The Manager of Events and Activations will play a central role in the planning, coordination, and execution of official Host City events and public activations for the FIFA World Cup 2026™ in Kansas City. This role requires exceptional project management skills, creativity, and a passion for delivering impactful and unforgettable fan and community experiences.
Event Strategy & Planning
- Support the development and execution of the overall events and activations strategy, ensuring alignment with FIFA and Kansas City objectives, including FIFA Fan Festival.
- Contribute to planning and delivery of official public-facing events including community festivals, viewing parties, and countdown milestones.
- Assist with end-to-end event logistics including permitting, contracting, site layout, infrastructure, security coordination, vendor management, staffing, agenda design, entertainment sourcing and management, food and beverage, and transportation.
- Coordinate with marketing, volunteer, transportation, security, community engagement, and hospitality teams to ensure cross-functional alignment.
- Adhere to budget expectations and provide regular financial updates related to events.
- Actively participate in event strategy sessions and marketing campaign planning for community activations, sponsor events, and the FIFA Fan Festival.
- Contribute to and manage various RFI/RFP processes related to event execution.
Activation and Stakeholder Management
- Develop and oversee creative fan engagement activations in public spaces, airports, transit hubs, and key city locations.
- Partner with brands, sponsors, and civic organizations to deliver compelling co-branded activations and experiences.
- Manage timelines, deliverables, production schedules, and run-of-show documentation.
- Ensure all necessary permits and vendors are secured for activations.
- Support liaison efforts between the Host Committee, City departments, vendors, and local partners.
- Help ensure all events comply with city regulations and reflect Kansas City's regional identity and values.
On-Site Execution
- Assist with on-site event operations including vendor coordination/staff support/guest experience/real-time problem solving.
- Work with the Director of Security to ensure safety protocols and crowd management plans implemented effectively.
- Provide on-site support to leadership, volunteers and event staff during activations.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Event Management, Hospitality, Marketing, or a related field.
- 5+ years' experience in large-scale event production, festivals, sports, or entertainment industries.
- Demonstrated success managing outdoor public events with 1,000+ attendees.
- Strong knowledge of vendor/production management, permitting processes, and event logistics.
- Exceptional organizational, communication, and leadership skills.
- Ability to manage multiple projects in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
- Evening, weekend, and holiday work is required, especially in summer 2026.
Preferred Skills
- Experience with global sports events or major civic celebrations.
- Multilingual proficiency or experience working in multilingual, multicultural environments.
- Working knowledge of project management tool Smartsheet.
- Familiarity with Kansas City neighborhoods, civic partners, and cultural landscape.
KC2026 is the 501(c)(4) non-profit entity that has been incorporated to lead the strategy for the planning and activation of the FIFA World Cup 26™ in Kansas City. KC2026 is governed by a Board of Directors comprised of elected/appointed officials, representatives from the local professional sports teams and key community leaders. The purpose of the entity is to maximize the positive momentum created by FIFA World Cup 26™ to unite, strengthen and elevate our region while propelling Kansas City to new heights in the nation and the world.