Managing Director of Events & Exhibits

POSITION OVERVIEW

The University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, part of the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences, is one of the nation’s premiere university‑based public gardens and a treasured community resource. Having experienced significant growth in recent years, today the Arboretum hosts 700,000 annual visitors, with 35,000 household memberships. Guests enjoy the Arboretum’s extensive landscapes across its 1,200 acres, including 49 display and specialty gardens, and educational programs for all generations.

The Arboretum offers a range of public events and special exhibits such as the Spring Flower Show, Maple Fest, Apple Fest, and Winter Lights. Additionally, private rentals—whether personal milestones or organizational events—are key revenue sources and community offerings. To meet the needs of remarkable growth in recent years and strategic priorities to envision the future of events, the Arboretum seeks applications for a Managing Director of Events & Exhibits.

Reporting to the Arboretum’s Executive Director and working as part of the Arboretum’s Leadership Team, the Managing Director of Events & Exhibits provides strategic oversight and operational leadership for a centralized approach to managing the Arboretum’s public festivals and events, special exhibits, and private group rentals. The role orchestrates collaborative event operations to envision, plan, and execute a cohesive, high-quality portfolio of experiences that connect guests, members, donors, clients, partners, and the broader community with the Arboretum’s mission.

This role combines creative design with logistical planning and stakeholder coordination to drive audience engagement and client satisfaction, revenue growth, and community impact while maintaining operational excellence and accessibility. Beyond direct leadership of the Arboretum’s public events, special exhibits, and private group offerings, the position provides oversight of logistical planning and support to other related departmental‑focused major events and conferences.

In execution of these responsibilities the Managing Director works very closely with departmental leaders and content experts across the organization to envision the portfolio and build consensus. The Managing Director has a hands‑on role in execution of events, leading a team of full‑time, part‑time, and temporary employees, and ensuring appropriate personnel training, development, and performance feedback. The position fosters a workplace environment where all staff are committed to respect and safety, open communication, excellent internal and external customer service, and teamwork.

The successful candidate is expected to play a leadership role on Arboretum-wide committees and work with fellow leaders and staff to envision, create, and advance the future of the Arboretum.

• Define and champion a creative and coordinated vision for a world‑class event portfolio that elevates the Arboretum’s mission, inspires diverse audiences, and cultivates meaningful connection.
• Direct and ensure excellence in the planning, execution, and evaluation of events, exhibits, conferences, and community engagement initiatives.
• Partner with the marketing and communications team to develop promotional materials and messaging to generate interest in public events and private group rentals.
• Establish and steward the annual event calendar, themes, and program objectives in collaboration with departmental leaders to balance operational capacities.
• Serve as the primary event point of contact for internal departments, community partners, and applicable sponsors; communicate progress, manage expectations, and address any issues.
• Establish benchmarks and key performance indicators, lead post‑event evaluations with marketing and communications, gather feedback and analyze data to assess the event portfolio success and inform future improvements.

• Collaborate with internal staff and external partners to manage all logistical elements, including on‑site setup and breakdown, health and safety…