Manager, Registration & Housing

• Are you an experienced events professional who enjoys managing the details behind large-scale conferences and trade shows? The National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) is looking for a Registration & Housing Manager to join our team! This position is based at our headquarters in Tysons, VA, and is ideal for someone with strong project management skills, experience in event registration and housing operations, and a passion for delivering exceptional attendee experience. The Registration & Housing Manager is a full-time position offering a positive and collaborative work environment, competitive salary, and excellent benefits. This role requires up to 15% travel, along with occasional evening and weekend work leading up to and during events.

The key responsibilities of the Registration & Housing Manager include:

• Manage registration and housing operations for the NADA Show, including registration systems, hotel reservations, room block allocations, and staff and vendor accommodations.
• Oversee the setup, testing, and launch of registration websites and housing platforms, working closely with external vendors to ensure accuracy and functionality.
• Monitor registration and hotel reservation activity, analyze trends, and prepare weekly and final registration reports.
• Manage relationships with registration and housing vendors, hotel partners, exhibitors, manufacturers, state associations, and other event stakeholders.
• Coordinate hotel room block requests and allocations for VIPs, exhibitors, manufacturers, international groups, and other affiliates.
• Negotiate contracts with citywide overflow hotels to secure competitive rates and favorable terms for NADA.
• Conduct hotel site visits to evaluate properties, service levels, and accommodations for event attendees and affiliated groups.
• Oversee staff housing arrangements for the NADA Show, including coordinating staffing lists, distributing invitations, and assigning accommodations.
• Partner with internal teams to improve onsite registration operations and provide exceptional service to attendees, exhibitors, board members, and VIPs.
• Manage the production and distribution of event credentials, including vendor bids, pricing, artwork, production schedules, shipping, and inventory.

Required Job Qualifications:

• Associate degree or equivalent relevant professional experience required.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in event registration, housing management, hotel reservations, or a related field.
• Strong project management, organizational, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines.
• Demonstrated experience with contract negotiations, vendor management, and maintaining professional relationships.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with a strong commitment to customer service.
• Exceptional attention to detail and accuracy, particularly when managing registration data, hotel reservations, and room block allocations.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and the ability to learn and leverage new technologies.
• Experience with registration and event management platforms, such as Maritz, Cvent, and Airtable, preferred.
• Experience with association management software and attendance management systems preferred.
• Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) designation or interest in obtaining certification preferred.
• Ability to travel domestically up to 15% and work a flexible schedule, including occasional evenings and weekends during events.

To be considered for this position, please submit your resume and a cover letter detailing the experience, strengths, and skills you would bring to the NADA team. NADA is fundamentally committed to the diversity of our staff. We believe diversity is excellence expressing itself through every person’s perspective and lived experiences. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, national or ethnic origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy and lactation), sexual orientation, military status, veteran status, and family medical or genetic information or any other protected class under federal, state, or local law.