Director, Events + Tradeshow

• Location: Toronto, ON, hybrid, three days onsite per week (Tuesday + Thursday MUST + 1 additional day)
• Travel: to Winnipeg, MB mid November
• Language: Strong written and spoken English required
• Duration: 3 month contract, with the possibility of extension
• Background Check: Criminal record check required

A national, membership-based non-profit organization is seeking an experienced Director, Events & Tradeshow to provide hands-on leadership for its conferences, annual Transit Show and related revenue activities.

This is an exciting opportunity for a seasoned events professional to step into a high-profile national event, quickly assess what has been completed and take ownership of the remaining planning and execution.

Working closely with senior leadership, internal teams, exhibitors, sponsors and external partners, youll help deliver an event welcoming approximately 600 delegates and up to 130 exhibitors. Your focus will span tradeshow execution, exhibitor and sponsorship revenue, event technology and the development of stronger processes that set the organization up for continued success.

Youll have significant autonomy and direct exposure to senior leadership while making an immediate operational and financial impact.

Youll take the lead on a major national tradeshow, bring structure and direction to an established team and help drive the event successfully across the finish line. Youll also have the opportunity to improve how future events are delivered by creating practical tools, playbooks and processes that continue to add value beyond your contract.

• Lead conference and tradeshow planning, including timelines, budgets, logistics, floor plans, exhibitor communications and onsite execution
• Quickly assess the current state of the event, identify risks and establish clear priorities for the remaining delivery period
• Drive exhibitor and sponsorship revenue through structured pipelines, proactive sales activity, forecasting and relationship management
• Review exhibitor and sponsorship packages, pricing and value propositions to identify opportunities for revenue growth
• Build and maintain strong relationships with existing and prospective exhibitors, sponsors and industry partners
• Oversee the event technology platform, including registration, payments, exhibitor setup and sponsorship workflows
• Work closely with platform providers and other vendors to resolve existing issues and improve the user experience
• Introduce stronger testing, quality-control and approval processes to improve platform accuracy and reliability
• Coordinate across internal departments, venues, tradeshow suppliers and external partners, establishing clear roles, timelines and accountabilities
• Provide hands-on leadership and direction to internal event resources throughout the planning and delivery process
• Oversee onsite setup and execution in Winnipeg from approximately November 1218, 2026
• Lead the post-event review and document recommendations, lessons learned and opportunities for improvement
• Create practical playbooks, checklists, templates and controls to support future conferences and events

• At least seven years of progressive, hands-on experience leading large conferences and trade shows
• Proven success generating exhibitor, sponsorship and event revenue while managing a disciplined sales pipeline
• Strong knowledge of the full tradeshow lifecycle, including exhibitor sales, sponsor ships, registration, logistics, vendor coordination and onsite execution
• Experience working with event and tradeshow platforms, including configuration, testing, payments, vendor management and issue resolution
• Demonstrated experience developing event processes, playbooks, controls and standard operating procedures
• Strong project management, budgeting, forecasting, negotiation and vendor-management skills
• A confident, hands-on leadership style with the ability to assess priorities quickly and independently drive execution
• Strong communication and relationship-management skills, with the ability to work effectively across multiple departments and stakeholder groups
• The ability to bring…