Introduction:
CarMax Park is the new home of Richmond Flying Squirrels baseball and one of Richmond’s newest multi-use entertainment venues. More than a ballpark, the facility includes indoor and outdoor event spaces designed to support year-round programming, including concerts, festivals, corporate events, special occasions, fundraisers, community gatherings, and other live experiences.
804Live supports public and private events at CarMax Park for audiences of up to 14,000 people. Through high-quality event planning, venue operations, hospitality coordination, and partner collaboration, 804Live is focused on establishing CarMax Park as a premier year-round destination for unforgettable experiences in Central Virginia.
Position Summary:
The Director of Events (“Director”) will report to the President of 804Live and serve as an executive-facing leader responsible for the strategic planning, coordination, and execution of large-scale, high-profile events at CarMax Park. The Director will oversee a diverse portfolio of public, private, and self-produced events, including concerts, festivals, live entertainment, corporate functions, community events, and special occasions. The Director will lead cross-functional planning, manage key client and partner relationships, ticketing, oversee event logistics and production schedules, coordinate F&B requirements, and ensure each event is delivered safely, efficiently, and at a high standard of quality.
The ideal candidate is a proactive, organized, and solutions-oriented professional with strong operational judgment, P&L focused, stakeholder-management skills, and the ability to lead through complex operating environments.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the full event lifecycle from concept development and feasibility through planning, execution and post-event reconciliation.
- Evaluate event opportunities, including self-produced, by assessing feasibility, financial impact, resource allocation, operational requirements, guest experience, risk, and strategic value, along with other relevant criteria.
- Lead cross-functional planning with internal departments, external partners, vendors, promoters, clients, local and regional governmental partners, and other stakeholders.
- Develop and manage the event critical path, staffing plans, production schedules, operating plans, and run-of-show documents.
- Collaborate with Finance to oversee event budgets and P&L, including revenue assumptions, third-party expenses, internal allocations, payments, reimbursements, and capital expenditure recommendations.
- Coordinate closely with CarMax Park’s F&B provider, venue operations, ticketing, marketing, security, facilities, guest services, and other internal stakeholders to ensure seamless event delivery.
- Serve as the on-site event leader and primary point of escalation during events, making timely decisions that support safety, guest experience, client satisfaction, and operational excellence.
- Create and standardize event-management processes, documentation, workflows, and operating procedures to promote consistency and accountability.
- Identify and implement best practices, process improvements, and operational innovations that limit inefficiencies and improve collaboration.
- Anticipate challenges, assess risk, and proactively solve issues before they affect event quality, financial performance, or stakeholder confidence.
- Provide leadership and mentor a team of event professionals, fostering collaboration, operational excellence and talent development.
- Establish clear expectations, performance standards, and accountability measures for event teams, vendors, and partners.
Qualifications:
- 6+ years of event planning and event management experience, ideally within live entertainment, sports, stadiums, arenas, or touring environments. Experience with ticketed live events preferred, but not required.
- Demonstrated experience leading complex events with multiple stakeholders, vendors, operational teams, and executive-level visibility.
- Leadership skills and experience managing and mentoring a team.
- Strong financial acumen with experience managing event budgets, P&L’s, and post-event reconciliation.
- Highly organized and process-driven, with the ability to manage multiple projects, competing timelines, and changing priorities simultaneously.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to communicate effectively with executives, clients, partners, vendors, and internal teams.
- Strong judgment, situational awareness, and solution-oriented problem-solving skills in fast-paced event environments.
- Proficiency with Microsoft 365 or similar productivity and collaboration tools.
- Experience working in the Richmond, Virginia market is preferred.
- Ability to work extended hours, including nights, weekends, and holidays as necessary.