Holiday Express Program Manager

The City of Raleigh is seeking a qualified firm to provide a Program Manager for its annual Holiday Express event at Pullen Park. The manager will lead all phases of the event—including stakeholder coordination, vendor management, ticketing support, on‑site execution, and post‑event analysis—across the planning (summer/fall 2026), execution (fall/winter 2026), and wrap‑up (winter 2026) periods. The contract will be awarded to one or more firms that demonstrate relevant event‑management experience, strong communication skills, and the ability to meet the City’s performance and reporting requirements. • Scope covers stakeholder/vendor list creation, meeting scheduling, ticket‑sale consulting, virtual support, on‑site presence (up to 4 days), and post‑event survey & data analysis. • Required deliverables: detailed event plan, weekly virtual briefings, on‑call support (24‑hour response), and final budget & performance report. • Evaluation criteria focus on past similar work (30 %), public engagement experience (30 %), work quality (20 %), project understanding (15 %) and cost (5 %). • Proposals due September 11, 2026 10 AM EST; questions due September 3, 2026. • Contract term expected to run roughly six months, ending after post‑event reporting.