Events Specialist at Gowling WLG

ABOUT GOWLING WLG

At Gowling WLG, our commitment to excellence begins with our people. As an international law firm with offices in Canada, the U.K., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, we’re proud to recruit and retain top talent who bring energy, insight, and a singular focus on delivering exceptional experiences – for our clients and each other.

We’re intentional about building a workplace that’s both high-performing and supportive, ensuring that everyone is empowered to do their best work and reach their full potential. Our culture is grounded in our shared values: Raise the Bar, Embrace Differences, and Thrive Together. These values shape how we collaborate, lead, and succeed – across teams, time zones, and career paths.

Whether you’re pursuing a role in law or business services, explore what’s possible and make your mark with Gowling WLG.

PROFILE

Events have the power to connect, build relationships, shape perceptions, demonstrate expertise and transcend boundaries. At Gowling WLG, events are a core component of our client, people and community engagement approach and our go-to-market strategy. To us, an event isn’t a moment-in-time; it’s an opportunity to engage, delight and create memorable experiences for our clients, people and communities - before, during and after each interaction.

We are seeking an experienced Events Specialist in Calgary to join our Business Development (BD) & Marketing team. We are looking for an events expert who is enthusiastically committed to delivering excellence and making a meaningful impact for our clients, people and Firm. To you, status quo isn’t an option. You hold yourself and others to high standards and you believe the best events are experiences that start with a bold vision. You enjoy collaborating with colleagues and breaking out of the sea of sameness to innovate with new strategies, approaches, vendors and ideas to continue to elevate the level and quality of events you deliver with measurable impact.

You will report into the Manager, National Events & Experiences and work closely and collaboratively with other events professionals across the country, in addition national Firm leaders, Calgary leadership, Sector and Practice Group BD teams, Marketing and Communications team members, People & Culture, and others to deliver consistently high-performing and differentiated events with a focus on ROI measurement, audience satisfaction, and excellence, while proactively sharing best practices and learnings across the team and Firm.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Event Planning & Strategy

• As a member of the BD & Marketing team, support Office and Firm leadership, Partners, Practice and Sector groups and People & Culture stakeholders by developing strategies for events that meet key objectives and capitalize on relevant opportunities.
• Collaborate closely with relevant stakeholders to ensure all initiatives are executed flawlessly, on time and on budget, delivering best-in-class experiences.
• Develop and manage detailed project plans including budgets, approval pathways, key dates and milestones with a high-level of accountability to ensure deadlines and deliverables are met.
• Partner with Communications, Brand, Digital and Social media teams to develop and activate cohesive event messaging, ensure brand consistency, support promotion, and enable thoughtful follow-up.
• Monitor and evaluate the performance and impact of each event, collecting feedback and data, and preparing post-event and quarterly reports, highlighting the key outcomes, satisfaction, learnings, and recommendations for future improvement.
• Manage multiple events and timelines simultaneously, ensuring timely delivery and strategic alignment.
• Proactively contribute to proposing new and unique event experiences tailored to client needs and designed to create relationship-building moments for Gowling WLG professionals
  
  

Logistics & Event Execution

• Serve as the primary strategic and operational lead for Calgary-based events, owning local execution, while contributing to the planning and delivery of national initiatives as needed.
• Manage all event logistics for in-person, virtual, and hybrid events including invitations, handout materials, site management, registration & name tags, speakers, visual presentations and follow-up efforts.
• Negotiate contracts and fees with vendors, venues, speakers, sponsors, and other partners, and manage facility arrangements, including room setup, AV/technical support, Office Services/Facilities, catering, and vendor coordination — both in-office and at external venues.
• Champion CRM usage, tracking and best practices, ensuring accurate data capture and actionable insights.
  
  

Collaboration & Team Culture

• Establish strong cross-functional relationships across the Events team, the entirety of the Business Development & Marketing group, and in-office Hospitality teams to influence best practices, ensure consistency, and advance a culture of collaboration, continuous improvement and excellence.
• Manage and maintain the centralized Calendar of Events for purposes of sharing internally to promote cross-practice involvement and internal engagement.
• Manage relationships with external vendors and continually curate potential vendors and venues for future opportunities.
• Help support the management of Firm tickets (season tickets for all sporting and concert events), branded merchandise and gifts for client and internal events and initiatives.
• Triage and help guide business development and marketing requests from local professionals, coordinating and engaging with the national team to ensure proper support, alignment and execution.
  
  

QUALIFICATIONS

• Post-secondary degree or diploma in event planning, marketing, communications, or a related field.
• Minimum of 5 years experience planning and managing events, ideally within a professional services or B2B environment.
• Strong project management and organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate and pitch to senior stakeholders.
• High level of initiative, ownership and detail orientation while managing multiple events and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong communication, presentation and interpersonal skills with the ability to build and maintain positive relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Outstanding client service orientation and expertise in managing senior and demanding stakeholders, with the aptitude to anticipate and address client needs in a professional and courteous manner.
• Comfortable with ambiguity with the unique ability to translate abstract ideas into tangible outcomes that meet and exceed stakeholder expectations.
• Good understanding of the value of data and measurement, and the importance of demonstrating the ROI of each event, including to executive audiences.
• Growth mindset with a strong understanding of the latest events and F&B trends, with the ability to apply insights to identify opportunities across practices, offices, and geographies.
• Comfortable thriving in a fast-paced, dynamic environment with shifting priorities and the ability to work effectively with dispersed professionals across multiple offices.
• Outstanding team player with the ability to influence and effectively work both independently and collaboratively within cross-functional, dispersed teams.
• High proficiency with Microsoft Office, CRM solutions, event management software (including virtual event technology), as well as digital and social platforms.
• Flexible and adaptable, with the willingness to travel and work outside of regular hours as required.
• Understanding of basic Marketing and Business Development fundamentals with a willingness and interest in developing further proficiency in these areas.
  
  

Benefits/Perks

Gowling WLG’s total rewards program is designed to foster a culture where high performance and personal well-being go hand-in-hand. We support your career and life with:

• 100% employer-paid health, dental, and mental health coverage, plus an annual lifestyle spending allowance.
• Benefits coverage for Firm members and their dependents from day one!
• 15+ vacation days and hybrid work flexibility.
• Parental leave top-up for 26 weeks (after 12 months of full-time employment).
• Group Retirement Savings Plan with employer match.
• Financial protection through short & long-term disability, life, accident & critical illness insurance.
• Employee & Family Assistance Program, guided CBT, and an internal network of 120+ trained Mental Health First Aid responders.
• Recognition awards, appreciation events, and a supportive, collaborative work culture.
• Perks and preferred pricing programs, referral bonuses and more.
  
  

This position is currently vacant and is open to both internal and external candidates. Gowling WLG is recruiting for this role to support ongoing firm needs and team operations.

This employer may use tools within our applicant tracking system that include artificial intelligence–supported features, such as automated candidate matching. These tools do not make hiring decisions; all screening, assessments, and selections are reviewed and completed by human recruiters and hiring managers.

Gowling WLG is dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive workplace. If you are in need of accommodation or support at any time during the recruitment process, please let us know.