Marketing Manager - Events Marketing

The Group:
Morningstar Retirement empowers investor success by providing research- and technology-driven products and services that help individuals reach their retirement goals. With advisory services provided by Morningstar Investment Management LLC, Morningstar Retirement supports and collaborates with workplace retirement plans and other industry players to differentiate their services, stay competitive, and reach new markets, all in service of building a better retirement system.

Morningstar Retirement not only helps people save for the retirement they want but helps them make their money last once they get there.

The Role:

Morningstar Retirement is seeking a proactive and detail-oriented Marketing Manager to lead event marketing initiatives that showcase our products and thought leadership. This role is an integral part of the team, with a primary focus on lead generation, field events, and sales enablement. In this role, you will be responsible for our presence and messaging out in the market and for delivering exceptional experiences and insightful content to our clients and prospects.

You will manage in-person and digital events-including conferences, client meetings, and webinars-to drive engagement and awareness among key audiences. You will collaborate closely with cross-functional teams to deliver exceptional experiences that align with business objectives. This position is based in our Chicago office and reports to Morningstar Retirement's B2B Senior Marketing Manager Responsibilities:
* Plan and execute logistics for third-party conferences, client events, and corporate meetings, ensuring flawless delivery and alignment with business objectives.
* Lead development and delivery of webinars focused on research, product updates, and sales enablement; manage content, speakers, and promotional campaigns.
* Assume ownership of field events to maximize ROI-qualifying opportunities and aligning them with sales priorities.
* Partner with subject matter experts, sales, product, research, design, and compliance teams to create compelling session descriptions, speaking proposals, and presentation materials.
* Collaborate with Digital Marketing Manager to develop integrated, multi-channel marketing strategies to promote event participation, speaking engagements, product launches, and research updates.
* Facilitate strategy meetings with sales and service leadership to identify prospect and client opportunities and ensure event activities accelerate lead conversion and align with business goals.
* Utilize marketing technology (Eloqua, Cvent, Salesforce) to streamline event processes, digitize collateral, and measure lead generation campaigns.
* Track and analyze event performance metrics, ROI, and engagement data; provide actionable insights for continuous improvement.
* Manage event budgets, invoicing, and vendor relationships; negotiate optimal representation at key industry events and deliver accurate reporting to senior leadership.
* Coordinate onsite representation and equip sales teams with event plans and materials to maximize impact.
* Maintain detailed event timelines and project plans; oversee inventory and strategy for promotional materials and giveaways.
* Build and nurture strategic partnerships to expand reach through in-person and digital channels.
* Research and recommend new event and webinar opportunities aligned with business priorities.
* Represent Morningstar at off-site events as needed (