Director of Event Operations - 6-Month Audition Track

Compensation: Monthly base pay event performance bonuses sponsorship commission paid finalist challenge opportunity

Taste CLE and Tequila Fest USA are looking for a high-energy, tech-savvy, ultra-organized person who wants to help build and grow some of the most exciting food, drink, nightlife, and festival events in Cleveland and beyond.

This is not a traditional “event planner” role.

We are looking for someone who wants to become an event operator, creative problem solver, sponsorship builder, and long-term leader inside a growing event company.

Today, this starts as a part-time role helping with Cleveland-based events. Over time, the right person could grow into a larger leadership position helping produce events in Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus, Phoenix, Sedona, and other future markets.

About Us

Taste CLE produces and promotes food, drink, nightlife, festival, and bar crawl experiences throughout the Cleveland area. Our event brands include Taste CLE events, Tequila Fest USA, bar crawls, food festivals, cocktail events, sponsorship-driven activations, and future city-based event concepts.

We move fast, use technology, and are looking for someone who can help take real work off the owner’s plate.

Who We Are Looking For

We want someone who is:

• Highly organized
• Fast-moving and action-oriented
• Tech strong
• Creative
• Reliable
• Comfortable using AI tools
• Good with checklists, spreadsheets, timelines, and follow-up
• Excited by festivals, bar crawls, food events, nightlife, sponsors, vendors, and marketing
• Comfortable contacting venues, vendors, sponsors, restaurants, bars, entertainers, and local partners
• Local to Cleveland or Northeast Ohio
• Hungry to grow into something bigger than a basic part-time job

The perfect person may be a recent graduate, soon-to-graduate student, young professional, event assistant, hospitality professional, marketing student, business student, sports management student, or someone who has helped organize events and wants to turn that into a serious career path.

What You’ll Help With

This role may include helping with:

• Event planning and operations
• Vendor outreach and follow-up
• Sponsor research and outreach
• Venue coordination
• Bar crawl and festival logistics
• Creating checklists and event timelines
• Staffing plans
• Marketing coordination
• Social media coordination
• Ticketing support
• Budget tracking
• Sponsor package ideas
• Finding ways to increase revenue
• Finding ways to reduce unnecessary costs
• Using AI tools to improve planning, marketing, and organization
• Helping build repeatable systems for future events

Technology Matters

We are specifically looking for someone who is comfortable with technology or willing to learn quickly.

Helpful tools include:

• Google Sheets
• Google Docs
• Canva
• ChatGPT / AI tools
• LinkedIn
• Instagram / Facebook
• Meta Business Suite
• Eventbrite or ticketing platforms
• Project management tools like Monday.com, Trello, Asana, ClickUp, or similar platforms

You do not need to know every tool already, but you must be willing and able to learn fast.

The Opportunity

This starts as a part-time opportunity, but the long-term goal is much bigger.

The right person could grow into a Director of Event Operations role and help lead events across multiple cities and brands.

We are especially interested in someone who thinks like an entrepreneur. Someone who wants to help create better events, find new sponsors, improve profits, organize operations, and eventually take ownership of major parts of the event business.

Compensation

Compensation will include a base part-time amount plus opportunities to earn more based on performance.

Potential earning opportunities may include:

• Monthly part-time base pay
• Event performance bonuses
• Sponsorship commission for new sponsors brought in
• Bonuses for documented cost savings
• Bonuses for new revenue ideas that get implemented
• Paid challenge compensation for selected finalists

Exact compensation will depend on experience, availability, and role fit.

Our Hiring Process

We are not hiring based only on resumes.

We care more about how you think, how organized you are, how creative you are, and whether you can actually execute.

Step 1: Apply Online

Applicants will complete a short application with questions about experience, organization, technology, creativity, and interest in events.

Step 2: Top 10 Event Review Challenge

We will select approximately 10 applicants to review one of our existing events and submit:

• Five things you would improve
• Five new sponsors you would pursue
• Three ways you would increase profit
• Three ways you would reduce costs
• Three marketing ideas
• A six-month event timeline

Step 3: Top 5 Paid Event Creation Challenge

From those 10, we will select approximately 5 finalists.

Each finalist will be paid to create a complete new event concept. You will have one week to build and submit your idea.

Your submission may include:

• Event concept
• AI-generated ideas
• Budget improvements
• Sponsorship packages
• Marketing strategies
• Staffing plans
• Checklists
• New revenue streams
• Timeline
• Canva mockups
• Spreadsheets
• Any other materials that help explain your event

This challenge is designed to show us how you think, how you organize, how creative you are, and how you would approach building a real event.

Step 4: Final Interview

Finalists will present their work and discuss how they would help grow our events.

Step 5: Six-Month Audition

The selected person will begin a six-month part-time working period. During this time, you will work directly with us on real events, real sponsors, real vendors, and real operations.

If it is a strong fit, the role can grow into a much larger long-term opportunity.

This Role Is a Great Fit If You

• Want more than a normal part-time job
• Love events, festivals, food, drinks, nightlife, and bringing people together
• Are the person who naturally organizes everything
• Move fast and do not need constant reminders
• Like using AI and technology to get more done
• Want to learn how events make money
• Are comfortable being judged on results
• Want to build a serious career in events, marketing, hospitality, or entrepreneurship
• Are excited about helping grow events in Cleveland and eventually other cities

This Role Is Not a Fit If You

• Procrastinate
• Need constant direction
• Avoid technology
• Are uncomfortable talking to people
• Do not like follow-up
• Only want simple task work
• Are not interested in budgets, sponsors, revenue, or operations
• Cannot stay organized when there are many moving parts

How to Apply

Submit your application with your resume, LinkedIn profile, and a short explanation of why this opportunity interests you.

Optional but encouraged: include examples of events, projects, social media, Canva designs, spreadsheets, AI work, or anything else that shows how you think and organize.

We are looking for someone who can grow with us, take ownership, and help build the next chapter of Taste CLE and Tequila Fest USA.

If you are ambitious, organized, creative, tech-savvy, and ready to prove what you can do, we want to hear from you.