Express Meeting Manager

Description

Who We Are

Founded in 1926, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation is a private, not-for-profit educational, historic, and cultural institution that owns and operates one of the largest and best-known museum complexes in the world. Our mission is “that the future may learn from the past” through preserving and restoring 18th-century Williamsburg, Virginia’s colonial capital. We engage, inform, and inspire people to learn about this historic capital, the events that occurred here, and the diverse peoples who helped shape a new nation.

Today, Colonial Williamsburg is the largest living history museum in the U.S. The Historic Area is the 301-acre restored colonial capital with 88 original buildings and 525 buildings reconstructed to how they appeared in the 18th century through extensive archaeological, architectural, and documentary research. The Historic Area is staffed by highly trained, historically dressed interpreters and expert tradespeople who bring the 18th century to life. The Foundation also owns and operates two world-class museums, the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum, and the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum, The Bob and Marion Wilson Teacher Institute, and a renowned research library, the John D Rockefeller Jr Library.

Additionally, Colonial Williamsburg is home to five world class accommodations at the Williamsburg Inn, Williamsburg Lodge Autograph Collection, the Griffin Hotel, the Williamsburg Woodlands Hotels and Suites and the unique Colonial Houses in the Historical Area. Visitors may also indulge in food and drink at our many on site restaurants and taverns that blend a historically inspired dining experience with today’s evolved tastes. Each year over 5 million people visit Williamsburg and another 20 million engage with us digitally.

About the Position

Secure and plan future group and catering business for Colonial Williamsburg Resorts up to 30 rooms per night or less arriving within 90 days or as assigned by Director of Sales. Solicit repeat groups, or new groups as assigned by the Director of Sales. This includes all aspects of the sales process from inquiry, proposal, site inspection, and contracting to event planning. Maintain and exceed definite monthly room night and room’s revenue booking goals as assigned by Director of Sales. Serve as primary contact between the group’s meeting planner and Colonial Williamsburg operations to ensure thoughtful, detailed execution of all aspects of the group program.

Essential Functions:

• Assist in developing sales and marketing strategies for short term groups of 30 rooms or less peak and/or other markets as assigned by Director of Sales that may book out further than 90 days.
  • Develop and continuously update a list of top customers and top prospects/target accounts (Territory Road Map). Be prepared to provide updates to Director of Sales and senior management at any time.
  • Knowledge of various market segments to include corporate, association, incentive, SMERF, government, and other vertical markets or combination thereof.
  • Prepare highly successful site visits by implementing the site visit SOP to include obtaining information about the customer and organizing every detail of the customer’s visit
• Perform all aspects of conference planning for groups booked to include room block management, BEO preparation and distribution, attending BEO and Resume meetings, onsite contact for the group meeting planner, and liaison to all internal departments to ensure the success of the group program.
• Maintain regular and professional communication with meeting planners/decision makers in your territory or market by phone, email, and in person.
  • Develop sales action plans to stay in contact with key customers.
  • Build positive and lasting client relationships.
  • Secure new and repeat business.
  • Maintain accurate and legible files in accordance with established policies and procedures.
• Prepare and execute creative sales proposals and contracts that ensure the hotel’s financial and profitability goals are met, as well as maintain space and pattern utilization standards to minimize risk to the hotel. Adhere to all contractual processes and guidelines.
• Negotiate space, dates and rates to obtain room night booking goals (focusing on placement of business in shoulder and off-season and other need periods with emphasis on promoting Sunday-Thursday patterns) while maximizing profitability in all areas of the operation.
• Market and sell the entire resort and foundation property and amenities including guestrooms, banquets, restaurants (including historic area Taverns), golf, spa, teambuilding, tennis, admission tickets, entertainment, products, historic area, and museums.
• Provide information on the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, to include basic information on donor opportunities.
  • Maximize any cross-selling opportunities with Foundation
• Achieve monthly sales goals as outlined by Director of Sales.
• Understand the profitability of the business, by developing a working knowledge of cost factors (room rates, food and beverage, facility fees, museum operations) and the conference service operations.
• Manage sales coordinator to ensure efficient and effective completion of paperwork and all support functions to allow you to focus efforts on sales and planning.
• Operate within a team concept; willingness to cover for others when needed while meeting individual performance goals.
• Continue professional development through educational offerings made via industry trade groups, reading, utilizing online training tools, and in-house industry related educational training as assigned by Director of Sales.
• Knowledge of CWF mission and non-hotel offerings to guests. Be able to articulate how the resort revenues support the CW Foundation.
• Perform any special projects and all other duties as directed by Director of Sales that are consistent with the policies and procedures of the Hotel Sales Department and Colonial Williamsburg Resorts

Required and Preferred Education and Experience:

Required: Ability to perform the essential functions of the job is generally gained through a degree in business administration, hotel management or 1-2 years of hotel sales or other directly related experience (ie: front desk, food and beverage, conference services, concierge, etc.).

Preferred: Prior experience at a three or four star hotel a plus

Qualifications:

Positive demeanor, solution-oriented attitude, team player, excellent communication skills, ability to work independently without direct supervision, familiarity with general hotel operations; Must be willing to work evenings and weekends as required.