Event Sales Manager

The Eastonian Banquet and Conference Center has 8,000 sq.ft. of meeting and flexible event space. It is also attached to the award-winning Holiday Inn Express allowing for seamless events and accommodation sales. Being the Banquet Sales Manager at the property means you hold an important key to the hotel's success. You will develop and foster hotel business through direct sales, marketing, telemarketing, direct mail, and tours of hotel for functions and events surrounded around our hotel's meeting and event space. You also are the key contact for events at the hotel utilizing of various meeting/event spaces to market to groups and corporate for meetings and catered events. Candidates should be familiar with marketing plans, action plan creation as well as working with both revenue and sales call goals.

Job Purpose:

Generation of top line banquet revenue for the hotel by maximizing all revenue potential and up-selling additional events/amenities, whenever possible, to build additional revenues.

Job Responsibilities:

• Handle and follow up on inquiries for small meetings/events with or without guestrooms. Follow up on leads by qualifying the customer's needs and dates for the event to determine if the business is a good fit for the property.
• Negotiate contracts and banquet event orders (BEO). Identify and price customer needs for the event, up-selling where possible, and closing the sale with the customer, collecting the customer deposit and signature on the BEO.
• Communicate group details/changes to all hotel departments, coordinating customer's needs with other property business and activities to ensure customer's expectations are met and the property operates efficiently.
• Present potential business at sales meetings to determine the best mix of customers for the hotel to attain budgeted revenues. Conduct meetings with client and hotel staff to ensure each event meets client's expectations.
• Finalize and detail catering plans for groups and communicate effectively. Completely orchestrates these functions on-site or off-site. Empowered to do whatever it takes to solve problems.
• Prospect for new catering business using a wide variety of methods including phone calls, outside sales calls, trade shows, attending community functions, blitzes, internet prospecting, supplier partnerships, etc.
• Monitor blocked space to ensure the group is meeting their contractual obligations. Initiate release of blocked space on the cut-off date to allow the sale of these rooms to other customers.
• Maintain account files in Opera PMS, ensuring accurate communication between client and hotel staff.
• Other duties as assigned.

Job Skills:

• Exhibit computer skills to include word processing, spreadsheet, and familiarity with brand-specific property Management System(s). Use knowledge of Word, Excel, Internet, Opera PMS.
• Exercise excellent communication, presentation, organization, time management, listening, and math skills.
• Use analytical skills for measuring business potential and value to the hotel.
• Maintain contact and event information and follow procedures for submitting sales contracts
• Read and interpret documents and to write routine reports and correspondence.

Experience: Minimum 2 years catering sales, or 2 years in hotel Catering/Convention Services, Banquet, Hotel Sales or Culinary Arts; OR, an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Licenses/Certifications Must possess a valid driver's license and reliable transportation to drive to appointments.

Job Type: Full-time