Manager, Event Sales and Sponsorship

The Manager, Event Sales and Sponsorship drives comprehensive sales campaigns for exhibit and sponsorship offerings at IPW, U.S. Travel’s international inbound trade show, and other U.S. Travel Association events. This energetic professional will join a high-performance sales and sponsorship team in delivering a high level of service, nurturing long-lasting relationships with prospects, clients and strategic partners, and collaborating with colleagues to ensure exhibitors and sponsors receive a consistent, high-quality experience with our organization.

Responsibilities:

• Manage exhibit sales for the IPW trade show, which drives over $5B in travel bookings to the U.S. each year, working with hundreds of destinations and companies to explain, explore and secure exhibit and sponsorship opportunities to meet their organization’s objectives.
• Partner with Senior Director, Business Development to secure sponsorship opportunities for other U.S. Travel events including ESTO, Summer Summit and Destination Capitol Hill.
• Create and maintain impeccable relationships, including identifying customer needs and responding creatively, listening to information, asking questions, and applying knowledge to determine solutions.
• Collaborate with the sponsorship sales and marketing teams to develop a comprehensive sales and marketing plan for each event, including creation of promotional materials and messaging.
• Work with Senior Director and Finance team to manage exhibitor collection, cancellation, changes, and payment.

• Assist with onsite exhibitor and sponsor service and fulfillment for IPW and other events as needed.
• Identify opportunities for process improvements or service offerings that can increase ROI while maintaining client satisfaction.
• Work collaboratively with all departments to ensure seamless execution and alignment of event goals and objectives.
• Providing accurate and timely reporting.
• Other tasks and projects as needed.

Key Attributes:

• Ability to communicate clearly and build rapport in writing, in-person and over the phone.
• Strong interpersonal communications skills, particularly the ability to effectively connect with and persuade senior executives and decisionmakers.
• Understanding of exhibit & sponsorship trends and best practices, with a demonstrated ability to create compelling, creative sponsorship packages and proposals.
• Strong collaborator, able to work seamlessly with internal and external colleagues to achieve shared objectives.
• Highly organized, meticulously attending to details and adhering to deadlines while managing multiple projects.
• Self-starter able to anticipate needs and identify potential challenges and solutions.
• Receptive to feedback and direction and in search of constant self-improvement.

Education, Experience, and Skills:

• Bachelor’s degree and at least 4-5 years meeting and event experience or 7-9 years combined equivalent of work experience and education required.
• Previous work in event sales. Association/non-profit management or travel industry knowledge, a plus.
• Proficiency in CRM systems, sales analytics, and business intelligence tools.
• Intermediate level skill in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and Word, Salesforce and Map Your Show, preferred.

Other:

• Position based in Washington, DC. U.S. Travel staff work in the office Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays with the option to work remotely on Mondays and Fridays.
• Some event travel is required.
• Other Duties: Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.
• Salary range: 70-90K 
• Benefits:
• Comprehensive healthcare package with fertility coverage
• Generous paid leave including family leave
• Snacks, lunches, and many opportunities for social connections
• Transportation and cell phone benefits
• Robust wellness initiatives and Employee Assistance Plan (EAP)
• Education and professional development assistance