Event Planning Lead

Company Description

For more than three decades, Techo-Bloc has been redefining outdoor living. What began as one family's question, "why should creativity be limited to a handful of paver styles?", has grown into a family-owned North American leader in hardscape design and manufacturing, with 36+ patents to its name.

Today, our 850+ employees, 9 production plants, 800+ dealers and 14,000 certified Techo-Pros shape homes and public spaces across the continent. We are proud to be recognized as one of Canada's Best Managed Companies. If you're ambitious, love a challenge and don't quite fit the mold, you'll fit right in.

Job Description

Great events don't start on event day. They start a year earlier, with the right venue, the right partners and a plan that holds up.

As our Event Planning Lead, you're the architect behind Techo-Bloc's roadshows, loyalty events and trade shows across Canada and the U.S. While our execution team brings each event to life on the ground, you work a full season ahead, mapping the route, securing venues, negotiating deals and building the partnerships that set everyone up for success.

What you'll own

• Annual event strategy & roadmap: Build and maintain the event calendar, including markets, event sequence, timelines and venues, 9 to 12 months in advance.
• Venue sourcing & contracts: Research, evaluate and select venues; lead negotiations on pricing, terms, BEOs, attrition, cancellation policies and other contractual requirements.
• Vendor & partner management: Build strong, long-term relationships with venues and key suppliers, lead RFQs and negotiations, and monitor supplier performance.
• Event budgets: Build and manage budgets from initial estimates through final reconciliation, including POs, invoices, forecasting and post-event reporting.
• Master planning: Own the master event calendar, critical timelines, dependencies and key milestones to keep all stakeholders aligned.
• Cross-functional coordination: Bring Marketing, Content, Social, Design and other partners into the planning process early enough for their work to be integrated into the event strategy.
• Risk & contingency planning: Identify potential issues early, develop contingency plans and resolve roadblocks before they impact execution.
• Execution handoff: Ensure every event is fully planned, contracted, budgeted and documented before transitioning it to the execution team.

What the work looks like

Your weeks will vary, but you might:

• Tour venues and assess whether they can deliver the experience and operational requirements for a future roadshow.
• Negotiate an eight-month-out hotel contract and secure better pricing or terms.
• Review event budgets and challenge costs before commitments are made.
• Build the planning timeline for an upcoming multi-city event series.
• Meet with Marketing and Content teams six months ahead to align event objectives, campaigns and deliverables.
• Review supplier performance from the previous season and determine where changes are needed.
• Solve a potential venue or vendor issue months before it becomes an event-day problem.

Qualifications

What you bring

• 3+ years of experience in event planning, event management, procurement, project coordination or a related field.
• Proven experience with venue sourcing, contract negotiation and vendor management.
• Hands-on experience managing BEOs, supplier agreements, event budgets and invoices.
• Strong project management skills and experience using tools such as Teamwork, Asana, Monday.com or similar platforms.
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple events, timelines, stakeholders and priorities simultaneously.
• Excellent negotiation, communication and relationship-building skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills in French and English. English is essential when traveling and working with partners across the U.S.
• Strong Microsoft Office skills.
• A valid driver's license and passport, with the ability and willingness to travel across Canada and the U.S.

You'll thrive here if you

• Think months ahead, not just about the next event.
• Get satisfaction from finding the right venue, negotiating the right deal and making the right call early.
• Are comfortable owning budgets, contracts and important decisions.
• Build strong supplier relationships while still knowing when to push for better terms.
• Naturally see potential risks before they become problems.
• Bring structure to complex projects with multiple moving parts.
• Enjoy working cross-functionally and know how to keep people aligned without needing to micromanage.
• Take ownership from strategy through handoff and don't wait for someone else to solve the problem.

Additional Information

What we offer

• Competitive compensation and a bonus plan
• Group insurance, RRSP with employer contribution, and 24/7 telemedicine and EAP
• Weekly one-on-ones, leadership development and ongoing training
• Discounts on Techo-Bloc products
• Team events and an employee referral program