About Smokeball

Who we are

Smokeball helps law firms bill more without their clients paying more. Intriguing, right? We were founded by technology leaders with more than 20 years of experience in delivering impactful legal technology products. Our leadership continually strives to develop a company, culture, and team that share a profound love for the law and is compelled to help small law firms find success. Our mission isn’t simple, but it is straightforward: help small law firms be successful businesses so that they can better serve our communities.

What makes us special? 

1. Culture is sacred. As a 'Best Places to Work' winner four years in a row, we believe company culture is the single most important ingredient to our success. At the end of the day, it is all about our people.
2. The best product in Legal Tech. We think deeply about the challenges small law firms face. We do not bother with simply delivering a “faster horse,” we drive innovations that truly enhance the lives and businesses of our clients. Check out our ratings on G2, Capterra, and Google.
3. Industry Opportunity. The Legal Tech industry is estimated to be worth around $15bn and is growing every year. Smokeball is growing right along with it, and we like to take our people with us.

Our working model 

At Smokeball, we believe there is nothing more powerful than a community of people coming together to work on a product that they, and our clients, love. When it comes to working as a community, we see the value in both coming together and allowing our “Smokeballers” the flexibility that remote work offers. 

All Chicago employees are in the office on Wednesdays and Thursdays. While our office is open 5 days a week, we allow you to choose what works best for you on Monday, Tuesday and Friday. 

Our office is in the heart of the Loop within 10 minutes of the Metra and all “EL” trains. And, we have lots (and lots) of snacks.

The Role

We are seeking an organized, detail-oriented Events Marketing Manager to join our team and oversee the planning, coordination, and execution of Smokeball’s events program on a temporary basis while our Events Manager is on a leave of absence. We expect for this position to have several weeks of work alongside the Events Manager prior to flying solo during the leave.

This role ensures all events are vetted, approved, budgeted, and executed smoothly, while supporting our sales and partnerships teams to maximize event impact. The Events Marketing Manager will manage everything from evaluating event proposals, coordinating logistics with vendors and internal teams, ensuring CRM and project management systems are up-to-date, and supporting sales teams before, during, and after events.

This position is critical in maintaining the operational flow of events and ensuring our brand is represented seamlessly in the legal tech industry.

This is a hybrid role with our office being in Chicago, IL.

A Typical Day Involves

• Campaign Management: Manage event campaigns from ideation through execution and analysis.
• Event & Budget Strategy: Overseeing the event and budget strategy, ensuring alignment with business goals while optimizing resources to deliver impactful and cost-effective events. 
• Vendor Management & Logistics: Vendor management and logistics, coordinating with suppliers and ensuring seamless execution of all event-related operations. 
• Communication Planning: Organize and communicate event details to all relevant stakeholders, ensuring continuous support and troubleshooting before and during the event. 
• Sales Activity Tracking: Ensure accurate entry of event leads into CRM and facilitate timely follow-up. Track all sales activity and data post-event to inform future event strategy decisions.

What You’ll Do

• Event Evaluation & Approval
• • Review and vet incoming event proposals for fit, ROI potential, and alignment with goals
• Event Planning & Coordination
• • Manage all logistics for approved events, including sponsorship payments, vendor communications, and booth/exhibit requirements
  • Create and maintain event folders, budgets, timelines, and inventory
  • Coordinate shipping of event supplies through our warehouse partner
  • Develop detailed documents and execute briefings for sales team
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
• • Partner with Sales, Partnerships, and Marketing teams to ensure alignment on event goals, staffing, and deliverables
  • Submit and track required materials (logos, ads, collateral) to host organizations
  • Oversee pre- and post-event email campaigns in collaboration with Marketing
• Event Execution & Support
• • Serve as point of contact during events (remote “on call” support as needed)
  • Ensure real-time updates to systems and provide support to sales contacts
• Post-Event Follow-Up & Reporting
• • Collect and verify lead sheets, upload into CRM, and manage lead allocation
  • Track closed deals
  • Ensure budgets and actual spend are reconciled post-event
  • Communicate event results to leadership and provide recommendations for future participation
• Marketing Strategy
• • Work on large tradeshow booth/activation to generate brand awareness for the company, including running multiple sales and marketing campaigns to drive leads as well as participation and attendance at related company-hosted industry event

What You Bring

• 3+ years of experience in event management, trade shows, or marketing coordination.
• Strong organizational and project management skills with the ability to juggle multiple events at different stages.
• Experience working with Salesforce (or similar CRM), project management platforms (ClickUp, Asana, Trello), and shared drives.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint) and Slack.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Comfortable collaborating across departments and with external vendors.
• Detail-oriented and proactive in problem-solving.

Bonus Points If You Have

• Experience managing event budgets and vendor contracts.
• Experience supporting sales teams or working in a B2B SaaS environment.
• Familiarity with legal industry events or bar association conferences.

Meet Some Teammates   

Kayla Fleming: Hello hello!! I'm Smokeball's Events Manager and I’ve been with the company since March of 2022. Smokeball has given me an opportunity to grow my career in the events industry by introducing me to the marketing side of events. A little bit about me: I graduated with an undergrad degree in Hospitality Management and now have 10+ years of event-related experience. I also obtained my CMP (Certified Meeting Professional) designation in June of 2024. I am most successful in this role due to my outstanding organizational skills, my (sometimes over) communication skills as well as my attention to detail.

Emma Raimi-Zlatic: Hi, I’m Emma! I’m the Director of Strategic Partnerships and Events and I’ve been with Smokeball for more than 3 years. I’ve worked in the legal industry for over 15 years, transitioning from law school to legal tech. I love the work we do here at Smokeball in helping improve the lives of law firms through innovative technology so that they can spend more time on the work they love. I love that every day at Smokeball is unique, especially with the work we do in partnerships – it never gets old! We’re very lucky to be able to develop strong relationships with bar associations and other legal changemakers, while running creative marketing campaigns and working with all areas of the business. From the company culture and great benefits to the talented team at Smokeball, working here is no brainer. 

Life at Smokeball 

• Great Culture: Named 2024'S 10th Best Place to Work in the Technology Industry nationwide!
• Career Growth: Smokeball believes in investing in our own people and promoting from within. Our own President started at Smokeball as an Account Manager!
• Transparency: We keep employees in the loop through monthly global huddles and local standups where we discuss company goals, updates, new hire introductions, etc. 
• The Office: The kitchen is stocked with breakfast items, snacks, and beverages, and we have plenty of games to help you relax (ping-pong, billiards, pinball, board games, video games). We also offer free monthly massages provided by a licensed massage therapist! 
• Fun Events: In-person happy hours, virtual game nights, family-friendly events, and so much more 
• Convenient Transit: We’re located in the heart of downtown Chicago, in walking distance from all major modes of transportation 

The Values We Live By

Creating and fostering a great culture is just as important as providing a great product. At Smokeball, we don’t have Core Values for show, we live and breathe them every day.

1. Caring is not optional 
2. Make it happen 
3. Deliver legendary service 
4. Innovate for the client, not the press release 
5. Be frank 
6. Keep listening, keep learning 

These values inform every strategic decision we make and guide our behavior with every person we meet. When we are bringing new team members into the Smokeball Family, we look for compassion, drive, keen judgement, varied perspectives, and no egos. 

More, more, more! 

Why do we do what we do? Where did the name ‘Smokeball’ come from? How do we give back? Learn more here.* Frequently cited statistics show that women and underrepresented groups apply to jobs only if they meet 100% of the qualifications. No one ever meets 100% of the qualifications! We encourage anyone who is interested to apply based on the responsibilities and requirements outlined. You may be the culture add that we are seeking! We look forward to your application.* Smokeball is an equal opportunity employer and committed to providing an open, welcoming environment for everyone 

The pay range for this role is:

$40 - $50 per hour