operations, room blocks, food & beverage, AV/production, transportation, registration & onsite logistics.
• Experience with Cvent or comparable registration & event-management technology strongly preferred.
• Experience with scientific, medical, association or other complex professional meetings is a plus.

Financial & Contract Management

• Strong financial acumen & demonstrated experience building event budgets, managing forecasts, controlling costs & analyzing event economics.
• Experience negotiating & managing hotel, venue, production & supplier contracts.

Leadership & Collaboration

• Strong people leadership skills & the ability to develop team members while holding them accountable for results.
• Exceptional project-management skills with the ability to maintain control of complex timelines & interdependent deliverables.
• Ability to work effectively with senior leadership while also collaborating across functions to support shared organizational priorities.

Professional Competencies

• Extremely strong attention to detail & a high standard for accuracy, quality & guest experience.
• A proactive operating style with the ability to anticipate issues, solve problems & take ownership with excellent judgment, communication, negotiation & relationship-management skills.
• Comfort operating in a small organization where leaders remain hands-on & contribute wherever needed.

What Success Looks Like

• Exceptional attendee experiences and consistently high-quality AGBT meetings.
• Meetings delivered on time, within budget, and aligned with organizational goals.
• Effective financial management, vendor performance, and resource stewardship.
• Collaborative, high-performing function supported by strong processes, accountability, & continuous improvement.

Working at The Genome Partnership

The role reports to the President and leads the Meetings & Experiences function while partnering closely with Marketing, Business Development & Partnerships, Scientific Programs & Engagement, Finance, and external meeting partners. Success requires balancing strategic leadership with hands-on execution, leveraging internal resources and specialized external partners to deliver exceptional meetings and support the long-term growth of The Genome Partnership.

Advances in Genome Biology and Technology (AGBT) is a leading non-profit 501(c)(6) organization dedicated to advancing the understanding and application of genomics and biotechnology. Through world-class meetings, AGBT brings together the brightest minds in science, medicine, and innovation to accelerate breakthroughs in precision health, life sciences, and genomics.
Our mission is to create dynamic forums for researchers, clinicians, policymakers, and industry leaders to connect, collaborate, and push the boundaries of what’s possible in health and science. With a small but passionate core team and a big vision for impact, we are looking for a high-energy intern who’s eager to learn, grow, and contribute.