Position Summary

Responsible for driving revenue and brand positioning of the university as a premier conference and event destination. Leads strategic sales, marketing, contract negotiation, vendor management, and execution of on-campus conferences, camps, and events. Provides leadership to their student staff, collaborating across departments to ensure a top-tier event experience.---

Primary Responsibilities

Sales & Marketing Strategy

• Develops and implements multi-channel sales and marketing plans for local, regional, and national conferences and events to take place on campus.
• Identifies and pursues new business opportunities through RFPs, trade shows, site visits, and outbound sales missions.
• Grows and nurtures a robust network of meeting planners, vendors, tourism bureaus, and community stakeholders.

Revenue Generation & Budget Management

• Negotiates contracts—facility rentals, catering, AV, accommodations—ensuring profitable margins.
• Oversees event budgets, revenue forecasting, sponsorship packages, and financial performance tracking.
• Works closely with Finance to report KPIs such as booking rates, revenue per event, client satisfaction, and ROI metrics.

Vendor & Client Relations

• Manages external vendors (caterers, AV, maintenance) to ensure alignment and quality delivery.
• Serves as primary liaison for clients before, during, and after events—conducting site visits, drafting agreements, and resolving issues promptly.

Team Leadership & Operational Management

• Assists in recruitment, training, development, and performance management of the conference services team.
• Ensures seamless internal operations: coordinating room scheduling, housing plans, Risk Management, Facilities, Dining, Public Safety, and Campus Services.

Program Operations & Compliance

• Directs logistics execution from pre-event planning to post-event wrap-up.
• Maintains scheduling databases and works closely with scheduling coordinators to optimize space usage.
• Ensures compliance with government regulations, institutional policies, and risk management protocols.

Market Intelligence & Continuous Improvement

• Conducts competitor benchmarking, market trend analysis, and client satisfaction surveys.
• Presents data-backed insights and strategic recommendations to senior leadership.

Communications & Brand Management

• Collaborates with University Communications to maintain high-impact website content and sales collateral.
• Develops promotional materials, email campaigns, proposals, and recap presentations for internal and external audiences.

Event Coverage

• Supports event oversight, including evenings and weekends, as needed—especially during peak times like summer camps and off-season rentals.

Additional Position Information:

Minimum Qualifications

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Sales, Marketing, Business, Hospitality, Communications, or related field.

Experience

• 3+ years in sales, marketing, or event management—preferably in higher education, hospitality, or conference event services.
• Demonstrable success in revenue growth, sponsorship sales, and ROI measurement.
• Proven experience with budgeting, contract negotiations, and vendor relationship management.
• Supervisory experience leading a student staff and directing marketing and sales initiatives.
   

Preferred Qualifications

• 5+ years in higher education event services, conference center, or hospitality.
• Strong understanding of CRM/event management systems (e.g., Banner, Cvent).
• Excellent communication, presentation, organizational, and customer service skills.

Physical Requirements & Working Conditions

• Primarily office-based; involves campus walkthroughs, occasional lifting (<10 lbs), and flexible hours during the week taking into consideration event hours.
• Environment may include variable noise levels and heavy traffic during event peaks.
• Heavy use of computer and phone devices (~70% of time).

Supervisory Responsibilities

• Direct supervision student employees.
• Responsible for recruiting, training, evaluating, and performance development.

Success Metrics

• Annual revenue and profitability targets met or exceeded.
• Increased booking volume and client retention rates.
• Positive feedback in cli