Register Manager Jobs in Chicago, IL (NOW HIRING)

About Us

Sparks is a leading global brand experience agency, specializing in the design and execution of award-winning experiences that forge deep connections between brands and audiences. Recognized by Adweek as Experiential Agency of the Year, we bring a unique blend of strategic insight and execution excellence to every brand activation, corporate event, trade show exhibit, and immersive experience. Our commitment to creativity, innovation, and flawless execution drives us to craft impactful experiential marketing solutions that deepen relationships, inspire action, and build trust—all around the world.

Summary

The Senior Registration & Housing Manager is responsible for leading the planning and delivery of registration solutions for a wide range of corporate and consumer events, managing cross-functional teams, vendors, budgets, and project schedules to ensure flawless event execution. Serving as the main point of contact for registration, event technology and housing, the Senior Manager leads client, team, and vendor meetings, coordinates resources, and ensures projects are on time and within budget.

This position will support our Registration team. It is eligible to work a hybrid schedule, generally requiring work in-office and/or show site 2-3 days per week. The ideal candidate will be based out of any of the following locations:

• Philadelphia, PA

• Los Angeles, CA

• San Francisco, CA

• Chicago, IL

• Royal Oak, MI

• St. Paul, MN

• Las Vegas, NV

• New York, NY

• Grand Prairie, TX

• Milwaukee, WI

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

Registration & Event Leadership

• Lead execution of registration for various scale events from kick-off through reconciliation with the focus on registration solution & management, budgeting, invoice processing and oversight of housing, contact center, SAC/LR, mobile app, and reporting

• Develops and tracks project schedules, agendas and workbooks; drives timeline with team and clients

• Effectively communicates to clients, internal teams, and third-party vendors with a clear understanding of client goals and objectives

• Ensures flawless execution, quality of service and timely delivery of all necessary components for each event

• Additional responsibilities may include: material pickup, BA training docs and execution, ERC/SRC/CFP, group travel, VISA letters, housing management, payment processing and VIP management

Budget & Vendor Management

• Creates and manages budgets (Procim/GS), vendor invoice/expense tracking and final reconciliation, ensuring programs are within budget and meeting profit margin goals

• Negotiates contracts/agreements with third-party vendors and team contractors

• Lead Venue/Hotel Sourcing utilizing departmental templates and procedures

• Participates in RFP process for new business and existing clients

Technology & Reporting

• Strong working knowledge of Cvent, Swoogo, RainFocus, Bizzabo — Onsite Execution

• Build and manage attendee registration websites using platforms such as Cvent or Swoogo, including form design, agenda/session setup, pricing and discount logic, and branded attendee communications

• Current certifications for 2 platforms: Cvent, RainFocus, Swoogo, Bizzabo, etc.

• Ensure attendee registration processes comply with GDPR and other privacy regulations, including consent management and data handling

• Provides various event reports, analytics and auditsEffectively trains managers, specialists and coordinators

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree preferred, High School Diploma or Equivalent with relevant work experience required

• 6-10+ years of registration and housing experience

• Strong client service

• Continuous follow-up and follow-through on project deliverables

• Strong written and verbal communication skills

• Leadership skills to manage a team and client

• Ability to execute with minimal supervision; mentor junior team members

• Ability to manage and reconcile budgets of $350K+, driving profit margin goals

• Current certifications in at least 2 registration management platforms: Cvent, RainFocus, Swoogo, or Bizzabo

• Mastery of G Suite (Slides, Sheets, Docs), Microsoft Office, Airtable, and all relevant internal and client tools

• Advanced proficiency in PowerPoint to build, format, and maintain polished client-facing presentations for project updates, event recaps, and strategic recommendations

Travel Requirements

Travel up to 25%

What We Offer

The Freeman Company provides benefits that aim to empower our people and their families to thrive mentally, physically, and financially. These are a handful of the types of programs and benefits our full-time people may be eligible for. There may be some variances in specific benefits across regions.

• Medical, Dental, Vision Insurance

• Tuition Reimbursement

• Paid Parental Leave

• Life, Accident and Disability

• Retirement with Company Match

• Paid Time Off

• Salary range of $95,000-$119,000 based upon experience

• Eligible for an annual bonus of up to 7.5% of the base salary

Diversity Commitment

At The Freeman Company, our commitment to diversity and inclusion is helping us to create not only a great place to work, but also an environment where our employees, our customers and our communities around the world can reach their goals and connect with each other. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, veteran status and other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

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