Event Operations Manager | HITE Events

About HITE events

HITE brings entrepreneurs, business owners, and leaders together through events designed to support business growth, leadership development, and meaningful connections.

Our event calendar includes the annual Scale With Stability Summit in Searcy, Arkansas, along with smaller masterminds, leadership gatherings, and other experiences throughout the United States and internationally. This role supports approximately 6–10 events per year across the HITE portfolio, including Scale With Stability and High Capacity Leaders gatherings.

About the role

We’re looking for an organized, resourceful Event Operations Manager who can take an event from initial planning through on-site execution and final wrap-up.

You’ll own the operational details that make each experience run smoothly: timelines, budgets, venues, vendors, travel logistics, staffing, and attendee needs. You should be equally comfortable planning a larger summit and delivering a smaller gathering where thoughtful hospitality and personal attention matter.

Key responsibilities

• Manage the annual event operations calendar and overlapping planning timelines.
• Create event plans, budgets, checklists, staffing assignments, and detailed run-of-show documents.
• Research venues, compare proposals, negotiate terms within approved authority, and coordinate contracts and deadlines.
• Manage vendors for audiovisual production, catering, staging, signage, photography, transportation, and other event needs.
• Coordinate registration, check-in, seating, name badges, materials, and attendee communications with the appropriate teams.
• Arrange speaker and team logistics, including travel, accommodations, schedules, and on-site requirements.
• Partner with marketing and leadership to align event delivery with the audience, agenda, and brand experience.
• Coordinate staff, contractors, and volunteers, ensuring everyone understands their responsibilities.
• Lead setup, live event operations, and breakdown, resolving issues calmly and quickly.
• Coordinate accessibility needs, venue safety requirements, and contingency plans.
• Track expenses, reconcile invoices, and conduct post-event debriefs to improve future events.
• Work with local partners to coordinate logistics for international gatherings.

What we’re looking for

• Approximately 3+ years of experience in event planning, event operations, conference production, or a closely related field.
• Demonstrated experience managing events from planning through completion.
• Strong project management, budgeting, and vendor negotiation skills.
• Excellent attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple events at different stages.
• Professional communication with speakers, executives, attendees, and vendors.
• A calm, practical approach to last-minute changes and problem-solving.
• Comfort using spreadsheets, project management tools, and registration platforms.
• Availability for domestic and international travel and evening or weekend work around events.

Preferred experience

• Business conferences, executive retreats, masterminds, or premium hospitality experiences.
• A mix of larger conferences and smaller, relationship-focused gatherings.
• International event coordination and collaboration with local vendors.