Event Specialist

Position Title: Event Specialist

Department: Education

Reports To: Director of Education

Supervisor Responsibilities: No

Status: Full-Time, Exempt

Job Summary: You will be responsible for the overall development, planning, organization and execution of meetings, events, and large-scale Education classes. You will work with our Management team to determine company-wide schedule. You must be willing to work extended hours/weekends as needed for meeting/event execution when scheduled during this time.

• Responsible for organizing, planning, and budgeting for meetings, events, and education classes.
• Meeting execution including facilitation of virtual meetings.
• Schedule and book meeting spaces and coordinate event needs according to each individual meeting, event, or class.
• Book travel including flights and hotels for different employees ranging from Director level to Educator Contractors according to the budget guidelines.
• Prepare monthly and quarterly financial reports of all meetings, events, and classes. This includes creating and updating budget reports, auditing reimbursement forms for payment according to SSG guidelines, and maintaining a file of credit card receipts.
• Work directly with Education Specialist to maintain combined SSG Education budget Monthly, Quarterly & Yearly.
• Coordinate education classes and schedule educator contractors for those events.
• Prep, pack & ship items for large Education events.
• Maintain a file of Education product Inventory.
• Partner with outside Manufacturer Representatives to coordinate their event needs and negotiate event expenses.
• Work with Outside Sales Consultants and other departments within our organization to ensure meetings and events are a success and within budget.
• Represent Salon Service Group at events and provide support for set up at large events as needed.

Like most small businesses, our employees work closely together and often have varied and overlapping tasks. A qualified candidate would be a self-motivated individual that works well independently. They must be detail oriented, taking ownership of their personal responsibilities. They must also be a team player, able to help in other areas when the need arises. Must be very detail oriented. Must have computer skills. Must be dependable

Required Skills

• Microsoft Office Suite Applications including, but not limited to Excel, PowerPoint & Teams.
• At least 1 year experience in Event Planning/Management
• Exceptional attention to detail
• Time management and ability to meet deadlines
• Strong team player
• Strong communication both written and verbal
• Ability to work independently – minimum supervision required
• Flexible – can react quickly to changing requirements
• Exceptional organization skills
• Problem solving and decision-making skills
• Basic knowledge in presentation skills
• Strong computer skills and familiarity with applications including Microsoft Office (Teams, Outlook, excel, PowerPoint)
• Ability to make independent decisions
• Ability to initiate action and follow-through until objective is met
• Ability to identify problems and recommend or implement solutions
• Readiness to Travel 10% Travel Annually.
• Ability to work occasional weekends and evenings.

Working for SSG will provide you with:

· Health, Dental, Vision, Life, and AD&D Insurance available

· Health Savings Account or Flexible Spending Account

· Employee Assistance Program

· 401 (k) Retirement Plan - SSG matches 50% of the employee’s contributions up to 2% of their yearly income

· Paid vacation and sick leave

· Holiday pay

· Sam’s Club membership for you and a friend or family member

· Discounts on exclusive hair products

· Monday-Friday schedule during regular business hours with some Saturday work, as needed; inventory for part of one Sunday per quarter

· Enthusiastic and fun customer base

· Growth opportunities and meaningful contribution to the success of the company

Event Coordination

• Plan and execute corporate events, both virtual and in-person, for 10-250 attendees.
• Research and propose suitable event locations in various markets.
• Collaborate with the Director of Education and Education Coordinator for seamless event execution.

Pre-Event Coordination

• Coordinate all pre-event logistics, including venue selection, catering, and travel arrangements.
• Utilize iBeAuthentic, Excel, and S2K Enterprise platform for efficient project management and budgeting.

Budget Management

• Work closely with the Director of Education to develop and manage event budgets.
• Submit expenses and provide financial reports for each event.

Timeline Management

• Handle events with varying lead times, from long-term planning to quick turnarounds.
• Maintain a proactive approach to ensure all deadlines are met.

Flexibility and Adaptability:

• Navigate and thrive in a fast-paced environment, demonstrating the ability to pivot quickly

Collaboration:

• Collaborate with the marketing department for event promotion and coordination.
• Act as a customer-facing representative, fostering strong relationships with attendees.

Success Metrics:

• Measure the success of events through adherence to budget and feedback from attendees.

Qualifications:

• Entry to mid-level experience in event planning.
• Highly organized with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office platform

Interpersonal Skills:

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Comfortable working with various departments and team members.

Career Growth:

• Opportunities for career growth within the company, with a continuously evolving role.

Who you are:

• Experience with event planning and organization of special events, including familiarity with general accepted practices of the industry.
• Experience working in an office setting with shifting priorities, constant interruptions, changing assignments, time-sensitive projects, heavy workload, and multiple projects simultaneously assigned by different staff.
• Talent to create aesthetically pleasing materials and physical surroundings for events, including space planning.
• Ability to interact, communicate, and utilize high level negotiation skills to facilitate solutions in a positive manner.
• Exceptionally strong organizational and time management skills; proven ability to set priorities which accurately reflect the relative importance of job responsibilities and take into consideration deadlines, competing requirements and complexity.
• Strong working knowledge of PC computer software applications, including Microsoft Office (Teams, Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and other graphics and/or database programs.
• Experience with virtual meetings and working with zoom.
• Experience collecting and analyzing information using a database or spreadsheet format and summarizing data in written reports.
• Proven ability to make independent decisions, following guidelines, budget, time, and logistics constraints. Ability to initiate action, follow-through until objective is met. Ability to anticipate problems and recommend or implement solutions.
• Demonstrated ability in planning, organizing, prioritizing, and problem solving. Proven ability to re-prioritize as needed using sound judgment and considering budget and timeframes.

If you are a detail-oriented individual with a passion for event planning and a desire to contribute to the success of a growing company, we encourage you to apply.

About us:

Salon Service Group, founded over 32 years ago, is the nation's largest privately-owned professional beauty distributor. SSG proudly partners with the Professional Beauty Industry exclusively, through salons, spas and stylists. We have conveniently located, professionally exclusive wholesale stores representing our independently owned, high-end professional portfolio of haircare brands across SSG territories. We are committed to excellent service, quality products and most importantly, we build strong lifelong partnerships with our customers. Our highest priority is to provide our customers with the tools and support that they need for success.

This job post is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

SSG is an EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY employer. Candidates are considered for employment with SSG without regard to their race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender, pregnancy, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other classification protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.