U.S. Travel Association

Program Manager

• Coordinate the success of U.S. Travel’s IPW, its signature annual event driving $26.1 billion in travel to the United States
• Integrate event strategy, operations and delivery, marketing and digital, communications, member engagement, sales and sponsorship, and buyer/media recruitment workstreams
• Lead development and oversight of the annual IPW business plan, including assumptions, event goals and key performance indicators
• Develop and monitor a master IPW schedule consolidating milestones and supporting tasks across contributing teams
• Maintain visibility into IPW scope, requirements, budget, risks, decisions and issues
• Identify stakeholders and facilitate regular cross-functional meetings
• Identify dependencies and sequencing conflicts before they affect the schedule
• Develop and maintain a DARCI matrix for IPW requirements
• Establish program management standards for milestone reporting, risk identification, decision documentation and recovery planning
• Maintain decision, risk and issue logs with ownership and target resolution dates
• Escalate milestone risks to the executive sponsor and facilitate resolution of competing priorities
• Produce recurring IPW status updates and present event readiness in leadership forums
• Serve as the primary contact for cross-team questions about IPW scope, timeline and ownership
• Lead development of the multi-year IPW strategy, including purpose, target audiences and growth paths
• Establish strategy success metrics and monitor progress
• Manage strategy project plans, timelines, milestones and deliverables
• Manage the relationship with the outside strategy vendor
• Build trust-based relationships with contributing team leads and act as a neutral broker between teams
• Onboard new or rotating team leads to the IPW coordination model

IPW Program Director

Director

• Lead tactical, day-to-day operational execution for IPW and support the broader event portfolio
• Serve as the primary operational engine and central escalation point across portfolio events
• Lead, coach and manage the Managers of Exhibit Services, Attendee Services and Sponsorship Fulfillment
• Direct external consultants and contractors across attendee services, trade show operations, technology and venue logistics
• Implement, maintain and optimize Standard Operating Procedures across event operations
• Drive floor plan strategy, Exhibit Services strategy, future-year floor plan development, hall design and space allocation
• Supervise event logistics and production execution, including security protocols, building management relations, event/meeting space assignment and move-in/move-out
• Direct event-wide branding placement, directional and promotional signage, and sponsor integrations
• Troubleshoot venue, technical and vendor challenges across events
• Oversee housing program policy and strategic program management
• Oversee attendee and exhibitor services, including registration strategy, show flow logistics, housing integrations and customer service standards
• Ensure contracted sponsor assets, signage, branding and digital inclusions are tracked and delivered
• Lead event-wide data analysis, reporting dashboards and trade show performance analytics for senior leadership
• Guide event technology stack strategy and system reviews, including event platforms, mobile apps, floor plan software and registration systems
• Provide on-site operational leadership at major events such as IPW and ESTO and attend planning site visits

IPW Program Director

Director, Attendee & Exhibitor Services