Director of Sales and Event Experience

Job Posting Title:

Director of Sales and Event Experience

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Hiring Department:

University Unions

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Position Open To:

All Applicants

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Weekly Scheduled Hours:

40

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FLSA Status:

Exempt

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Earliest Start Date:

Sep 29, 2025

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Position Duration:

Expected to Continue

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Location:

UT MAIN CAMPUS

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Job Details:

General Notes

About University Unions

University Unions enhances the student experience at The University of Texas at Austin by offering welcoming facilities, engaging programs, and a supportive environment. Serving more than 50,000 students, faculty, staff, and guests annually, our team is committed to providing a welcoming and innovative services that reflect the spirit of Longhorn Nation.

Purpose

The University Unions at The University of Texas at Austin is seeking a highly motivated and results-oriented Director of Sales and Event Experience to lead and grow our event sales program. With more than 20 premier meeting, conference, and event venues, University Unions plays a critical role in supporting student life, campus departments, and external partners through dynamic, well-executed events.

The Director of Sales and Event Experience will be responsible for developing strategic sales initiatives, managing client relationships, negotiating contracts, and ensuring a seamless handoff to event operations. This position is responsible for leading new business development and renewing existing clients. The director directly supports our mission of creating welcoming and engaging campus experiences. 

Responsibilities

• Lead and implement a comprehensive event sales strategy to maximize space utilization and event revenue.
• Develop and maintain relationships with relevant colleges, schools, and units to understand their space and programming needs.
• Identify and cultivate new business opportunities across internal university units, student organizations, and external clients.
• Conduct site visits, prepare customized proposals, negotiate terms, and secure executed agreements.
• Serve as the primary sales contact for key clients, ensuring on-site presence and maintaining long-term relationships to encourage repeat bookings and referrals. 
• Collaborate closely with the event services and operations team to ensure seamless event delivery, including staffing coordination, payment processing, inventory logistics, and client communication.
• Supervise and support internal sales and event services staff, fostering a collaborative and high-performing team environment.
• Monitor space performance and industry trends to inform pricing, packaging, and promotional strategies.  Stay current on industry trends and best practices in event services and hospitality to identify innovative approaches for enhancing services and attracting new clients.
• Represent University Unions at networking events and campus activities to promote venues and services.
• Maintain accurate records of leads, conversions, and sales data using CRM and event management systems.
• Prepare regular reports for leadership on sales goals, space usage, and client feedback.
• Collect and compile formal feedback data from user groups and generate regular assessment reports summarizing results and trends.
• Ensure events align with UT Austin’s high standards of safety, accessibility, and hospitality excellence.
• Collaboration with Forty Acres Catering to increase catering revenue through integrated sales efforts.
• Collaborate with the Cactus Café to increase Special Use events and enhance venue visibility.
• Serve as a consistent primary point of contact for high-profile events, acting as a liaison between clients and internal teams to ensure exceptional customer service and successful event execution.
• Proactively prospect for new clients and generate opportunities for new events.
• Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with key decision-makers and existing clients to foster long-term engagement and repeat business.
• Participate in the planning and execution of event operations for special use rentals, including internal and external events of various scales and special events.
• Communicate with clients and internal department planners, coordinate with internal and external contracted vendors, including catering, production, housekeeping and maintenance, UTPD and parking.
• Schedule and conduct client site visits and event production meetings.
• Implement and execute all UT Austin policies and procedures and ensure that all UT Austin standards are maintained.

Required Qualifications