Director of Events

Company Description

Secluded on nearly 10 acres on Waller Creek, the Commodore Perry Estate comprises a 10,800-square-foot home, a chapel and gardens enclosed within a walled compound in the style of an Italian country villa and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Job Description

A  candidate with strong entrepreneurial spirit, who is innovative, creative, results driven with a desire to exceed customer expectations.  Exceptional business acumen with attention to detail, forecast accuracy and pace preparation.  Must be adaptable and able to work across all departments, with a key focus on food and beverage, to detail each event and ensure flawless execution.

• Responsible for achieving Total Catering and Banquet Revenue budget
• Responsible for selling, contracting, and closing on corporate catering and social business opportunities to achieve individual and team productivity goals
• Directly supervise all hotel Catering Sales, Conference Service Managers and Sales Coordinator team members
• As the Director, you will be expected to create new systems and procedures and improve upon current processes that will assist the department and hotel to run more efficiently and effectively
• Build relationships with key influencers in the business and social communities within Austin to bring new sources of revenue to the hotel
• Direct the catering sales and conference services efforts to maximize revenue with a working knowledge of food & beverage compositions and an understanding of kitchen and banquet service procedures
• Responsibilities include recruiting, interviewing, hiring, and training employees; planning, assigning, assisting, and directing activities; evaluating performance; rewarding, coaching, and disciplining employees; addressing complaints and resolving problems
• Work directly with accounting to ensure client bills are accurate and paid in a timely manner
• •Carry out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the brand and management company's policies and applicable laws
• Generate the monthly banquet and catering forecasts and once approved by the DOS, the Director of Events will input the forecast details into Pace report on a weekly basis in accordance with corporate timelines
• Conduct or attend the required company standard meetings, including but not limited to rally meetings, business review meetings, daily/weekly Banquet Event Order meetings, conduct/lead scheduled pre/post-convention meetings, one-on-one with team member meetings for coaching and developing, and weekly staff meetings
• Conduct hotel tours and entertain assigned client contacts in accordance with the company and property policies
• Implements the brand's service strategy and applicable brand initiatives in all aspects of the sales process and drives customer loyalty by delivering service excellence throughout each customer experience
• Understand month end reports, interpret market conditions, trends, and the property's competition
• Maintain a collaborative working relationship with the Area Director of Sales, General Manager, Director of Operations, Director of Membership, Food & Beverage, Chef, and Banquet Manager, etc.
• Ensure quality standards are met in customer service and satisfaction
• Ensure systems are established and in place to respond to customer needs within a defined response period
• Examples include telephone inquiries, bids, proposals, confirmation of bookings, thank you letters, follow up letters, outside calls, etc
• Maintain a file and trace system to ensure all sales call activity is defined, recorded, traced, and updated in the hotel's sales and catering system (Opera, Delphi.fdc) in an organized manner
• Review daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly results of all activities completed by the catering and sales and event services managers
• Ensure all traces are completed and retraced where appropriate
• Ensure the understanding and implementation of Brand services initiatives, tools, and resources
• Aggressively pursue all appropriate opportunities within assigned segment including Local Association Events, Trade Events, Industry Vendor Relationships, etc
• Contribute to the research and development of the annual strategic banquet/catering budget
• Perform other services and duties as requested by the DOS and GM
• May be called upon to host functions and participate in, or conduct sales blitzes, travel and work extended hours to achieve departmental goals
• Present a professional image to project a positive, polished appearance to staff, potential guests, and clients

Qualifications

• 3+ years of progressive event management experience 
• Ability to maintain a service-oriented style with professional presentational skills
• Excellent organization