Senior Event Planner

The Senior Event Planner owns the day-to-day planning of substantial weddings and private events from an established scope through event week. You will be the person who knows where the planning stands, what decision comes next, what the client needs from us, what we need from our partners, and what has to be resolved before the work moves into production. Dave remains involved in the consequential creative and client decisions. Claire leads visual production. Arjun leads event operations. Your job is to connect those disciplines to an exceptionally well-run client planning experience. This is not a coordinator position with a more senior title. We are looking for someone capable of independently leading complex planning work and earning the confidence of sophisticated clients and experienced event partners. What you'll own. Day-to-day planning for assigned commissions Master planning calendars and decision schedules Client meetings, agendas, notes, and follow-through Event budget administration and tracking Venue and vendor research Proposal and contract tracking Tastings, walkthroughs, appointments, and planning meetings Guest and hospitality logistics Vendor communication throughout planning Identification of unresolved decisions and dependencies Internal handoff from planning into production Final planning readiness before event week Clear, composed client communication when plans change What you won't own alone. You will not be expected to be the company's creative director, production department, salesperson, bookkeeper, and event-day crew simultaneously. The Fortunate is intentionally structured around complementary disciplines. Dave retains overall event direction and principal client leadership. Claire owns visual-production considerations. Arjun owns production architecture and operational execution. You should know when to make a decision yourself, when to make a recommendation, and when another discipline needs to enter the conversation. What we're looking for. We expect the strongest candidates will bring approximately 4–7+ years of substantive wedding, private-event, hospitality, or comparable planning experience. More important than a precise number of years is evidence that you have independently owned complicated work. Experience with complex weddings, multi-event weekends, luxury hospitality, destination work, or high-touch private clients is particularly relevant. Sophisticated organization Vendor and venue fluency Sound judgment under pressure The ability to recommend rather than merely present options Strong meeting leadership Excellent follow-through Discretion with private client information Comfort working with demanding timelines and high expectations The person who will do well here. You like clients, but you don't confuse good service with saying yes to everything. You can explain why something isn't working and offer a better alternative. You understand that being organized means more than maintaining a beautiful spreadsheet. You notice unresolved decisions before they become emergencies. And when an event arrives, you want the hosts to experience it, not manage it. Compensation. In addition: $200 additional compensation per qualifying event day; business mileage reimbursed at the current IRS business mileage rate; $65/day meal and incidental allowance for qualifying travel events; company-provided laptop and phone. Final compensation within the published range will reflect experience, demonstrated independent ownership, and the scope of responsibility the selected candidate is prepared to assume. Professional development may include relevant conferences, industry organizations, CMP education, WIPA programming, or other approved development. Medical insurance with 80% of the employee premium covered by The Fortunate Dental and vision coverage available 15 days paid time off 8 paid company holidays Paid company closure week after New Year's One paid recovery day following qualifying event weekends 401(k) with 4% employer match after 90 days Discretionary annual performance bonus Schedule and travel. This is an events position. Some evenings and weekends are fundamental to the work. Regional travel throughout Wisconsin, Illinois, and surrounding markets should be expected, with additional travel as commissions require. The planning calendar should be humane and predictable wherever the nature of live events allows it. Event weekends are followed by designated recovery time rather than treating Monday morning as though Saturday never happened. Success after one year. Independently lead multiple complex commissions Earn the trust of clients and experienced event partners Know the House's planning systems and regional vendor ecosystem Represent The Fortunate confidently in meetings and walkthroughs Make planning easier for both clients and the House Growth. The Senior Event Planner is intended to become an important planning leader inside The Fortunate as the commission portfolio grows. Growth here should come from demonstrated ownership, judgment, client leadership, and the ability to develop others, not simply tenure. Interested? #J-18808-Ljbffr