Event Director - Stealth Startup : Job Details

LGBT+ Startup Initiative

Job Description: Event Director

About the LGBT+ Startup Initiative

The LGBT+ Startup Initiative brings together and mobilizes the world's most influential LGBT+ people from across sectors, identities, generations, and geographies to imagine how our collective power can be better deployed for the common good of queer and trans people globally.

The LGBT+ Startup Initiative is hosting its annual global convening in Paris, France in May 2025, to unleash new ideas, strategies, and resources. Participants will include senior political leaders, major cultural figures, civil society leaders, philanthropists, and corporate leaders. This convening aims to nurture and expand the capacity of the global network, creating novel cross-sector alliances that can be activated in the face of new challenges and opportunities.

Job Description: Event Director

The LGBT+ Startup Initiative team is seeking an experienced Event Director to manage all logistics related to the upcoming convening in Paris, France in May 2025. The Event Director will also support logistics related to smaller regional convenings as needed.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Manage confirmation and travel logistics process for each participant, including hotel accommodations, travel expenses, and special considerations like dietary restrictions and accessibility needs
• Serve as project lead and key point of contact on all participant travel logistics; keep detailed inventory of all participant travel logistics; and manage detailed lists for each event during the convening
• Coordinate flight and ground transfer details for participants in coordination with travel agency
• Serve as high touch liaison for all participants for all arrivals/welcomes; any needs during the event; and ensuring smooth departures
• Support co-founders, Managing Director, and other team members as needed on agenda development
• Oversee creation of all event collateral, including welcome/ program booklets; signage; any gifts for participants; digital/web collateral; printouts and handouts
• Support partnership with hotel and event venue in coordination with travel agency
• Oversee production elements including furniture rental and installation; ground transfers; meals and catering; AV needs; and troubleshooting before and during the event
• Manage all aspects of three evening events, in partnership with venues, partners, and travel agency
• Support co-founders, participants, and program leads on the ground during the event, including research, AV, time management and collateral needs
• Lead development of post-event surveys and post-event logistics and accounting

Skills and Qualifications

• Extremely detail oriented, excellent record keeper, meticulous attention to detail
• Energetic, resourceful, resilient, and a natural problem solver
• Proven track record of producing and/or managing successful events
• Ability to stay calm and focused when unforeseen challenges arise
• Experience working with LGBT+ communities and leaders; exposure to global LGBT+ issues strongly preferred Knowledge of/ expertise in global LGBT+ issues strongly preferred
• Conversant/ fluent in French preferred but not required
• Excellent communicator, verbally and in writing
• Flexibility and adaptability, especially in challenging circumstances
• Comfort engaging personally with a wide variety of leaders, including high profile participants
• Ability to anticipate and methodically address and/or eliminate logistical challenges, both with advance timing and within high pressure environments
• Self-starter who can work independently and as part of a small, fast-moving team

Job Details and How To Apply

This role is a contractor position and will include two phases:

• Phase 1, January-February, 2025, will be part time
• Phase 2, March-May, 2025, will be full time

Compensation will be competitive and commensurate with experience. Candidates must be available to travel for an event in Paris for roughly a week in early May 2025.

The LGBT+ Startup Initiative is strongest and most effective with a diverse team leading the charge, and is committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. As an equal opportunity employer, The LGBT+ Startup Initiative welcomes the unique contributions that individuals bring in terms of their education, opinions, culture, ethnicity, race, sex, gender identity and expression, nation of origin, age, languages spoken, veteran's status, color, religion, disability, sexual orientation and beliefs.

Applications should include both a resume and cover letter, and should be emailed directly to Dan Barasch at [email protected].