The Association for association professionals in Chicagoland

Org. Culture:   ISA lives its staff-created culture code which promotes staff to (1) take calculated risks, (2) be your unique self – you were hired for a reason, (3) foster respect, transparency, and trust, and (4) have fun!

Candidacy: Candidate is an outgoing individual who loves to meet and engage with new people, is inquisitive, determined, and looking for new opportunities to learn about different industries while acquiring sales and customer service experience to add to your resume. They have work experience but are still looking for the right fit. They are eager to be a part of an organizational culture that elevates the individual, encourages strategic thinking and risk taking and believes that individual and group initiative and drive are vital to success.

Candidate works collaboratively and creatively with the trade show and meeting team and other relevant ISA staff to help achieve the department’s strategic initiatives and goals. As a tech savvy individual, they will help the department manage projects, meet deadlines, and enhance customer service levels to ISA’s exhibitors, sponsors and partners.

What Year One Success Looks Like:

• Became an integral part of the ISA Sign Expo team by learning, listening and getting to know our partners and sponsors while delivering first-in-class customer service experiences.
• Helped the trade show and meetings team to achieve departmental objectives and elevate ISA’s customer service experience for ISA events, sponsorships, and digital offerings.
• Maintained accurate database records and as well as organized and executed all sponsorship deliverables.
• Helped the association capitalize on existing and new business opportunities by creating and implementing processes that drive revenue for the organization.
• Worked with other ISA departments to ensure processes are streamlined while providing elevated levels of customer service to our partners.
• Partnered with vendors to create efficient customer journeys for exhibitors and sponsors.

Primary Areas of Responsibility:

• Exhibitor Sales – assisting the Director, Sales and Partner Engagement in prospecting, exhibitor promotion, closing sales, database maintenance, exhibitor marketing, and sales tracking.
• Sponsorship Deliverables – tracking and fulfilling all sponsorship deliverables, working with vendor and internal partners to streamline processes, maximize sponsor value and organizational profit.
• Exhibitor Service – Serving as a primary point of contact for all exhibitor and sponsor related questions, including exhibitor logistics, invoices/collections, deliverables, and other customer-service functions.

Duties:

• Develop and maintain strong relationships with exhibitors, sponsors, partners and vendors to support long-term engagement and show growth. Coordinate exhibitor and sponsorship onboarding, including communication, logistics, and fulfilment of contracts.
• Maintain up-to-date, complete, and accurate database, which is utilized to identify, qualify, and close sales prospects/contacts - experience with Map Your Show, Salesforce, NimbleAMS, and/or HubSpot a plus.
• Manage Map Your Show functionality and processes as well as other technologies used in the sales process.
• Expand and maintain sales pipeline through vertical market, competitive event or other association research.
• Assist with the preparation and execution for the virtual space selection process including coordinating outbound communications.
• Assist in the development of the sponsorship program, utilizing project/task management software, and ensures fulfillment of all deliverables, including asset acquisition, deadline management, and sales contract finalization.
• Assist with developing sales presentations, documents, sales reports and other projects as requested.
• Assist with exhibitor and sponsor payment collections.
• Manage booth and sponsorship confirmation process post-booking.
• Help research competitive and industry sponsorships. This includes developing a range of sponsorship opportunities for a sponsorship prospectus.
• Collaborate with marketing, operations, and the event team to ensure success of sales and customer service initiatives.
• Respond promptly and professionally to exhibitor and sponsor concerns, resolving issues and escalating complex matters when appropriate. Ensure proper specs, deadlines and communications are sent to sponsors and appropriate parties are informed of completed tasks.
• Collaborate with the team to communicate status of sponsorships, exhibits and advertisers where appropriate.
• Assist in researching revenue-driving ideas and compile reports.
• Other duties as assigned.

About ISA: The International Sign Association (ISA), recognized by the Council of Manufacturing Associations as a “Best Place to Work,” is a leading association for the sign, graphics, and visual communications industry. We host ISA International Sign Expo®, an annual tradeshow and conference that draws 17,000+ attendees as well as smaller boutique/niche in-person and virtual events. In addition to events, the association serves to grow the industry through advocacy, education and other business growth platforms and services. We are highly selective in who we hire, expecting candidates to embrace ISA’s culture code, take risks and be creative, roll up their sleeves to support day-to-day operations, and position us for the future. ISA is a remote workplace with occasional in-person meetings.

Skills and Abilities:

• Excellent relationship-building skills for forging conversations and collaboration with exhibitors, sponsors, partners, members, staff, and vendors.
• Ability to work independently and in a team environment.
• Ability to coordinate multiple concurrent projects seamlessly while maintaining exceptional customer service, attention to detail, accuracy, deadlines, and budget expectations.
• Commitment to professionalism, reliability, accuracy, detail, and follow-up.
• High emotional intelligence and strong interpersonal skills.
• Ability to think strategically and creatively.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills combined with a strong work ethic, enthusiasm, positive energy, and high integrity.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office365, CRM platforms, project management platforms and Google Docs, with the ability to quickly learn new software and systems.
• Spreadsheet and reporting proficiency, including Excel formulas.
• Ability to travel domestically occasionally, including weekends but not more than 10%.