Director of Booking | Full-Time | Rupp Arena

Oak View Group

Oak View Group is the global leader in venue development, management, and premium hospitality services for the live event industry. Offering an unmatched, 360-degree solution set for a collection of world-class owned venues and a client roster that includes the most influential, highest attended arenas, convention centers, music festivals, performing arts centers, and cultural institutions on the planet.

Position Summary

The Director of Booking reports to the General Manager and oversees all aspects of booking and scheduling ticketed and non-ticketed events at the venues. Responsible for delivering a superior level of content procurement, private and special events, customer service and effective relationships with clients, promoters, tenants, staff and guests.

 

This role pays an annual salary of $105,000-$125,000 and is bonus eligible

 

Benefits for Full-Time roles: Health, Dental and Vision Insurance, 401(k) Savings Plan, 401(k) matching, and Paid Time Off (vacation days, sick days, and 11 holidays)

 

This position will remain open until May 22, 2026.

About the Venue

Lexington is an active and thriving market, craving an active and welcoming venue for events. The heart of any thriving community is its downtown—and Lexington Center and the historic Rupp Arena are truly the heart of downtown Lexington and one of the most widely-recognized entertainment venues in North America. Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky, is fast becoming THE must-play venue. The 20,000-seat arena, affectionately referred to by some as “the Cathedral of College Basketball”, is home to the National Champion University of Kentucky men’s basketball program and has played host to some of the most talented and award-winning musicians/artists in the world, including U2, Paul McCartney, Elton John, Justin Timberlake, Kenny Chesney, Taylor Swift, and many others.

Central Bank Center is our convention side, with over 99k sf of exhibition space, 24k sf each of meeting and ballroom space, 50k of hospitality space, 10k sf of flexible space, and over 2500 covered and uncovered parking spaces. Both venues are additionally joined in entertaining this area by the Lexington Opera House, showcasing Broadway talent through collaborative bookings of Broadway shows, small venue concerts, and local arts.CommonSpirit Health Stage at Gatton Park is a 5,000-capacity outdoor venue located in the center of Lexington. From live music and stand-up comedy to unforgettable experiences set against a stunning park backdrop in the center of the city.

Founded in 2021, Lexington Sporting Club is an American professional soccer team based in Lexington, KY. The soccer complex off Athens-Boonesboro Road near I-75 opened in August 2024 in time for the organization’s first USL Super League season.

 

Our PurposeWe are building an organization that serves our fans, community, and partners through world-class entertainment, sports, and events. We believe in being authentically Kentucky. This means staying true to what makes Kentucky, Kentucky, by rolling up our sleeves to get things done, valuing hospitality and gathering together, being a pillar in our community, teamwork over the individual, celebrating our wins, taking risks, and stretching our potential. As part of Oak View Group we embrace a positive disRUPPtion.

Responsibilities

• Serves as a key contributor to the growth and profitability of the business, including strategic direction of event related sales and bookings at Rupp Arena, The Lexington Opera House and the Town Branch Park Amphitheatre. 
• Grow relationships with agents and promoters across the industry to increase portfolio of events that take place at all of the venues
• Strategize on all venue deals to increase event traffic at all of the venues
• Prepare and analyze operational performance of the company and its staff to meet objectives, and determine areas of potential cost reduction, program improvement, and policy change.
• Must be able to establish and implement current & long-term objectives for event sales and bookings of all private, public, and ticketed events.
• Daily delegation of responsibilities to directors, managers, associates, and coordinators within event sales and bookings.
• Exuberantly promote the use of all event spaces in conjunction with marketing representatives to increase utilization.
• Oversee and manage the development of the annual operating calendar, activity schedules, projections for attendance and/or revenue.
• Schedule and lead weekly sales and booking department staff meetings.
• Directly accountable for the sale goals, budgeting and profitability of event sales and venue booking.
• Build and maintain positive customer/clien