Events & Trade Show Contractor (part-time)

About You

You're a seasoned event and trade show professional who thrives in fast-moving environments where no two weeks look the same. You've done this before — you know what it takes to get a booth from concept to show floor, how to manage a vendor who's running behind, and how to keep an exec's schedule from falling apart the week of a show. You're equally comfortable building a logistics spreadsheet at 9pm and working a conference floor at 7am.

What makes this role different: you're not just executing someone else's plan. At Merlin, you'll be working directly with the CMO to build the trade show program from the ground up at a company that just went public and is scaling fast. The 2026 calendar includes 11 shows across the US and Europe, two major physical asset debuts (a full-scale aircraft mockup and a UAV model), and four product launches — all in a single year. This is not a background logistics role. It's a front-row seat to one of the most ambitious aerospace marketing programs in the industry.

The right person for this role is someone who has worked in aerospace, defense, or deep tech events and understands the unique culture and pace of the shows on our calendar — AFA, SOF Week, Oshkosh, Farnborough. They're organized without being rigid, resourceful without being reckless, and comfortable operating with a high degree of autonomy on the details while keeping leadership informed on the things that matter.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end logistics for 11 trade shows annually, including coordination with event organizers, booth vendors (Capitol Exhibits, Insight Exhibits), freight partners (TWI), and venue operators. Manage timelines, shipping, setup, teardown, and on-site staffing — ensuring every show runs on time and on budget from first contact to post-show reconciliation.

• Plan and operationalize booth and activation experiences in collaboration with the CMO and internal teams. This includes integrating large-scale physical assets (full-size aircraft mockups, UAV models), coordinating VR and simulator activations, managing signage and branded materials, and ensuring the on-floor experience reflects Merlin's brand positioning at every show.

• Coordinate attendee logistics for each show, including hotel bookings, travel coordination, badge registration, credential management, and on-site shuttle or vehicle logistics for ELT, sales, engineering, and flight operations staff.

• Support executive and media engagement at shows, including scheduling meetings between Merlin leadership and key customers, partners, government stakeholders, and press. Maintain the daily show schedule as the source of truth and manage real-time adjustments on the ground.

• Track leads, maintain budgets, and report on ROI for each show. Work closely with Finance to build accurate show budgets in advance, track actuals against plan, and produce a post-show summary for each event covering spend, leads captured, meetings held, and qualitative outcomes. Help build the business case for the 2027 show slate.

Requirements:

• 3+ years of experience in event coordination, trade show management, or conference logistics — ideally in aerospace, defense, deep tech, or a similarly complex industry

• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple vendors and workstreams simultaneously under tight deadlines, with strong organizational skills and meticulous attention to detail

• Experience with large-format booth logistics, including coordination with exhibit houses, freight and shipping partners, and convention center or event venue operations

• Strong written and verbal communication skills; comfortable interfacing directly with senior executives, external vendors, and event organizers with equal professionalism

 

Nice to Haves

• Familiarity with the specific shows on Merlin's calendar — AFA Warfare Symposium, SOF Week, EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, AFA Air Space & Cyber, Airlift/Tanker Association, Farnborough International Airshow — and the audiences, cultures, and logistics unique to each

• Experience supporting product launches or major brand activations at trade shows, not just standard booth presence

• Exposure to public company communications and IR considerations around event announcements and external-facing activations

  This role is part-time (10–20 hrs/week, with peaks in late summer and fall).