Event Manager

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Ruth Bancroft Garden (“Garden”) seeks a seasoned and organized Events Manager to join the world-renowned Ruth Bancroft Garden in Walnut Creek! The Garden is a 3.5-acre nonprofit public garden known for its stunning dry garden design and exceptional plant collection. The Events Manager oversees the recruitment, marketing, and operations for Garden private events, manages the associated support staff to ensure event success, and oversees the protection of the Garden and plant collection during events. The Event Manager also oversees and manages garden weddings and private events, planning and execution of Garden events, revenue generating monthly community events, Garden publicity, and associated committees, staff, and volunteers.  As department head and part of the Garden leadership team, the Events Manager will work closely with the Executive Director to provide vision and foresight for the department and will possess excellent customer service, business acumen, staff management, writing skills, and graphic skills. Experience managing a wedding venue is essential to be considered for this position.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Event Coordination

• Manage and schedule event staff for private events
• Perform human resource (HR) administrative tasks
• Collaborate with Garden colleagues regarding the successful execution of Garden and Private Events
• Create and manage department budgets, event proposals, and contracts
• Reply to and track all inquiries including Wedding Wire, Yelp, and third-party inquiry forms
• Coordinate drop-off and pick-up for rental companies
• Manage staffing and events booking calendar
• Perform event follow-up and collaborate with vendors to execute event details
• Manage private rental client and vendor communications and collection of payments
• Purchase rental supplies as required
• Collaborate with Nursery staff for event needs as required
• Perform monthly housekeeping of the Garden and Building
• Work major Ruth Bancroft Garden public events as needed, including evenings and weekends
• Plan, manage, and execute logistics for Garden Events, including budgeting, scheduling, catering, and rentals
• Act as a day of event point leader in charge of outside vendor deliveries, set up, and clean up
• Determine event staffing needs and manage, schedule, and coordinate accordingly
• Coordinate drop-off and pickup times with vendors
• Manage internal Event calendar
• Collaborate with team members on community events and foster annual event engagement
• Manage inventory and purchasing responsibilities for events including food/drink, merchandise etc.
• Obtain required licensing in a timely fashion (e.g. alcohol sales)
• Collaborate with staff to create new and engaging community events
• Manage third-party janitorial services and laundry
• Create floorplans for events and oversee setup and breakdown
• Facilitate parking management

Customer Service and Marketing

• Provide Garden and rental space tours with prospective clients
• Cultivate relationships with clients and engage clients during the planning process
• Collaborate with Marketing team to develop brochures, website updates, and social media content
• Develop and nurture relationships with vendors
• Respond to inquiries for private and professional photoshoots
• Develop and nurture relationships with clients and vendors

Other Garden Duties

• Work other Garden promotional events as needed including evenings and weekends.
• Develop and maintain an overall understanding of the history and mission of the Ruth Bancroft Garden as a local nonprofit leader in the preservation and promotion of Ruth Bancroft’s work-class collection of water-conserving plants displayed in her exceptionally designed garden for the education, inspiration, and enjoyment of the public
• Facilitate Garden engagement by showing customers and guests mature specimens, generate excitement, and bridge their experience between residential landscaping projects and the Garden & Nursery

Technical Skills and Knowledge

• Comprehensive knowledge and experience in wedding and event facility management.
• Business Acumen: Understands business implications of decisions; displays orientation to profitability; demonstrates knowledge of market and competition; aligns work with strategic goals.
• Project Management: Develops/coordinates project plans; communicates changes and progress; completes projects on time and budget; manages project team activities.
• Contract management: Prepares and negotiates contracts. Oversee contracts including invoicing, extra services, and contract closeout.
• Edit web portals that promote Garden events.
• Managing People: Includes staff in planning, decision-making, facilitating and process improvement; makes themself available to staff; provides regular performance feedback; develops subordinates’ skills and encourages growth; solicits and applies customer feedback (internal and external); fosters quality focus in others; improves processes, products and services; continually works to improve supervisory skills.
• Consultative Selling: Qualifies potential customers; builds rapport and establishes trust; asks questions to identify client needs; applies product and market knowledge effectively; presents options and solutions that meet customer objectives; manages and documents sales process.
• Customer Service: Maintains a high level of customer engagement with an ability to manage difficult or emotional customer situations; respond promptly to customers; meet deadlines; moves project forward.
• Professionalism: Approaches others in a tactful manner; reacts well under pressure; treats others with respect and consideration regardless of their status or position; accepts responsibility for own actions; follows through on commitments; grounded in honesty, integrity, credibility, commitment to quality, and dedication

Administrative Duties

• Prepare client proposals and contracts
• Write clearly in email and letter formats
• Reply to and track inquiries for Private Events
• Answer calls, emails, and on-site inquiries regarding Private Events
• Adhere to procedures, guidelines, and policies outlined by the Garden

Qualifications

• To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Job-Related Knowledge

• Fluent in day of wedding and event flow and timing of needs during the event
• Maintains a high level of customer engagement with an ability to manage difficult or emotional customer situations; respond promptly to customers; meet deadlines; moves projects forward

Job-Related Skills & Abilities

• Ability to provide excellent client service, and communicate clearly, both verbally and in writing.
• Ability to work independently.
• Ability to coordinate with vendors and caterers.
• Ability to balance what the client wants, while considering and executing strategic thinking and troubleshooting with what is best for the organization, while working together in a team atmosphere.
• Ability to handle difficult event customers and provide a calming influence.
• Strong computer literacy skills are required
• Ability to drive and travel by car as needed.
• Add, subtract, multiply and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions and decimals. Compute rate, ratio and percent, and draw and interpret bar graphs.
• Balances team and individual responsibilities; exhibits objectivity and openness to others’ views; gives and welcomes feedback; contributes to building a positive team spirit; puts success of team above own interests; able to build morale and group commitments to goals and objectives; supports everyone’s efforts to succeed.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

This position supervises the House Manager and a team of on-call hourly event staff.

Work Environment:

• Work to be performed both indoors and outside. May be exposed to the elements
• Must be able to work weekends and evenings as necessary and accommodate a flexible schedule
• The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

Physical Demands:

• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, talk, and hear and use hands to handle or feel. The employee is required to stand and walk, often for extended periods of time out in the heat or cold, depending on the time of year. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus. The employee must be able to lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. In addition to lifting, the employee must be able to carry items for some distance.

Benefits

• Pay based on skills and experience: $68,560 – $75,587
• Benefits include three weeks paid time off (PTO), which increases after five years of service, 10 paid holidays, health insurance subsidy, 403b available

To be considered for this position, submit a resume and letter of interest by email to: jobs@ruthbancroftgarden.org