Associate, Conference Sponsorship Manager

Over the last 20 years, Ares’ success has been driven by our people and our culture. Today, our team is guided by our core values – Collaborative, Responsible, Entrepreneurial, Self-Aware, Trustworthy – and our purpose to be a catalyst for shared prosperity and a better future. Through our recruitment, career development and employee-focused programming, we are committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive work environment where high-performance talent of diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives can build careers within this exciting and growing industry. Job Description Ares is looking for an Associate to join the Events team as an Event & Conference Sponsorship Manager. The Events team is part of the Global Clients Solutions (GCS) group and has members based in New York, Los Angeles, Mumbai, and London. The Event & Conference Sponsorship Manager will be responsible for managing and supporting firmwide participation in 100+ third party industry conferences that are held around the world. They will also own pieces of Flagship third-party industry conferences with the broader team. The successful candidate will partner closely with business leaders to understand their objectives for these conferences that support regional and firmwide priorities. Strong project management skills are essential for executing comprehensive conference logistics, including vendor management, budget tracking, venue/hotel selections, contract negotiation, catering, speaker and delegate pass management, onsite assistance (when required), and more. As a detail oriented, proactive, highly organized, and deadline driven professional, the candidate will excel in a fast-paced setting, ensuring the delivery of outstanding events. Ares is a flat, flexible, and dynamic organization. The firm fosters a culture of collaboration, entrepreneurialism, integrity, and partnership, both internally amongst colleagues and externally amongst clients and other stakeholders. The Ares team operates with a growth mindset, communicates transparently, and cultivates a high-performance and results-oriented environment. Primary functions and essential responsibilities: Coordinate participation, membership and sponsorship of 100+ global third party industry conferences annually. Responsible for staying extremely organized while managing 15+ conferences at a time, each at different stages of the planning process and of different sizes Provide event support on select large flagship third party conferences globally, which includes hotel sleeping room block, gift sourcing, transportation needs, event branding and messaging, offsite dinners, booth activations, meeting room needs, speaker/delegate management, and more. Serve as the primary relationship manager for conference organizers and vendors, while acting as the central point of coordination across internal stakeholders Negotiate sponsorship packages, oversee and monitor all sponsorship package deliverables and ensure deliverables are provided to external event organizers in advance of deadlines. This includes ordering on-site signage, swag, exhibitor booth equipment, as well as providing vendors with logos, boilerplates, and speaker details Partner closely with internal stakeholders, including Relationship Managers, Investor Relations, Legal, Compliance, Corporate Communications, and Creative Solutions, to manage all stages of the conference planning process. Responsibilities include gathering business interest, coordinating budget and compliance approvals, executing contracts, processing payments, managing registrations, facilitating seamless event participation, and more. Ensure all internal processes and controls are followed, including obtaining required approvals, meeting key deadlines, maintaining accurate records, and keeping stakeholders informed throughout the planning and execution process. Manage the Industry Conference budget and individual event budgets, including creation, approvals, tracking spend, reconciliation, and invoice processing Maintain the Industry Conference Calendar and individual tracker, ensuring it is always up-to-date. Take on ad hoc projects and support the broader team as needed Reports to: VP, Event Content, Global Client Solutions Group Qualifications Education Bachelor’s Degree required with outstanding academic record Experience Required 6-8 years of events, sponsorships, project management or marketing experience required Experience in financial services industry strongly preferred General Requirements Proficiency in Excel, PowerPoint and Word and overall Microsoft Programs Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, demanding environment while maintaining high quality standards Extremely organized and adept at time and inbox management to successfully manage multiple priorities with high stakes deadlines; results oriented Strong communication skills, both written and interpersonal; client service oriented Capability of interacting with key stakeholders to direct prioritization of related activity Attention to detail and analytical thinking Ability to exercise sound judgment in terms of escalating issues vs. solving problems independently A demonstrated ability to research and leverage available resources to accomplish tasks Comfort in dealing with ambiguity and uncertainty in a dynamic environment Flexible in terms of hours to coordinate with team members across various time zones Dependable, great attitude, highly motivated and a team player Ability to handle confidential information appropriately Work Environment & Physical Requirements Ability to travel domestically and globally up to 20% for onsite event support, conferences, and sponsorship activations Ability to work onsite in the office four days per week, in alignment with team and business needs Flexibility to work outside standard business hours as required, including early mornings, evenings, and occasional weekends during peak event perio