Event Account Manager

Event Account Manager Location: Chicago, IL Agency EA, a part of EA Collective, is a 100% employee-owned, award-winning experiential marketing agency specializing in live, virtual, and hybrid experiences for global brands. Known for its ability to blend strategy, creativity, and flawless execution, Agency EA partners with clients to bring their brands to life through impactful events, immersive environments, and engaging digital activations. As the flagship agency of EA Collective, Agency EA benefits from the broader collective’s creative resources and industry-leading expertise to innovate and deliver unforgettable experiences that resonate with audiences and achieve business objectives. We are looking for dreamers and doers who have the passion to champion big ideas and the talent to bring them to life. A place of acceptance and open dialogue, we strive to foster a culture where differences are not just valued, but celebrated. This position is based in Chicago and will involve a combination of remote and in‑office work, with travel to multiple markets to support client activations. Summary An Account Manager manages a variety of client accounts and delivers an exceptional client experience by having a natural attention to detail and the ability to anticipate and interpret client needs. Account Managers lead project teams to deliver creative and flawless events and experiential marketing programs that are on strategy, in budget, and executed on time. Account Managers at Agency EA are master communicators and the primary contact between project team members and clients. An Account Manager nurtures and builds relationships with multi‑level client contacts to identify and develop strategic business building opportunities for clients and the agency, and is responsible for developing the agency’s future talent by training and coaching Account Coordinators and Account Executives to ensure performance and execution excellence. Primary Responsibilities Maintain and build relationships with clients including strategy development, project management, and overall communication. Develop a deep understanding of clients’ culture, processes, business, and structure to service them effectively. Share learnings and insights with agency team members to ensure consistency of service. Meet with and liaise with clients to identify and discuss their audience engagement/experiential marketing program requirements. Recommend new and innovative approaches and directions to accomplish the marketing and engagement objectives of clients. Ensure that key written communications are strategic, meet the agency’s standard of excellence and are provided in a timely manner. Lead project teams to deliver successful, results‑driven programs. Evaluate the strategic development of the creative product and ensure that the work meets client objectives, brand positioning and guidelines. Present or support the presentation of creative work to clients. Respond to changes in direction and other client dynamics with flexibility, resourcefulness and a problem‑solving mindset. Lead weekly status meetings with project team members. Discuss key components of the project, provide guidance, and outline next steps. Review and collaborate on all production related deliverables including but not limited to production schedules, run of show documents, and logistics plans; work with Production lead to determine the best way to communicate deliverables to clients. Conduct actualization process with Production lead; once all information is organized, finalize actualization process with Controller. Foster exceptional performance among agency team members. Manage project team members to maximize efficiencies and minimize redundancies; identify inefficiencies in project workflow and implement plans to address them. Provide on‑site/at event client management. Communicate with clients frequently and ensure that all needs are met. Share best practices and program learnings with project team members. Recommend solutions and process modifications for continuous improvement. Partner with Client Services leadership to develop proposals that address the objectives and assignment as outlined by clients; proposals to include creative concepts and/or initial budgets. Develop a Project Brief. Outline strategy(s) to achieve stated objectives. Review target audience research; identify insights. Write and/or enhance creative concepts. Outline initial budget estimate; ensure that budgets achieve revenue targets. Train and mentor Account Coordinators and Account Executives on an on‑going basis to ensure growth and performance excellence. Provide constructive feedback informally as well as for performance evaluations. Preserve and foster EA’s culture and maintain a positive and forward‑thinking attitude. Qualifications 5+ years of relevant experience. Bachelor’s degree or higher; Marketing, Communications, Business or another related field a plus. Agency experience is a must. Event and/or experiential marketing experience is a must. Strong written, oral and interpersonal communication skills. Excellent presentation skills. Strategic thinker, able to help guide ideas to align with clients’ strategy. Excellent organizational and team management skills. Must enjoy working and collaborating with teams. Must be proficient in Google Workspace/Suite or Excel, PowerPoint and Keynote. Must be willing to travel as needed. Salary depends on experience and ranges from $75,000 to $85,000. #J-18808-Ljbffr