Established in 1932 as a nonprofit organization, SME represents the entire North American manufacturing industry, including manufacturers, academia, professionals, students, and the communities in which they operate. We believe manufacturing holds the key to economic growth and prosperity, and champion the industry's potential. SME designs new ways to understand and solve problems, and our solutions advance the next wave of growth in manufacturing

SME develops the partnerships and solutions that work to ensure North American manufacturing competitiveness, security and superiority on the global stage through our events, media, membership, workforce development, and the SME Education Foundation. We build the bridge from today to the future by developing the next generation of manufacturing talent and capabilities. And we accelerate the widespread adoption of technologies that can propel manufacturing operations into excellence.

Manufacturing is a diverse, thriving, and valued ecosystem. Accelerate widespread adoption of manufacturing technologies and build North America’s talent and capabilities.  Advance manufacturing to drive competitiveness, resiliency, and national security

SME has supported manufacturing for 90 years, from our founding as the American Society of Tool Engineers to our evolution to the Society of Manufacturing Engineers in 1969 to becoming SME in 2013. Working closely with manufacturing professionals, companies, educators, schools and communities, we share knowledge and resources that generate solutions to manufacturing industry challenges.  SME was created as a membership organization, but has grown beyond that to serve the manufacturing industry even more broadly with events, workforce development and media products.

Position:    Vice President, Events

Location:  Southfield, MI

Reporting Relationship: Chief Operating Officer, Steve Prahalis

Website:  https://www.sme.org/

Provides executive leadership of SME’s events portfolio, setting the strategic direction and ensuring successful delivery of tradeshows, conferences, and specialty programs that advance manufacturing and reinforce SME’s role as the leader in the industry. 

Accountable for setting the strategic direction and multi-year roadmap of SME’s events portfolio, ensuring financial results, audience growth, and market impact while building for long-term relevance and success. 

This is an external-facing role that requires deep engagement with partners, stakeholders, and the broader manufacturing ecosystem to continuously identify new ways to connect people, ideas, and technologies. 

This role plays a critical role in shaping how SME anticipates and responds to industry change, expanding event offerings, and innovating business models to strengthen SME’s position in the market. This includes cultivating external partnerships, driving revenue diversification, and ensuring SME’s events remain essential platforms for connection, learning and growth in manufacturing. 

Understands how modern audiences engage, digitally and physically, and leads the development of new engagement models that go beyond events to include curated communities, digital platforms, and emerging formats that

support awareness, adoption, and connection.

• Translate industry insights into new strategic initiatives that grow SME’s reach and relevance across the entire manufacturing value chain.

• Set the strategic direction for SME’s events portfolio, translating organizational goals into a scalable operating model.

• Lead the development of a multi-year roadmap for SME Events that drives business expansion, launches new offerings, and positions the portfolio for long-term growth.

• Continuously anticipate industry shifts and customer needs to shape the future direction of SME’s events, ensuring the portfolio evolves.

• Identify opportunities for event expansion, new markets, new revenue streams and innovative offerings that align with SME’s mission and market demand.

• Scan the industry for trends, partnerships, and market gaps that SME can leverage to expand its events portfolio and influence.

• Drive growth in sponsorship and exhibitor revenue through new packages, offerings, pricing strategies, and revenue streams.

• Direct sales strategy and set revenue targets, ensuring strong sponsor and exhibitor acquisition.

• Oversee progress against revenue goals and ensure strategies are adjusted to maximize profitability.

• Engage directly in high-value sales conversations with key accounts and sponsors to strengthen relationships and close strategic opportunities.

• Expand sponsorship and exhibitor revenue through new offerings, pricing strategies, and revenue streams.

• Pursue funding opportunities with municipalities, government agencies, and industry sponsors by presenting strong business cases and demonstrating event impact.

• Work cross-functionally to drive growth beyond traditional events by developing programs that support convening, matchmaking, and strategic connections for commerce.

• Collaborate with internal innovation and research teams to ensure SME is a leader in how manufacturers connect, collaborate, and adopt new technologies.

• Manage strategic partnerships and alliances within the manufacturing ecosystem that support SME’s event portfolio.

• Develop new partnerships with government, trade associations, and industry stakeholders to expand the reach and impact of SME’s events.

• Lead contract negotiations and formal agreements (MOUs) with external partners to support SME events, ensuring clear deliverables and mutual value.

• Represent SME at relevant industry gatherings to build visibility and maintain senior-level relationships.

• Collaborate across SME to develop year-round assets and offerings that extend the value of SME events.

• Cultivate senior-level relationships with key accounts, sponsors, and industry partners to identify new markets and growth opportunities.

• Lead the creation of multi-channel engagement strategies designed to build year-round communities and increase awareness of emerging technologies.

• Serve as a thought leader in reimagining how SME builds audiences—through events, digital media, and new engagement models that reflect evolving customer behaviors.

• Use market research, audience feedback, and industry trends to design event experiences that are relevant, high-impact and resonate with exhibitors, attendees, sponsors, and other key audiences.

• Ensure customer journey design supports a seamless, high-impact event experience.

• Guide event positioning and messaging to strengthen audience acquisition, engagement, and retention.

• Use data and post-event analysis to refine marketing strategies and measure event success.

Event Operations & Execution

• Oversee SME’s portfolio of events, from concept to execution and oversee end-to-end event operations, including program design, budgets, vendor management, logistics and risk mitigation.

• Ensure adoption of project management tools and practices that improve consistency, efficiencies and scale across the events portfolio.

• Use post-event evaluations and debriefs to capture insights, measure performance and improve future planning.

• Ensure brand consistency and quality across all SME event materials and experiences and collaborate with marketing to develop integrated plans that target and engage key audiences.

• Define and deliver the annual operating and strategy plan for the event portfolio, including budgets, audience, program direction and post-event analysis.

• Stay current on trends in event production, experiential marketing, and emerging technologies; assess applicability to SME’s event portfolio.

• Recruit, develop, and retain a high-performing team with the right mix of skills and experience.

• Provide ongoing coaching, direction, and feedback to maximize individual and team contributions.

• Establish and monitor performance goals, conduct regular reviews, and manage performance issues effectively.

• Foster a collaborative, accountable culture that encourages professional growth and innovation.

• Other duties as assigned.

• Bachelor’s degree in business, Marketing, Event Management or related field required; MBA or advanced degree strongly preferred.

• At least 15 years of progressive leadership experience, including a minimum of 8 years at a senior leadership level, overseeing large-scale events, conferences, trade shows, and business operations.

• Proven record of P&L ownership for multi-million-dollar business units, with demonstrated success in revenue growth, cost management, and profitability.

• Experience driving innovation and market expansion; introducing new event formats, products, or market segments.

• Demonstrated success building and leading high-performing teams, including recruitment, development, succession planning, and performance management.

• Strong external orientation with proven ability to cultivate senior-level relationships with sponsors, exhibitors, industry partners, and government stakeholders.

• Collaborative organizational leader with experience working in matrixed organizations and partnering across functions.

• Thorough understanding of the manufacturing sector including key verticals such as automotive, aerospace, defense, healthcare, consumer goods, and electronics.

• Ability to translate manufacturing trends into event and non-event engagement opportunities that build awareness, foster adoption, and connect key stakeholders.

• Strategic Leadership

• Innovation and Growth Orientation

• Multi-Channel Audience Engagement

• Operational Excellence

• Financial Acumen

• Customer Experience Mindset

• Collaboration & Influence

• Change Leadership

• Industry and Market Insight

• Normal office environment

• Primary office location: Southfield, MI

• Regular, in-person attendance required

• Travel required (30%) 

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