DIRECTOR OF CATERING & CONFERENCE SERVICES

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE OF POSITION:

Job Overview: We are seeking a dynamic and experienced Catering and Conference Services Sales Director or Manager to lead the sales and marketing strategies for our catering department. In this role, you will be responsible for securing new accounts, maintaining existing ones, and executing tactical plans to maximize hotel profitability while ensuring guest satisfaction.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND JOB DUTIES:

• Direct day-to-day activities of the catering and conference services team, advising on policies and procedures.
• Develop, train, and motivate a catering team to achieve revenue goals and maximize profits.
• Establish a client base through direct outside sales efforts, producing and reviewing all sales contracts and agreements.
• Conduct facility tours and entertain clients; assist with menu planning and event details.
• Conduct the role of conference services manager during high group demand periods.
• Review daily charges, resolving discrepancies promptly; ensure guest satisfaction.
• Plan and conduct pre-event and post-event meetings with clients, guests, and staff.
• Achieve budgeted revenues and personal sales goals; assist in preparing the annual departmental operating budget.
• Negotiate prices and services within guidelines, collaborating with the Executive Chef on menu design.
• Identify and solve operational problems affecting catering and conference services sales performance.
• Promote teamwork through communication with other departments and key contacts.
• Interact with guests, vendors, and other contacts as needed.
• Accurately forecast banquet and catering revenues.
• Maintain property’s Amadeus Delphi inventories and pricing.
• Develop an annual catering and banquet budget with supporting strategies to reach revenue targets.
• Recommend staffing and HR-related actions in accordance with Company rules.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

PEOPLE:

• Oversee the catering and convention services team by directing day to day sales activities, plan and assign work, and establish performance and development goals for team members. Provide mentoring, coaching and regular feedback to help manage conflict, improve team member performance, and recognize good performance.
• Educate, train and motivate sales and marketing teams to achieve departmental revenue goals. Ensure staff has the information, market data, tools and equipment to successfully carry out job.

SPECIAL SKILLS REQUIRED:

• Self-Management: Sets high personal performance standards, plans and organizes a systematic approach to getting things done, manages time and resources effectively, prioritize actions and manages tasks through to completion, actively seeks opportunities to develop and learn from experience
• Communication and Leadership Skills: Communicates openly and clearly both verbally and in writing, pitches information at the appropriate level, listens to the needs of others before contributing, develops positive working relationships at all levels, manages conflict effectively, motivates and inspires others to perform.
• Problem Solving and Decision Making: Collects and analyzes relevant information about a problem, seeks innovative solutions, makes conscious decision to go for action, accepts personal responsibility to make things happen, constantly reviews in order to improve.
• Pro-Active Behavior: Self-reliant, working with minimal control and direction, acts on own initiative when appropriate, takes calculated risks to achieve results, thinks ahead developing contingency plans where necessary, has drive and determination to succeed, contributes and is effective when team working with peers.
• Influencing Skills: Presents powerful arguments which persuade others, expresses confidence in own ideas and networks with others, gains commitment to action from a range of people.
• Flexibility: Adapts quickly and positively to new situations, continues to be productive in changing circumstances, can handle more than one task or situation at a time.
• Additional responsibilities and/or special assignments may be required at the request of hotel management.
• Work with catering, group and events teams to ensure that client function requirements are properly blocked and client relationships are established.
• Proficiency in Amadeus Delphi and Social Tables computer systems - all accounts, bookings and correspondence is generated from the computer
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Suite.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

• Physical activities include lifting up to 20lbs. maximum and occasionally lifting and carrying such articles as dockets ledgers and small tools.
• Sitting for long periods is likely. Talking, hearing, seeing, reaching, handling, fingering, feeling. Considerable repetitive motion of hands, fingers and wrists as pertains to the use of office machines such as computer Keyboard.

EDUCATION REQUIRED:

• Any combination of education and experience equivalent to graduate from high school or any other combination of education, training or experience that provides the required knowledge skills and abilities. High school diploma required.

EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

• Minimum 3 years of Senior Catering Sales Management required, previous DOC experience is preferred.

LICENSES OR CERTIFICATES:

• No special license required.