Description

Position Overview

Reporting to the Director of Meetings & Events, this position plays a critical role in supporting the organization’s event and education portfolio and executing high-quality meetings and experiences. This meetings and education role works closely with internal teams—including Marketing, Membership, and Finance—as well as external vendors and partners to ensure seamless delivery of all event components.

This position serves a key role of assisting in the planning, coordination, and execution of logistics for Chicago Dental Society (CDS) meetings and events, supporting the Midwinter Meeting as well as a diverse portfolio of board meetings, regional events, educational programs, and special events throughout the year. Additionally, this position also serves as a key support in education operations and speaker management, support and certification.

This is a highly collaborative, detail-oriented role requiring strong project management skills, operational and meeting logistics expertise, and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Key Responsibilities

Midwinter Meeting

• Support the planning and execution of the Midwinter Meeting, contributing to all aspects of logistical planning, including registration, housing, room setups, meeting & office room diagrams, audiovisual, catering, and transportation to enhance the overall event experience.
• Prepare meeting specifications, banquet event orders (BEOs), and room diagrams to support seamless execution.
• Coordinate and manage relationships with vendors such as security, temporary staff agencies, transportation services to ensure fulfillment of contracted services.
• Facilitate operations for the housing program by managing housing blocks, rooming lists and post-event reconciliation.
• Collaborate with registration and housing partners to support system setup, timelines, reporting, housing coordination, and operational execution.
• Support the planning and execution of a wide variety of special events including VIP functions, receptions, hosted events, and ancillary programs.
• Maintain and track project management timelines, task tracking, reporting, and key deliverables to ensure successful execution.
• Assist in tracking budgets, expenses, and reconciliation of invoices related to assigned areas.
• Serve as a key member of the onsite team, overseeing assigned areas, managing vendor execution, and troubleshooting in real time.
• Support post-event evaluation, reporting, and continuous improvement efforts.

Education & Speaker Support

• Provide logistical and operational support for the execution of educational sessions for the Midwinter Meeting and other Continuing Education programs, in coordination with the Education team.
• Support Learning Management System (LMS) operations, including content uploads and reporting, in collaboration with the Education and Digital Learning teams.
• Assist with CE certification processes and documentation to ensure compliance with accreditation requirements.
• Ensure room setups, audiovisual, and materials align with programmatic needs and enhance the learner experience.
• Manage speaker logistics including travel, accommodations, and onsite experience.
• Support presiding chair coordination for educational sessions, including preparation of materials and facilitation of session logistics.
• Assist with presentation and speaker management systems and support onsite execution of educational programming.

Meetings & Events (Year-Round Portfolio)

• Plan and execute logistics for CDS meetings and events from planning through onsite execution, including registration, attendee experience, and real-time troubleshooting for regional meetings, leadership programs, and member events.
• Coordinate internal catering needs for CDS hosted meetings and events.
• Develop and manage detailed project timelines, production schedules, and task tracking for assigned meetings and events.
• Prepare meeting specifications, banquet event orders (BEOs), and room diagrams to support seamless execution.
• Maintain organized event documentation and standard operating procedures and support reconciliation of registration, housing, and vendor-related financials.
• Support post-event evaluations, reporting, and implementation of improvements.

Requirements

Required Qualifications and Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality, Event Management, Marketing, or related field (or equivalent experience). Experience in an association or nonprofit environment.
• 3–5 years of experience in meeting planning, event coordination, or related role.
• Experience supporting a citywide conferences, including registration and/or housing.
• Strong organizational and project management skills with exceptional attention to detail.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Experience working with vendors and managing event logistics.
• Comfortable working with volunteers and building strong collaborative relationships.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and event management systems (registration, housing, or speaker management platforms).
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively across teams.

Physical Demands / Work Environment

• Work is performed in a general office environment with frequent computer use.
• Ability to lift and move event materials (up to ~25 lbs).
• Significant onsite event support required, including early mornings, evenings, and occasional weekends.
• Occasional travel may be required.

What makes the Chicago Dental Society the place for you?

• A meaningful mission. 
• A positive work culture. 
• Belong to a collaborative team.
• Great employee benefits. Full-time employees are eligible for a comprehensive package of benefits, including medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance benefits. We also offer a generous 401(k) match, paid vacation and sick time, paid holidays, and other benefits.
• Hybrid work schedule. Employees are based in our Chicago office and are allowed to work remotely 2 days per week.