Convenings Associate; Attendee Management

At The Obama Foundation, our mission is to inspire, empower, and connect people to change their world. We seek to build an active democratic culture where people are equipped and motivated to make change in the communities where they live, work, and play. Right here on the South Side of Chicago, we’re building a home for this vision, a global center for change with a range of opportunities - coordinated programming, community outreach events, educational moments, and more - that invite visitors from down the block or across the globe to turn hope into action.

Achieving our ambitious goals starts with an exceptional team built on our Hope to Action Values - Courage, Empathy, Integrity, Accountability, Community, Inclusivity, Pragmatism, Resilience, Imagination, and Hope. A Framework that anyone, anywhere, can use to build trust, activate participation, and expand opportunity in their community. Purpose of the Role Reporting to the Convenings Manager, the Convenings Associate will lead an assigned portfolio of events while serving as the team’s functional lead for attendee management, registration, hospitality, and event-related travel.

They will oversee the attendee journey from invitation and registration through arrival and onsite experience, ensuring processes are efficient, welcoming, accessible, and aligned with Foundation standards. This is a fast-paced, highly collaborative role that requires exceptional organization, attention to detail, and management of multiple events and attendee work streams. Evening and weekend availability and occasional travel are required. This is a term-based, onsite role with an end date of December 2027, located at the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park.

• Lead the planning and execution of assigned OPC and Foundation convenings, managing timelines, budgets, internal coordination, and onsite delivery.
• Lead attendee management and registration, including registration builds, invitation workflows, attendee data, capacity management, reporting, check-in, and onsite registration.
• Serve as the primary Convenings point of contact, managing priorities, timelines, deliverables, and attendee services.
• Partner with internal teams on attendee communications, including invitations, confirmations, reminders, logistical information, event updates, and post-event communications.
• Lead food and beverage planning, including catering coordination, menus, dietary needs, service plans, guarantees, and onsite delivery.
• Manage hotel accommodations and room blocks, including sourcing, rooming lists, pickup tracking, guest needs, and reconciliation.
• Coordinate event-related travel and transportation for attendees, speakers, program participants, and other guests as required.
• Develop and maintain attendee management standards, workflows, templates, and tools across the Convenings portfolio.
• Coordinate accessibility and accommodation needs and support high-touch attendee requirements with discretion.
• Lead onsite attendee operations, including registration, check-in, hospitality, transportation, and guest services.
• Manage attendee and hospitality vendors, budgets, invoices, and service expectations.
• Provide attendee management and hospitality expertise for convenings led by other members of the team.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

• Attendee management plans covering registration, communications, data, check-in, staffing, and guest services.
• Accurate, efficient registration processes and attendee reporting.
• Attendee communications developed in partnership with External Affairs that provide clear and timely information throughout the event journey.
• Food and beverage plans that balance attendee experience, dietary needs, operational…