Conference and Events Manager

Conference and Event Manager

Primary Purpose: As the Conference and Event Manager, your primary role is to be the bridge between our clients and the hotel operations team. You'll ensure events are detailed and executed seamlessly by managing group and event sales bookings, optimizing revenues, and uncovering up-sell opportunities while positively impacting our guests, fellow associates, and local communities.

Work Performed: The Conference and Event Manager (CEM) will be tasked with the following duties, responsibilities, and assignments:

• Client Liaison: Directly communicate with clients to ensure all event documents are comprehensively prepared and finalized using tools and systems provided.
• Banquet Coordination: Oversee the timely distribution of Banquet Event Orders (BEOs) in line with hotel deadlines.
• Upselling & Client Communication: Present clients with potential upgrade opportunities, collect necessary agreements and deposits, and consistently communicate on group arrangements.
• Event Feedback & Management: Partner with hotel staff for pre-and post-event meetings including BEO review, guaranteeing client satisfaction and collating feedback.
• Monitor Guest Room Blocks: Ensure contract adherence and optimize revenue opportunities.
• Room Management: Monitor guest room allocations to ensure contract compliance while capitalizing on revenue opportunities. Alert clients about potential attrition charges for rooms and F&B if bookings or revenues are projected to fall short of the contract.
• Payment Management: Supervise the entire client payment process, from initial deposits to the final bill.
• Booking & Documentation: Utilize the Hotel Sales & Catering software to meticulously document interactions and attach vital documents such as BEOs, payment forms, diagrams, and agendas.
• Client Engagement: Coordinate on-site tours and virtual client meetings. Be on-hand during key event moments to engage with clients, ensure all details are executed correctly, and address immediate requirements.
• Sales Support: Collaborate with the Director of Sales & Marketing in various sales activities, which include guiding site tours, promoting banquet and catering events, and managing BEO documentation.
• Revenue Verification: Regularly audit banquet checks against our sales system to ensure accurate posting of revenues, including items consumed during events.
• Billing Oversight: Review the full bill upon event completion, ensuring alignment with our group closing checklist. This ensures timely and accurate billing by our accounting team.
• Commission and Loyalty Management: Process commission payments using the brand's commission system, award brand loyalty points to meeting planners, and address discrepancies or issues such as group no-shows. Collaborate with the client and front office for any corrective actions. Ensure VIP group reservations are correctly allocated.
• Meeting Participation: Actively engage in the BEO, Group Resume, Pre-Con, Post-Con, and Group Scrub Meetings, always being prepared to discuss the specifics of any assigned group(s).
• Clerical Tasks:
• Greet visitors, answer phone calls (including customer and brand call center reservations as well as general hotel inquiries), intake and process incoming lead information, handle reservation requests, research group billing inquiries, gather data as needed, compile reports, maintain files, and prepare correspondence.
• Interact with group, catering, and business travel customers in person, via email, and over the phone to qualify and assist existing and future customers, including but not limited to making reservations at the customer’s request.
• Maintain communication with group customers regarding the status of their group room block. This may include entering rooming lists, monitoring pick-up status, reporting status of current pickup, providing cutoff date alerts, and making individual rooming list reservation changes.
• Assist property managers with sales duties as needed including, but not limited to, initial billing inquiries, commission payments, no-show status, sales system research, brand reward point administration, and scheduling appointments.
• Assist managers with RFP responses, proposals, contracts, BEOs, and meeting arrangements as needed.
• Send all local Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) requests for proposals (RFPs) received by the hotel to the Hotel’s assigned Lead Analyst for distribution per our internal protocols.
• Assist Catering & Events Manager (CEM) with reservation requests and building group master accounts in the brand system, as needed.
• Upload and maintain the group files within the sales system for all group bookings at the property level. This includes ensuring signed agreements are uploaded when all bookings are turned to definite bookings.
• Maintain inventory and create printed and electronic collateral to include coupons, flyers, and branded sales and marketing pieces.
• Unless the hotel is supported by a third-party social media company, such as The Media Group (TMG), maintain all social media accounts for the hotel with a minimum of four (4) postings per month to all channels. This includes responding to all comments and reviews on social. Complete brand-required Sprinklr training for social media.
• Participate in Sales Department meetings.
• Maintain Hotel Readerboard System
• Provide additional administrative assistance as directed.

Qualifications:

Required Prior Experience:

• Minimum two (2) years of Conference & Event servicing experience or two (2) years in hotel Event Services, Banquet, or Group Sales or an equivalent combination of education.

Preferred Technology:

• Demonstrated experience with industry-specific sales and catering programs including Microsoft Office, Delphi.FDC (Salesforce), and Diagramming Tools like Social Tables, particularly in detailing Banquet Event Orders (BEOs).

Travel:

• Less than 20% travel requirement.
• Must possess a valid driver’s license and reliable transportation and the ability to be available at off-property meetings and events with minimal notice.
• Up to 8 hours sitting at a desk and computer work.

Competencies:

• Organizational Agility: Knowledgeable about how organizations work; knows how to get things done both through formal channels and the informal network; understands the origin and reasoning behind key policies, practices, and procedures; understands the cultures of organizations.
• Negotiating: Can negotiate skillfully in tough situations with both internal and external groups; can settle differences with minimum noise; can win concessions without damaging relationships; can be both direct and forceful as well as diplomatic; gains trust quickly of other parties to the negotiations; has a good sense of timing.
• Customer Focus: Is dedicated to meeting the expectations and requirements of internal and external customers; gets first-hand customer information and uses it for improvements in products and services; acts with customers in mind; establishes and maintains effective relationships with customers and gains their trust and respect.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: From $19.50 per hour

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Employee discount
• Flexible schedule
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Professional development assistance
• Referral program
• Tuition reimbursement
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift
• Monday to Friday
• Weekends as needed

Ability to Commute:

• Charleston, WV 25301 (Preferred)

Ability to Relocate:

• Charleston, WV 25301: Relocate before starting work (Preferred)

Work Location: In person

Salary : $20