Director of Hospitality, Guest Experience and Events

About Us
Robert Mazza, Inc. (“Mazza”) is a wine, spirits, and craft beer producer with operations in northwestern Pennsylvania and western New York. Established in 1972 with a single vineyard, Mazza now operates three primary locations in the Lake Erie AVA: Mazza Vineyards in North East, PA; South Shore Wine Company in North East, PA; and Mazza Chautauqua Cellars in Westfield, NY, which also serves as home to Five & 20 Spirits & Brewing – New York State’s first combination winery, distillery, and brewery.

Since its first vintage in 1973, Mazza has grown to produce more than 435,000 gallons of fresh juice and wine annually, with over 550 acres under grape and grain cultivation. Our family of brands includes numerous award-winning wines, spirits, and beers distributed nationally and internationally.

Mazza offers a range of event spaces at our locations, including banquet facilities at South Shore Wine Company, ideal for corporate events, weddings, and private gatherings and ample outdoor opportunities at Mazza Chautauqua Cellars / Five & 20 Spirits and Brewing – all primed for additional utilization.

Learn more at: https://enjoymazza.com/about-us/

Our mission is to craft enjoyment, nurture growth, and honor our roots.

For our customers, we source quality ingredients from our region and talent from around the globe to produce an intentionally and delightfully diverse collection of wines, spirits, and beers.

For our people, we provide opportunities for personal growth and to find purpose in what they pursue.

For our partners, we seek and nurture relationships that are economically sound and mutually beneficial.

About the Role

The Director of Hospitality, Guest Experience & Events is a newly created role responsible for elevating the guest experience across all Mazza locations while overseeing event planning, coordination, and hospitality standards. This role combines leadership, strategic planning, and hands-on management of both the guest experience and event programming, aimed at increasing brand loyalty and driving revenue growth through exceptional guest engagement and effective use of event spaces.

This position requires a strong emphasis on event coordination, hospitality management, and cross-team collaboration, as well as a proactive approach to maintaining brand standards. An understanding of marketing, the ability to retain existing customers while engaging new groups and demographics is essential. Over time, the role may evolve.

Key Responsibilities

Hospitality Leadership in Collaboration with the Tasting Room Team Manager and Leads:

• Develop and implement a Hospitality Standard for tasting room and customer service staff to ensure consistent, exceptional service at all guest touchpoints.
• Coordinate training sessions for staff, ensuring hospitality protocols are maintained across all locations.
• Establish systems to measure hospitality performance, address shortcomings quickly, and celebrate team successes.
• Work closely with tasting room, production, shipping, ordering, management, and accounting teams to foster a culture of hospitality and professionalism, ensuring alignment between teams, vendors, customers, and partners.

Event Strategy and Execution:

• Develop a comprehensive annual, monthly, and ad hoc event schedule for all locations, including private and corporate events as well as public programming.
• Reimagine, coordinate and manage events, ensuring they align with Mazza’s brand, and maximize the use of event spaces, including, but not limited to, the banquet facilities at South Shore Wine Company, while balancing guest experience.
• Promote and execute events, from planning stages to post-event follow-up, aiming to drive revenue, guest engagement, and brand visibility.
• Analyze event performance through data-driven insights to refine strategies and improve event outcomes.

Guest and Partner Engagement:

• Act as the primary contact for private event bookings across all venues, ensuring a seamless and positive experience for all external clients.
• Maximize the utilization of guest and rental spaces while maintaining high-quality guest experiences in tasting rooms and special event areas.
• Collaborate with the sales team as needed for establishing and nurturing relationships with local businesses, organizations, and accounts to expand the event customer base.
• Cultivate and maintain strong, long-term relationships with key guests, partners, and external vendors.

Cross-Functional Collaboration:

• Work closely with marketing and sales teams to develop promotional strategies for events and optimize collaboration with local businesses, organizations and accounts.
• Coordinate with tasting room management to ensure smooth operations during events, ensuring all locations maintain a balanced focus on both public and private event offerings and establish clearly defined responsibilities across teams to achieve successful execution.
• Develop strategies to drive brand loyalty, leveraging feedback and insights from guests to improve hospitality and event programming.

First-Year Priorities

• Hospitality Standards: Develop, implement, and refine a consistent Hospitality Standard across all locations. In conjunction and partnership with retail manager (title re-work) and tasting room team
• Event Programming: Build and execute a comprehensive event calendar, with a focus on maximizing venue usage while balancing guest experiences.
• Data-Driven Event Analysis: Develop a system for tracking and analyzing event success (revenue, attendance, social engagement) and use insights to improve future programming.
• Internal Collaboration: Strengthen relationships with internal teams and external partners to align event objectives with broader business goals.
• Revenue and or event number goal and attendance – more of a measurement than a priority

Qualifications

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in event planning, hospitality, or a related field, with leadership experience.
• Experience or credentials such as WSET and/or food service certifications preferred.
• Strong skills in event management, data analysis, and strategic planning.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to inspire teams, create meaningful guest relationships, and lead with professionalism.
• Experience with event and venue rentals, ideally in a winery, distillery, or hospitality environment.
• Proficiency in Excel and CRM/reporting tools for customer engagement and event analysis.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and ensure a high level of service and brand integrity across locations.

Application Requirements:
Submit a cover letter, resume, and salary expectations. Please include specific examples of past events or hospitality programs you have developed and their results.

Compensation

Salary commensurate with experience, comprehensive benefits available. Salary listed is baseline range and role will have incentives and take part in company profit share.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $48,000.00 - $60,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Employee discount
• Flexible schedule
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Parental leave
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday
• Weekends as needed

Ability to Relocate:

• North East, PA 16428: Relocate before starting work (Required)

Work Location: In person

Salary : $48,000 - $60,000