Job Description

Job Summary:

Primarily responsible for:

• Hotel sourcing, contract negotiation, budget preparation, risk management & cost savings
• Meet and exceed client expectations by managing consistent service levels, quality and productivity and by providing value added solutions and recommendations
• Accountability for building strong relationships both internally and externally
• Ensure adherence to global standard operating procedures (SOP), SLAs, KPIs and maintaining/documenting local SOP

Must have:

• Strong technical, communication, project & client management skills to work on variety of programs simultaneously
• Responsible for qualifying additional added services with program development, creating proposals, planning, execution, and all its components, from the point of meeting registration to fully executing a virtual, hybrid or In-Person meeting
• The capability to drive timelines and ensure successful high-level execution to include but not limited to event proposals, building web registration/meeting apps, attendee management, compliance, and final program billing/reconciliation for high-touch meetings & events for pharmaceutical client

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Job Specific Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

Core Responsibilities

Core Responsibility 1 (Primary): Sourcing & Contracting

• Main point of contact for the client, gathering hotel specifications and needs
• Distribute, monitor and analyze supplier Request for Proposal (RFPs)
• Negotiate all supplier contracts for the best possible prices and concessions to meeting savings target
• Provide consultation, risk assessment and prepare availability grid with appropriate options
• Enter and update meeting information in meeting management technology including cost savings, final attendee registration and budget reconciliation

Core Responsibility 2: Client Management

• Engage and network with meeting & travel requestors to communicate and educate on meeting program policy, benefits and services; as well as a feedback and discovery loop that is ongoing and feeds into potential initiatives to drive additional adoption and success within meetings program.
• Develop contacts at all levels. Interface with key client contacts locally to build multi-level relationships. Keep the client informed of business trends and industry updates.

• Be the key interface for clients to drive stakeholder engagement; this include but not limited to addressing service issues, conducting operational and business reviews on a monthly, quarterly and/or annual basis
• Ensuring client intelligence is consolidated to support actionable data for resource planning, revenue management, business development and performance tracking
• Provide guidance and support to the client during the change management process; steering and influencing the decision-making process to achieve desired outcome
  

Core Responsibility 3: Meeting Management

• Determine and arrange detailed program needs
• Interact and work with multiple departments/teams to evaluate requirements for event proposals and allocation of resources based on complexity of meeting as/when needed

• Create and update budgets as necessary during planning and prepare final reconciled budgets
• Creation and maintenance of web registration or mobile apps using Cvent templates
• Assume other duties and responsibilities not specifically outlined herein, but which are logically and properly inherent to the position and can add value.

Essential Job Functions:

• Must have a positive attitude and work well with others

• Strong attention to detail and communication skills

• Must have the ability to work well under pressure and adapt to ever-changing scenarios

• Must have problem solving skills for anticipating, initiating and resolving customer or vendor issues

• Must have the ability to identify customer needs and respond creatively listening to information, asking probing questions, applying knowledge and determining solutions

Key Contacts / Relationships:

Internal:

• key operations and sales/account management (if applicable) personnel.

External:

• clients

• industry contacts including suppliers

Education / Knowledge / Experience : (Subject to local laws and practices)

Essential:

• Minimum three (5) years meeting/program planning experience

• Cvent experience (building web registration sites a plus)

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications

• Proficiency in database management

• Firsthand experience of domestic and international group travel

• Travel industry and destination knowledge

• 0% - 25% travel (both domestic and international)

Preferred:

• CMP certification a plus

• Pharma Experience Preferred

• Bachelor's degree strongly preferred