Activation & Events Manager

Reports to: CDO

Location: On-site
FLSA Status: Full-time - Exempt

About Downtown Sioux Falls, Inc. (DTSF)

Downtown doesn’t happen by accident—it takes vision, hustle, and heart. Downtown Sioux Falls, Inc. (DTSF) is a mission-driven 501(c)4 organization leading the charge in shaping a vibrant, inclusive, and thriving urban core. We exist to activate the city’s center—through placemaking, storytelling, partnerships, and daily boots-on-the-ground effort.

DTSF administers the Downtown Business Improvement District (BID), managing programs that keep Downtown clean, safe, and welcoming. Our work spans economic development, public space activation, advocacy, marketing, and residential attraction—delivered with pride, precision, and a long-term commitment to the place we call home.

We’re all in on Downtown. We connect business owners, civic leaders, artists, residents, and visitors to cultivate a culture of creativity, opportunity, and progress. If you're looking to make an impact where it matters most—this is the place, and now is the time.

Role Overview:

The Activation & Events Manager drives the planning, execution, and continual improvement of DTSF’s signature events and year-round activations. This role is ideal for a highly motivated, energetic individual who thrives on feedback, actively seeks ways to elevate existing programs, and embraces opportunities to develop new experiences that strengthen Downtown’s economic and cultural vitality. A successful candidate is systematic and detail-driven, capable of building and managing a strong volunteer corps to expand capacity and reduce staff burden.

This role requires exceptional project management, relationship building, and logistical execution. The manager is responsible for curating memorable, mission-aligned events; coordinating seamless participant experiences; and leveraging events as a revenue generator through strong vendor pipelines, sponsorship integration, and high-value programming. They work cross-functionally to ensure events drive foot traffic, economic activity, and community connection—while owning the backend systems, operational workflows, and metrics that measure event impact.

Full time, Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM-5:00 PM. Required to work some evenings, weekends, and Holidays. DTSF Signature Events may require heavy lifting, exposure to weather, and prolonged standing. Riverfest and Parade of Lights events are considered black-out days for PTO.

Key Responsibilities:

• Plan, execute, and continuously improve DTSF’s signature events and year-round activations, ensuring they drive foot traffic, economic impact, and community engagement.
• Recruit, train, and manage a reliable team of volunteers to support event setup, execution, and tear-down—expanding organizational capacity and reducing staff burden.
• Recruit, curate, and manage event participants—including vendors, performers, artists, and businesses—to ensure high-quality experiences and maximize event revenue through booth sales, registrations, and program participation.
• Build and maintain event registration and participation systems in Neon CRM and related platforms, ensuring smooth workflows, accurate rosters, strong customer experience, and timely communication.
• Lead all event logistics, including permitting, contracts, infrastructure, run-of-show development, public safety coordination, vendor onboarding, and onsite troubleshooting.
• Manage event budgets, aligning expenses with organizational priorities and driving revenue growth through participation fees, sponsorship integration, and strategic programming.
• Evaluate event performance and implement improvements, compiling insights, testing new concepts, and proposing innovative programming that aligns with DTSF’s mission and downtown advocacy goals.