Chicago - Associate Director of Client Events

ABOUT US

For Business Professionals, Winston & Strawn presents an exciting opportunity to be a part of a leading global law firm. With our commitment to excellence, diversity, a collaborative work environment, and an emphasis on professional growth, Winston offers a platform for individuals seeking to advance their careers in a dynamic and rewarding environment. Winston is known for its collaborative and collegial culture.

We believe teamwork is an essential component in providing high-quality legal services and we value the talents and skills of our entire business professional team.

As the Associate Director of Client Events at Winston & Strawn, you will play a senior role in planning, executing and measuring high-impact client-facing events (both in-person and virtual/hybrid) that support the firm's strategic business development, client-relationship, and branding goals. You will manage a portfolio of marquee events and oversee event operations, vendors, budgets, and cross-functional stakeholders (attorneys, marketing, BD, communications, finance).

You will help define event strategy, drive process improvements, and deliver superior client experiences with strong attention to detail, logistical execution, and post-event ROI measurement.

• Collaborate with BD/Marketing and practice-group leadership to define the event strategy supporting key clients, sectors and offices.
• Establish and champion best practices in strategic event planning and execution which translates across centers of excellence firmwide.
• Lead team of strategic client event team members in visioning the attendee experience to seamless execution and targeted connection to ROI measurement and follow-up connection.
• Lead the end-to-end lifecycle for multiple premier flagship and regional events: concept development, venue/vendor selection, budgeting, timelines, registration, onsite logistics, audiovisual/technology coordination, brand standards, post-event reporting and ROI analysis.
• Develop and manage event budgets, track expenses, reconcile invoices and collaborate with Finance.
• Oversee vendor/contractor relationships (venues, caterers, A/V, transportation, hotels, event design, signage, etc.), ensuring competitive pricing and service excellence.
• Manage registration/attendee systems, guest lists, invitations, communications, travel logistics, accommodations and attendee experience.
• Supervise onsite execution, including lead staffing, day-of event checklists, issue resolution, and ensure events run seamlessly.
• Partner with internal teams (marketing, digital, communications, operations, IT) to ensure event collateral, branding, registration platforms and hybrid/virtual event infrastructure are on-point.
• Implement metrics and analytics to evaluate event success (attendance, attendee feedback, conversion to business, budget adherence, ROI) and identify areas for improvement.
• Maintain an event calendar and integrate with broader BD/marketing calendar; ensure alignment across offices/regions.
• Develop and implement best practices, event process templates, checklists, and vendor/venue databases.
• Provide leadership to more junior event staff, providing coaching/mentoring, assigning tasks, and reviewing deliverables.
• Travel as required to support events at other firm locations or off-site venues.

• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree or event certification preferred.
• Minimum of 10 years of progressive event management experience, ideally within a professional services environment (law firm, consulting, financial services) and with client-facing events required.
• This hybrid position requires flexibility to travel, work off-site, and support events that may occur after regular business hours.

• Demonstrated ability to manage large scale, high-visibility events across multiple geographies and/or hybrid formats.
• Ability to conceptualize and deliver events that advance the firm's client engagement, retention and growth objectives - ensuring the client experience is seamless, memorable and aligned with the firm's brand of trusted adviser.
• Mastery of the full lifecycle: ideation,…