Event Manager Positions

LYNETTE N. SMITH

214-***-**** • DALLAS, TX • ************@*****.***

https://www.linkedin.com/in/lynette-smith/

SKILLS & EXPERTISE

Leadership & Collaboration Chapter Management Contract Negotiation Technology & Innovation Sales & Marketing Speaker Management Volunteer Board Governance Change Leadership Budget Management

WORK EXPERIENCE

Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) – Remote HQ The leading professional organization serving the public relations and communications community Senior Director, Chapters & Sections Support July 2025 – February 2026

• Provided leadership, communications and oversight to staff and volunteers ensuring consistent member experiences between PRSA and its 100+ Chapters, Districts, & 14 Professional Interest Sections.

• $5M budget and P&L leader for Sections, Chapter/District support and shared services.

• Managed Sections team to support in-person and virtual section conferences and events.

• Executed Chapter & District Health Assessments and to evaluated organizational status and recommended areas for improvement.

• Developed and executed a shared services strategy and revenue model for PRSA Chapters, including financial support, bookkeeping, 990 tax filing, event registration, logistics management and other services deemed by Chapter volunteers.

• Planned and coordinated a one-day Leadership Rally event for incoming Chapter, District and Section leaders, focused on onboarding and strategic alignment.

• Provided Chapter & District volunteer leadership with segmented lists, reports, schedules, timelines and updates to key governance activities including nominations, awards, speaker selections, conference attendance and onboarding.

• Worked closely with PRSA finance team and Chapter/District treasurers and ensured compliance, alignment and support.

• Contributed to the monthly Chapter Toolkit, providing relevant resources and updates in partnership with the Marketing team.

National Association of College Auxiliary Services (NACAS) – Remote HQ A professional trade association for leaders managing business operations in higher-education Director of Regions June 2022 – July 2025

• Led the management and staff support for 4 regional entities including governance, site selections, contract negotiations, speaker and event management.

• Developed and launched a new support and financial model for NACAS regions.

• Executed an event marketing campaign that resulted in a record number of attendees to the association’s annual event with 200 new institution and 60 new business partner attendees.

• Increased attendee satisfaction scores for 2023 regional events to over 90%.

• Fostered strong relationships and communication with business partners and sold out 2 regional conference event trade shows.

• Created new dashboard reporting with automation for timely weekly reporting & decision making.

MCI USA – Plano, TX

A full-service global association management company Senior Manager, Association Events January 2019 – June 2020

• Responsible for a portfolio of meetings and events for 8 association clients. Led and managed a team of 10+ for virtual events, onsite event execution and developed the comprehensive plans for staffing, communications, radios, rooming lists and crisis management.

• Reduced expenses and increased top line revenues for several clients by creating process efficiency and developing innovative, new sponsorship assets. Increased one client’s net revenue in 2019 by nearly 700% ($5,245 to $35,826).

• Increased year-over-year attendee satisfaction and introduced several new program enhancements to improve the overall attendee experience.

• Experienced in executing virtual conferences, webinars and live stream experiences. Pivoted a client’s 2020 spring conference to a fully virtual event with over 500 participants from across North America.

• Leveraged industry relationships to secure a large association client with a $60M annual budget. Meeting Professionals International (MPI) – Dallas, TX The largest international association for meeting & event professionals Events Manager June 2015 – September 2018

• Led and executed all aspects of MPI’s Experiential Event Series and achieved over 95% attendee satisfaction across all of this flagship events (SXSW, CES, TIFF, NFL Draft, Indy 500, Venice International Film Festival and many more).

• Managed all meeting logistics, budgets, and processes for various MPI programs, projects and products as part of MPI’s global live event portfolio, i.e. International Board of Directors and Global Board of Trustees meetings and events, IBTM (Barcelona), IMEX (Frankfurt), MPI Foundation events and World Education Congress (WEC), Chapter Business Summit & Chapter Leaders Forum.

• Managed budgets over $1M and adhered to financial objectives; tracked financial documentation for assigned programs, including the processing of payments, invoices, receivables, and credits.

• Contributed to the overall satisfaction rating above 90% for all MPI’s live events through flawless logistics and strong partner relationships. Gold’s Gym International, Inc. – Dallas, TX

An iconic global fitness brand with over 600 locations spanning 6 continents Meetings Manager / Global Vendor Program Manager April 2012 – June 2015

• Designed, developed and managed Gold’s Gym live events: Gold’s Gym Annual Franchise and Corporate Leadership Conventions, annual holiday party, speaker management, corporate and gym staff retreats including regional training meetings.

• Maintained and tracked budgets ($1.5 million) for all Gold’s Gym events for both domestic and international to deliver at or below budget objectives.

• Provided management and oversight to the Gold’s Gym Global Vendor Program selling participation benefits from $2,500-$100,000; program growth from 10 to 80 vendors.

• Led and executed all aspects event logistics including planning, venue selection, contract negotiations, speaker selections, corporate travel, airport transfers, rooming lists, meeting space, onsite registration, themes, food and beverage, A/V, transportation, radios, event production, expenditures, corporate and franchisee awards program, shipping, merchandise management, décor and recognition.

EDUCATION

• Marketing Studies Richland College, Dallas, TX

• Undergraduate Studies Texas State University, San Marcos, TX CERTIFICATIONS

• Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) Candidate Events Industry Council – November 2026

• Certified Golf Tournament Planner Golf Tournament Association of America – June 2026

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