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The Director of Events is responsible for the planning, execution, and overall results of events including, but not limited to, quarterly furniture markets, board meetings, conferences, staff retreats, and member gatherings.  The director is accountable for the overall execution of HFA events and is empowered to make decisions within budgetary constraints. The director is responsible for each event’s P&L. Travel to each event is required for on-site supervision, support, and logistics execution.

Success in this role requires working closely with every department, assigning and following up on tasks, and utilizing HFA’s project management system to track the details of each event. The director will partner with the marketing team to promote events by providing guidance on event marketing, proactively monitoring results, and requesting assistance as needed. This role has no direct reports, so it is crucial that the director work collaboratively across departments.

The event director is also responsible for the coordination of association board meetings. This includes planning the board events as well as supporting board communications, administering the online board portal, organizing and distributing files, taking meeting minutes, and following up on action items.

Event responsibilities include site selection, requests for proposals, contract negotiations, securing room blocks, budget management, deadline management, cross-functional project management, and onsite meeting management. This includes vendor communications, group activities, and catered events.

The event director should embody the HFA company core values of high emotional intelligence, initiative, communication, accountability, and curiosity.

Essential Job Functions and Responsibilities

Event Director responsibilities include event strategy (15%), event coordination (40%), project management (25%), board coordination (15%), and other duties as assigned (5%).

Event Strategy (15%)

• Lead the strategic planning and execution of all HFA events
• Develop event goals, timelines, and operational plans aligned with organizational priorities
• Create engaging, high-quality attendee experiences that strengthen member connection and satisfaction
• Partner with leadership to identify opportunities for event growth, innovation, sponsorship value, and enhanced engagement
• Evaluate event performance through attendee feedback, analytics, and financial reporting
• Recommend and implement process improvements
• Serve as a visible and professional representative of HFA during events and industry engagements

Event Coordination (40%)

• Manage logistics for events, including sourcing and managing hotel rooms, av needs, catering, meals, entertainment, supplies, and swag, booking travel for staff in alignment with the staff travel policies, onsite management and vendor communications
• Primary liaison to venues, vendors, and attendees regarding all meeting related logistics, policies, and procedures

Project Management (25%)

• Supervise and manage event planning projects from the pre-planning process through to execution and project closure, including:
  • Goal setting
  • Task allocation
  • Kickoff meetings
  • Communication updates
  • Onsite management
  • Post-event feedback
• Collaborate with internal leaders, executive sponsors, project collaborators and external service providers to inform marketing tasks and timelines, sponsorship deliverables, registration needs, supplies, documents, etc.
• Manage and make decisions around event P&Ls, expense reports, invoices, and financial statements in order to maintain a net zero or better variance to approved budget
• Perform other related duties as required

Board Coordination (15%)

• Administrating the board processes
• Coordinate board meeting logistics including scheduling, distributing agenda and materials, building the board book, registration, maintaining signed policies, and meeting coordination
• Manage logistics for in-person board meetings, and annual meeting
• Record and distribute meeting minutes, ensuring accuracy and timeliness
• Maintain board records and assist with follow-up actions from board meetings

Required Skills

• Excellent communication skills
• High attention to detail and follow through, with a proactive approach
• Service oriented with an ability to efficiently balance conflicting priorities and multiple tasks
• Proven vendor management experience
• Project management skills
  • Planning, time management, resource management, and task management
  • Communication with stakeholders
  • Outcome evaluation
• Ability to manage all aspects of a budget, including budget planning, forecasting, actuals, and invoice management
• Crisis management, with the ability to lead through high-stress / high-stake situations calmly and effectively

Required Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience
• 6+ years experience managing event logistics
• Hotel catering and conference services experience strongly preferred
• Proficiency in project management software (Wrike or similar) preferred
• CMP or PMP preferred
• Association/ Non-Profit experience preferred

Physical Requirements

• Remote position but must be able to follow business hours that meet the organization's needs
• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer
• Ability to lift up to 50 pounds
• Approximately seven weeks of annual travel to HFA events, furniture markets, and staff events

About Home Furnishings Association

The Home Furnishings Association (HFA) is the nation's non-profit trade organization devoted to the needs of home furnishings retailers and manufacturers.

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