Description

Position: Exhibition HallEvent Services Manager

Company: The Charleston Gaillard Management Corporation

Location: Downtown Charleston, SC

Reports to: Director of Event Services

Type: Full-Time, Hourly, Non-Exempt. Evening and weekend hours will be required.

Organizations Background

A leader in the performing arts in the Southeast, the Charleston Gaillard Center commissions, supports, and presents ambitious, multidisciplinary cultural programming and provides access to the best local, national, and global artists and companies on its stage. Through programming on its public campus and extensive arts education initiatives, the Gaillard Center serves as a platform to participate in community building and essential dialogue.

 The Gaillard Center was established as a non-profit in 2015. Its campus includes the world-class 1,818-seat Martha and John M. Rivers Performance Hall, a 26,000-square-foot Exhibition Hall with the Grand Ballroom, Salons, and Terrace Lawn.

 For more information about the Charleston Gaillard Center, please visit https://www.gaillardcenter.org.

Position Summary

The Event Services Manager (ESM) is responsible for detailing and coordinating all special events and rentals held in the Exhibition Hall at the Gaillard Center. The ESM works closely with the Exhibition Hall Technical Manager, Venue Sales Team, and the Food and Beverage Team to ensure all details of each booked event are organized carefully in advance and successfully managed on the day of the event. The ESM will also oversee the guest and client experience in the Exhibition Hall. Responsibilities include contract execution, staff management and scheduling, layout/floor plan design, safety oversight, and logistics coordination for each event.

Responsibilities

• Work closely with the Food and Beverage and Technical departments on all events in the Exhibition Hall. Assigned special events include multi-day conferences, vendor trade shows, corporate galas, etc.
• Responsible for coordinating in-house equipment inventory, generating event flow and timelines, floor plans, setup/strike labor needs and management, security, and parking requests. 
• Manage and schedule part-time staff.
• Manage relationships with clients and the Charleston Center's vendors to establish and maintain long-term partnerships and repeat business.
• Responsible for conducting tours and scheduling meetings as necessary with clients to help plan, execute, and detail their events.
• A strong understanding of Gaillard Center’s event spaces, operational capabilities, restrictions, and costs is critical, as is the ability to explain these elements clearly and concisely to a client.
• Coordinate with the Exhibition Hall Event Services Coordinator and Event Services Team Coordinator on details and disseminate them to a large staff of people to ensure schedules and other logistics are coordinated effectively.
• Assist the Exhibition Hall Director of the Event Services in planning and executing full facility events.
• Assist the Event Services Manager, Performance Hall, with events held in the Performance Hall as needed. 
• Oversee the training of part-time staff.
• Maintain active involvement in all events, from planning to setup through teardown to invoicing, acting as an on-the-ground supervisor.
• Interface with clients on arrival and throughout the event to meet all needs.
• Responsible for the management, including organization, repair, purchasing, and setup, of an inventory of chairs, tables, staging, and other event furniture. 
• Assist Exhibition Hall Director of Event Services in the creation and implementation of the budget, including labor, supplies, and vendor costs.
• Additional responsibilities may be assigned as needed. 
• Nights, weekends, and long hours will be required based on the needs of various events.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• A college degree is not required; however, all candidates should have a combination of education and experience totaling 6 years or more.
• A strong understanding of the processes involved with planning and executing special events in a multi-functional environment.
• Familiarity with Food and Beverage services for conference centers, hotels, or similar environments, with special consideration given to those with experience in catering sales or catering operations.
• Experience managing large groups of people, including a mix of guests, clients, full-time and part-time staff, and volunteers.
• Strong attention to detail, a customer-service-first philosophy, a willingness and ability to find solutions to challenges, and a teamwork approach in the work environment are required.
• Ability to communicate with people confidently at all levels, not limited to users, vendors, and colleagues, while remaining composed in difficult situations.
• Welcoming and supportive of a diverse group of users regardless of race, sex, color, creed, religion, nationality, or sexual orientation.
• Proficient knowledge of computer and software skills including, but not limited to, Windows, Mac OS X, Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe PDF, and Google Workspace and the ability to format documents quickly and accurately in MS Office programs and Workspace.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working in a conference center, exhibition hall, or similar environment.
• Strong experience in the Food and Beverage (F&B) industry, preferably in Catering Sales or Catering Operations in a conference center or similar environment.
• The ability to successfully, calmly, and clearly manage large groups of people, such as volunteers and part-time staff with limited experience.
• Proficient knowledge of Momentus Elite, Social Tables, Event Draw, and/or other venue management and room design software.
• Familiarity with audio/visual equipment and technical services.
• A willingness to be flexible in an ever-changing environment and act as a true team player.
• Ability to quickly learn new systems, tools, and processes.
• Highly organized with attention to detail.
• Drive for results and commitment to timeliness.
• Knowledge and ability to proofread accurately for both spelling and grammar.
• A customer-service mentality with a dedication to supporting and sustaining happy clients.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to move, transport, and/or position up to 35 lbs of various equipment and materials.
• Using trade tools and accessing remote locations of the building.

• Activities may require sustained periods of standing, movement, traversing, and positioning to meet facility and event demands.
• Work may include prolonged periods of sitting, typing, or looking at a computer screen.

Benefits

The Gaillard Center provides a competitive benefit package that includes:

• Fully paid medical insurance at the employee level
• Optional vision, dental, life, and disability insurance
• 4 weeks of paid time off, accrued annually
• 403(b) with up to a 4% company match
• Free and/or discounted tickets to performances
• Employer paid parking

The Gaillard is an equal opportunity employer. Advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion within the Gaillard is critical to our mission. To be a leading performing arts center in the Southeast, we need to have a highly diverse staff, a workplace where individuals are encouraged to retain their uniqueness and can feel a sense of belonging. For us, equity means that our staff members, our patrons, and our clients can experience the transformative power of the arts, no matter their starting place.