The Association for association professionals in Chicagoland

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The American Bankers Association is the banking industry's champion. Joining ABA makes you part of a team that: • has Extraordinary People - ABA experts are the "go to" sources for bankers, policy makers and the media for credible information and insights for the banking industry. • has Unmatched Scope and Scale - ABA's unparalleled information and services keep members current, knowledgeable and prepared. • is Impact-Driven - ABA has a proven record of bringing about positive change for our members and the industry. We take action and achieve results. Plus competitive pay, an outstanding benefits package, a convenient DC location, a professional collegial work environment and an opportunity to work on issues of national significance equals a winning combination!

Click Here to review ABA's holistic approach to Benefits and Total Rewards.

Employer of Choice: ABA is recognized with a 2025 Great Company Culture Award and 2025 Great Place to Work designation!

Job Description:

The VP, will lead the sales of conference sponsorships, exhibit space, and online opportunities.  The position resides within ABA’s Member Experience division which designs and delivers education opportunities for bankers including conferences, training, certifications, schools, vendor relationships, and more.

The VP will lead the team that maximizes revenue from exhibits and sponsorships at ABA events and are members of the ABA Partner Network.  This position is responsible for bottom-line results and customer satisfaction for the assigned core market segments. The incumbent builds profitable, long-term relationships with industry suppliers. 

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead Business Development Sales Team – Create and manage a team of sales professionals who consistently meet or exceed commercial goals for sponsorships and exhibit space at ABA events.  Manage team to milestones, coach to build upon strengths, ensure consistent performance as a unit.  
• Relationship Management and Sales - Establish and grow business relationships with companies and key industry providers in assigned segments. Serve as the primary point of contact for a small number of industry providers with large commercial relationships with ABA.  Coordinate with the Leader of the Partner Network to ensure collaboration and an extraordinary member experience.
• Create original experiences – Deliver a continuous stream of inventive, unique experiences in ABA meetings to keep bank members engaged in the exhibit hall.  Develop new and creative approaches to creating exposure points for vendors to educate and interact with bank members.
• Manage Vendor Relations - Manage ABA’s decorating company relationship.  Develop exhibit hall floor plans, signage plans, experience zones, etc   Also manage ABA’s a2z relationship, this is our selling and contractual platform for exhibit and sponsorship sales.  
• Develop annual budget – Set aggressive but attainable revenue and expense goals as they pertain to revenue from sponsorship and exhibiting at ABA events. Prepare budgets.  Analyze financial reports.  Ensure that spending and budgeting are in line with business objectives and are relevant. Collaborate with individual event Program Managers to ensure a cohesive member experience and a consistent strategy within and across events. Develop processes to track and manage opportunity pipeline and streamline sales cycle.  Monitor financials and report to management in a timely fashion.
• Collaborate internally – Work with the ABA’s Partner Network, Large Accounts, and Office of Innovation to ensure awareness of vendor relationships across ABA.
• Marketing – Clearly articulate marketing messages and priorities to drive attendance, participation, and support team effectiveness. Manage the marketing/communications function in assigned core segments.

Qualifications:

• 12 - 15+ years’ experience working with vendors serving financial institutions.
• 12 - 15+ years’ experience selling conference and exhibit hall space; demonstrated success generating $5 million + in revenue required.
• Extensive experience leading exhibit and sponsorship sales required.
• 12 - 15+ years’ experience designing unique experiences for corporate events.
• 12 - 15+ years’ experience managing a team to meet or exceed sales goals.
• 12 - 15+ years’ experience managing or providing delivery of services to vendors in a corporate event setting.
• 12- 15+ years’ experience successfully developing and managing annual budgets for multiple corporate events.
• Strong familiarity experience selling to and servicing vendors serving financial institutions.
• Experience selling and overseeing multiple events simultaneously.
• Experience marketing events strongly preferred.
• Formalized sales training/use of established sales methodologies.
• Experience leading a team required.
• Experience with CRM tools, Salesforce strongly preferred.
• Vendor management required.  
• Ability to manage time effectively and successfully manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Excellent relationship building, communication and collaboration skills, both in writing and orally.
• Must have strong interpersonal skills and negotiation skills.
• Highly creative and innovative.
• Strong financial aptitude.
• Excellent customer service skills and capabilities.
• Ability to travel (20% – 50%) required.

Salary range:

$118,788 -- $162,841 -- $204,895

Salary Band Range:

$126,510.00 - $172,360.00 - $218,210.00

American Bankers Association (ABA) is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex, marital status, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, protected Veteran status, personal appearance, political affiliation, family responsibilities, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.