Manager Trade Show Manager Jobs in Reston, VA (NOW HIRING)

CHAOS Industries is redefining modern defense with a multi-product portfolio that gives the ultimate advantage-domain dominance. The company's products are powered by Coherent Distributed Networks (CDN), empowering warfighters, commercial air operators, and border protection teams to act faster, adapt rapidly, and stay ahead of evolving threats. 

CHAOS Industries was founded in 2022 and has raised a total of $1 billion in funding from leading investors, including 8VC, Accel, and Valor Equity Partners. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles, with offices in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle, and London. For more information, please visit www.chaosinc.com.

Role Overview:

• The CHAOS Marketing team is looking for a foundational team member to lead and scale the events function at a fast-growing defense tech company. 
• This is a unique opportunity for someone who will own the planning and execution of conferences, industry events, VIP visits, customer demonstrations, and internal events. 
• This is a unique opportunity for someone who will own the planning and execution of conferences, industry events, VIP visits, customer demonstrations, and internal events. As an Events Manager at CHAOS, you will operate with precision in secure environments, manage complex logistics around sensitive programs, and create exceptional experiences that reflect the caliber of innovation happening within the Marketing team and the broader CHAOS organization.
• This is a hands-on role for someone who wants to build and own an events function from the ground up - not just execute a playbook. You'll develop the overall events strategy for the next year (and think further ahead - decisions on major conferences are often locked in years in advance), while staying deeply involved in the day-to-day logistics, vendor management, and creative execution that make events successful.

Responsibilities: 

Events Management 

• Serve as the primary events resource and point of contact (POC)
• Develop and own the annual events strategy, including long-range planning for major conferences (e.g., booking and budgeting for events 1-2 years out)
• Coordinate logistics for customer visits, including facility tours and field demonstrations, technical demonstrations, classified and unclassified briefings, and hospitality
• Coordinate planning and execution for external conferences and trade shows, such as the annual Association of the US Army (AUSA) Conference or Dubai Air Show, including booth setup and design
• Capture and organize leads at events to help build and grow the marketing database
• Create supporting marketing materials for events (e.g., splash pages for happy hours, invites, event collateral)
• Support government customer engagements, media visits, and stakeholder meetings

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with Growth Strategy to integrate events into Growth campaigns targeting revenue opportunities 
• Coordinate with CHAOS Engineering teams to understand technical constraints and requirements for customer-facing events, and to design exhibits for conferences 
• Partner with Mission Operations, Business Development, Operations, IT, Facilities, Security, company leadership, and other teams to ensure seamless experiences and execution 

Operational Excellence

• Establish and build relationships with preferred vendors, agencies, and partners; help create streamlined processes and procedures 
• Ensure vendor quotes are accurate and maintain detailed budgets for all events 
• Travel onsite as needed for pack-out, load-in, production, day-of coordination, and load-out 

Minimum Requirements:

• 3-5 years of experience in event planning, ideally including trade show and conference experience (previous exposure to defense-industry trade shows is a plus)
• Startup or high-growth company experience strongly preferred
• A go-getter who takes full ownership of projects - comfortable being both the strategic thinker and the person handling logistics and setup
• Strong project management skills and a creative, resourceful problem-solving mindset - able to think beyond standard booth setups to create memorable attendee experiences
• Ability to visualize event space flow, guest experience, presenter experience, food presentation, appropriate sound levels, and overall atmosphere
• Experience with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook) and communication platforms like Slack
• Must be a U.S. citizen due to required access to U.S. export controlled information or facilities
• Ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance
• Work in-office in Washington, DC
• Ability to travel domestically and internationally ~10% (initial focus on US-based events, with potential for European event scope as the team grows)

Why CHAOS?

• Health Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision benefits 100% paid for by the company
• Additional benefits: 401k (+ 50% company match up to 6% of pay), FSA, HSA, life insurance, and more
• Our Perks: Free daily lunch, 'No meeting Fridays', unlimited PTO, casual dress code
• Compensation Components: Competitive base salaries, generous pre-IPO stock option grants, relocation assistance, and (coming soon!) annual bonuses
• Team Growth: 250 employees and counting across 5 global offices

Salary Range: $100,000 - $140,000

The stated compensation range reflects only the targeted base compensation range and excludes additional earnings such as bonus, equity, and benefits. If your compensation requirements fall outside of the range, we still encourage you to apply. The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations. 

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