Director of Events

Director Of Events

The Director of Events provides strategic and operational leadership for the Perot Museum's Events function, overseeing a portfolio that includes private and corporate rentals, signature Museum events, donor and institutional events, and other special experiences.

The Director is accountable for the performance of the Events business, from sales pipeline and client experience through planning, production, and execution, while leading and developing a team responsible for delivering high-quality experiences across the Museum.

This role comes at an important moment in the Museum's evolution. In addition to strengthening the current Events operation, the Director will help navigate changing business conditions as the Museum grows. The ideal candidate combines strong people leadership and operational discipline with sales acumen, exceptional hospitality instincts, and the ability to think beyond individual events toward the strategy and performance of the overall business.

Supervisory Responsibilities: Yes.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

Events Business Strategy & Performance

• Lead the overall strategy and performance of the Museum's Events business, including external rentals, corporate and private events, and other revenue-generating opportunities.
• Own the event sales pipeline, revenue forecasting, performance reporting, and progress toward annual financial goals.
• Evaluate business performance and identify opportunities to strengthen demand, conversion, pricing, event mix, and profitability.
• Partner with Marketing and other teams to develop appropriate sales and promotional strategies for the Events business.
• Maintain awareness of the competitive events and hospitality landscape and identify opportunities to strengthen the Museum's market position.
• Help evolve the Events operating model as construction affects space availability, demand, staffing, and business opportunities.

Event Experience, Planning & Execution

• Establish and maintain high standards for event planning, hospitality, client service, and execution.
• Provide leadership and oversight across the full client journey, from initial inquiry and contracting through planning, event delivery, and follow-up.
• Ensure appropriate planning, staffing, production, and operational readiness for events across the Museum.
• Provide senior-level oversight for complex, high-profile, or institutionally significant events without becoming the default tactical producer for every event.
• Develop scalable processes, tools, standards, and workflows that improve efficiency and consistency across the Events function.
• Ensure events reflect the Museum's brand, guest experience standards, safety requirements, and operational expectations.

Team Leadership & Development

• Lead, coach, and develop the Museum's Events team, creating clear roles, expectations, accountability, and opportunities for professional growth.
• Build leadership capacity within the team so that managers and coordinators can independently own appropriate levels of planning and execution.
• Establish effective team operating rhythms, workload management, communication practices, and decision-making protocols.
• Assess staffing and resource needs against event volume, revenue expectations, and changing operating conditions.
• Foster a collaborative, solutions-oriented culture grounded in hospitality, accountability, and excellent service.

Institutional & Cross-Functional Partnership

• Serve as the primary functional leader for Events and build strong working relationships across Development, Facilities, Security, Finance, Learning, Exhibits, and other Museum teams.
• Establish clear roles and expectations for cross-functional event planning and execution.
• Partner closely with Development on donor and fundraising events and with Museum leadership on major institutional events.
• Balance external revenue-generating business with internal event needs and institutional priorities, making thoughtful recommendations about resources and tradeoffs.
• Manage relationships with event vendors, production partners, caterers, and other external partners as appropriate.

Financial & Operational Management

• Develop and manage Events budgets, revenue forecasts, and expense performance in partnership with the CMXO.
• Maintain visibility into contracts, deposits, invoicing, event profitability, and other key financial and business indicators.
• Ensure appropriate policies, procedures, documentation, and controls are consistently followed.

Future-State Planning

• Partner with the CMXO and other Museum leaders to help define the model for the future event business and unique experiences.
• Assess how new and expanded spaces can support private events, institutional experiences, signature programs, and earned-revenue opportunities.
• Help define future event products, service levels, operating requirements, staffing models, and internal versus outsourced capabilities.
• Support operational readiness planning leading to opening and activation of an expanded campus.

Leadership Expectations

The Director of Events is expected to operate as a functional leader, not simply a senior event producer.

Success in the role requires someone who can:

• Move comfortably between strategy and execution while knowing when to delegate.
• Lead through managers and build capability rather than becoming the solution to every operational challenge.
• Balance guest/client experience with revenue performance and financial discipline.
• Make clear decisions and establish accountability in a fast-moving environment.
• Navigate competing priorities and cross-functional relationships with confidence and diplomacy.
• Identify problems early and bring forward solutions and recommendations.
• Build systems and processes that make the function stronger and less dependent on individual institutional knowledge.
• Think about what the Events business should become, not only how to execute what it does today.

Qualifications

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience.
• Approximately 7+ years of progressive experience in events, hospitality, venue management, experiential production, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience leading teams, including developing managers and building effective operating practices.
• Experience overseeing complex events from sales or initial concept through planning and execution.
• Demonstrated understanding of event revenue, sales pipelines, forecasting, budgets, contracts, and financial performance.
• Strong client-service and hospitality orientation.
• Experience working in a complex, cross-functional organization with multiple stakeholders and competing priorities.

• Excellent communication, relationship-management, organization, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work evenings, weekends, and nontraditional hours as required by the Museum's event calendar.

Preferred

• Experience within a museum, cultural institution, visitor attraction, hospitality venue, performing arts organization, or other complex public-facing environment.
• Experience managing a facility-rental or venue-based events business.
• Experience helping an organization evolve or scale an events, hospitality, or experiential business.
• Experience with major institutional, donor, corporate, or high-profile events.
• Familiarity with event sales/CRM, event management, and financial reporting systems.

Essential Functions:

While performing the duties of this position, the employee will be required regularly to:

• Sit for extended periods of time while utilizing resource materials such as a computer and detailed spreadsheets.
• Communicate by telephone; email other appropriate Perot Museum communication platforms (e.g., MS Teams, Zoom, etc.).

While performing the duties of this position, the employee will occasionally be required to:

• Stand for extended periods of time.
• Lift and/or move light boxes and other materials of 20 lbs. or less.

Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable qualified applicants and qualified employees with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.