Manager, Trade Shows & Events (Interim)

Position Overview The Interim Trade Show & Events Manager is a short-term contract role covering a planned Team Member leave. This position will own Ready®’s trade show and event program end to end, from planning through onsite execution and wrap-up, with a focus on two major March shows: Natural Products Expo West (March 3–5) and The Arnold Sports Festival (March 4–7). This is a high-visibility engagement for an experienced event lead who can step in quickly, own the details, and deliver both shows on time and on budget. Engagement: Contract, hourly Duration: Start in December (flexible) or no later than January 1, through mid-March 2027 Schedule: Part-time December through February, ramping to full-time for show weeks Location: Remote, with onsite travel required to Columbus, OH for The Arnold (approximately March 2–8, including setup and teardown).

Job Responsibilities Trade Show & Event Execution

• Own The Arnold Sports Festival end to end, including onsite leadership; own Natural Products Expo West planning, logistics, and deadlines remotely, briefing the onsite Sales Team before the show; and begin early planning for Sweets & Snacks Expo.
• Build and manage a single deadline calendar across all shows, ensuring every exhibitor, show services, and freight deadline is met.
• Prepare and brief onsite teams on booth setup, schedules, product, and show logistics.
• Transition smoothly into existing show plans, exhibitor portals, and vendor relationships.

Logistics & Event Staffing

• Manage booth logistics, shipping, freight, badges, and travel for show teams.
• Recruit, schedule, onboard, brief, and process payouts for Brand Ambassadors working show weeks.
• Coordinate booth staffing plans with internal stakeholders.

Vendors & Booth Assets

• Manage booth, freight, show services, and event agency vendors.
• Own vendors, quotes, timelines, and print production for refreshed booth assets (such as tablecloths and signage), partnering with the in-house design team on artwork and approvals.

Budgets, Forecasting & Reporting

• Deliver both shows within the approved budget, tracking event spend and reconciling invoices.
• Provide event product forecasts as input to the monthly operations forecast.
• Deliver a post-show recap within two weeks of show close, including spend versus budget, samples distributed, leads and buyer meetings, and recommendations for next year.

Qualifications

• Experience: 5+ years of hands-on trade show and event management experience, preferably in consumer packaged goods (CPG).
• Proven experience running trade shows end to end, including exhibitor manuals, deadlines, and show services.
• Experience managing event vendors, freight, and booth logistics.
• Experience hiring, scheduling, and managing event staff or Brand Ambassadors, including onboarding and payouts.
• Experience tracking event budgets and reconciling invoices.
• Highly organized and self-directed, with the ability to keep multiple stakeholders updated proactively.

Preferred

• Natural products industry or Natural Products Expo West experience.
• Consumer fitness or sports nutrition event experience.
• Brand or program management background.

Ready® is a premium, protein-centric functional snack and beverage company and one of the fastest-growing brands in functional snacking. Founded by former University of Pittsburgh Basketball Team Captain, Pat Cavanaugh, Ready® has been named to Bain & Company’s Insurgent Brands list for two consecutive years, a recognition of high-growth independent brands that outperform their categories at an accelerating pace in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector. World Champion and future NFL Hall of Famer Aaron Donald is a co-owner of the company.

Ready®’s all-natural portfolio includes Protein and Snack Bars, Plant-Based Functional Snacks, and Functional Protein and Hydration Drinks. Its products are available in more than 47,000 retail outlets, including Target, Walmart, Costco, Sam’s Club, BJ’s, Whole Foods, Wegmans, Meijer, Giant Eagle, Circle K, and The Vitamin Shoppe, and more than 200 colleges and universities provide Ready® to their student-athletes. Ready® is also the Official Snack and Sports Drink of the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) and a proud National Partner of Susan G. Komen® in the fight against breast cancer.

Our purpose is to inspire people to give great effort and achieve their goals, and we bring that same mindset to how we work. Our Team Members are aggressive in setting goals and humble in remembering that nobody completes their journey alone. We are unyielding in purpose, resilient in challenges, and committed to an open, collaborative environment where every Team Member can make a real impact on the business. As Ready® enters its next stage of growth, we are building a roster of Team Members who want to help shape what comes next.