Maria Sarabia Email & Phone Number

Takoma Park, Md, Us

Arlington, Virginia, United States

United States

United States

Meeting & Events Director for all CHPA association meetings which include: Annual Executive Conference, Board Meetings, Board Dinners, Committee Meetings and Dinners, Seminars and Educational meetings. Handle site selections, Hotel and Vendor Contracts, Budgets, scheduling of tasks with planning teams, collaborate on written promotional materials, liaison with Speakers, AV teams, Hotel staff and other vendors (conference manager, banquets, engineering, AV, etc.).

• Worked with Global Sales Organization to research properties, submit RFP’s and narrow down selection of viable meeting and event venues.• Additional responsibility of preparing budgets including forecasting and submitting final budgets to finance.• Conducted site visits and prepared summary reports of viable properties to present to program heads.• Negotiated and completed contracts on assigned meetings. Worked with legal department to review and approve legal sections of contracts and make sure specific addendums were included when necessary.• Periodically sent request for proposals to AV companies to benchmark for budgeting and assuring services were in line with current trends.• Supervised database coordinator in processing registration and assisting meetings department with miscellaneous meeting tasks.• Prepared detailed meeting resumes, reviewed group billing instructions, monitored room blocks, and signed off on final food and beverage selections for meetings.• Managed technology (online registration with database) and creative (basic graphic design) meeting components.

United States

• Conducted site visits for various meetings, [resorts/city hotels/destination hotels] and prepared summary reports of the viable properties to present to program heads.• In charge of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee meetings and dinners site selection and room block to final contract, room set-ups, AV and food and beverage selection. Worked directly with the President and Executive assistant on requirements and objectives. Handled pre, on-site and post meeting responsibilities to include settling master bills, coding, and submitting to accounting for payment.• In charge of the registration process, which included, instructing, training and overseeing the database coordinator in the registration steps, modifications of set-up and accurate tracking for reporting purposes.• Prepared attendance reports and attendee lists for all meetings and utilized reports and lists to retain members and target new members.• Handled budget forecasting and submitted final budgets to finance for specific meetings. Split budgeting responsibilities with Senior Director.• Worked with hotels to setup group code and hotel reservation websites specific to meeting/event and monitored rooms blocks and reservation cut-off dates with hotel.• Responsible for set up of on-site working office, registration area, break areas, workshop/breakout rooms, as well as worked with Senior Director on general session meeting room set-up and handled any on-site issues.• Worked with AV team on Run-of-Show with Sponsor slides and timing schedule.• Supervised temporary personnel hired for the annual executive conference and miscellaneous meetings.• Reviewed hotel and vendor bills and submitted to finance for payment

United States

• Created all major meetings in CRM database, utilized html coding, and tested process to go live for scheduled launch dates.• Received and processed meeting registrations and settled registration receipts with accounting.• Maintained meetings database for accurate information and generation of reports.• Sent meeting confirmations to attendees along with meeting correspondence with event details, deadlines, updates and reminders.• Provided weekly attendance reports to Director of Meetings and Senior Management• Assisted with preparing internal critical path documents for every meeting and event.• Created signage for all meetings and events which included working with Sponsors to collect current logos and reviewed signage proofs prior to final print.• Liaised with meeting speakers to acquire and track AV requirements and track speaker presentations to stay within final submission deadlines.• In charge of final slide decks loaded in all breakout rooms and created logo slides to insert into main meeting decks for General Session and breakout session slide decks.• Ordered gifts for Chairman, sponsors, and special events.• Prepared and proofed meeting materials to include in meeting kits [attendance lists/badges/presentation copies, etc.]• In charge of packing meeting shipments to and from hotels/venue.• Maintained meeting supply inventory.• Responsible for set-up and running registration on-site.• Assisted Director of Meetings with meeting room set-ups.• Collected attendance counts for all sessions for future planning and provided all administrative meeting support.

United States

United States