Jayhawk Hospitality Sales Manager
- Jayhawk Hospitality
- Lawrence, KS
- Full Time
- 20 days ago
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Job Description
To be considered, applicants must provide a cover letter and resume.
Position Summary:
Jayhawk Hospitality is the single point of entry for meetings and events at the University of Kansas spurring revenue growth across academic and service units, creating efficiencies in scheduling and use of space, provides support for campus planners, and interacts with campus stakeholders.
The Sales Manager will perform sales and promotional efforts designed to generate and develop revenue for the University of Kansas. Primarily focusing on selling efforts year-round meeting & conferences, sporting and special events. The Sales Manager will also promote University of Kansas as a regional, national, and international marketplace; implement sales, promotional plans, and strategies to solicit various groups such as corporate, SMERF, sports, association, high education, entertainment, travel/tourism through written and verbal methods. With specific, aggressive goals for generating revenue growth for conferences and events, increasing annual headcount, gaining operational efficiencies, increasing space utilization, and supporting the recruitment pipeline, the Sales Manager will use best practices in the marketing, sales, operations, and evaluation of meetings and events at the university and is a resource for any university college, department, or program that seeks to create or attract meetings and events in support of their individual missions. A secondary goal will be to support efforts of Jayhawk Community Partners in generating campus sponsorships leads. The Sales Manager will also be a liaison with the City of Lawrence, Kansas to coordinate operations, align goals, and establish regional benefits to the program.
Duties and Responsibilities of all Positions at Kansas Athletics
- Adhere to University, Big 12 Conference, Kansas Athletics, and NCAA policies and procedures;
- Maintain knowledge of departmental activities, sports schedules, and procedures;
- Foster cooperative working relationships with fellow staff members within the Department;
- Support the athletics department goals and philosophies as described by the Director of Athletics and work to achieve and uphold the department’s mission statement and core values;
- Maintain a positive attitude toward performing job duties and in working with other staff members;
- Exhibit professional decorum at all times while representing Kansas Athletics, including routine events and meetings that occur outside of the office and on the road;
- Maintain the confidentiality of all information obtained while an employee of Kansas Athletics including all private, confidential, or sensitive information and ensuring compliance with FERPA, HIPAA, and other applicable regulations.
Responsibilities of this Position:
- Identify new prospective clients (both internal and external) to host conferences and events at The University of Kansas and its affiliates. Proactively outreach using sales databases and other tools for cold calls, industry events, and other avenues to generate a steady list of active leads;
- Provide ongoing revenue projections and goal setting in collaboration with Director of Jayhawk Hospitality with strategic and tactical plans to achieve revenue goals on an annual basis. Maintain regular, real-time reports on booked and projected revenue and any associated expenses tied to event opportunities;
- Work with campus stakeholders to create and manage efficient practices for internal and external clients to reserve spaces for meetings and events, communication of reservations, setup requirements and costs to relevant campus service providers, and billing and collection of appropriate charges.
- Met with establish advisory group with university partners and stakeholders along with the City of Lawrence to ensure universal benefit and alignment on goals and opportunities;
- Adhere to the set of standards for all meetings and events at, or sponsored by, the University that establish expectations for quality of service, adherence to brand, and suitable outcomes for attendees. Assist with training and onboarding of all campus meeting planners and service providers on the established standards and ensure accountability across all meetings and events;
- Assist with department functions including: Implementation of policies that are client- and customer-focused and financially responsible related to scheduling, booking, contracting, and invoicing spaces and services on campus; Marketing and outreach activities to internal and external constituencies; Development and execution of proposals and contracts between the university and internal/external clients for all meetings and events activities; Oversight of execution of meetings and events to established university standards, including scheduling, overnight accommodations, food service, facility setups, technology, parking, and other services as required;
- Develop and maintain effective working relationships with internal and external service providers, vendors, and stakeholders; establish expectations, standards, and accountability for the provision of services that ensure a high level of customer experience;
Essential Duties of this Position:
- Identify and manage accounts and achieve sales goals by working with meeting and event planners, travel managers, national organizing bodies, procurement managers, training managers, and third-party companies, both locally and nationally in targeted markets;
- Achieve individual sales goals for the fiscal year by managing the long-term sales strategy, and ensuring short-term sales targets are met;
- Serve as a liaison between clients and University facility partners. Submit requests for proposals representing the client’s interests; Follow up with timely communication to clients, partners, team, and management in order to secure the business. This may include negotiating contracts and pricing with clients, vendors, and suppliers;
- Prepare complete proposal for client, coordinating and detailing housing availability/pricing/commitment and any additional costs to client in conjunction with meeting (off-site venues, transportation, hotel rebates and incentive offers) to ensure the University wins the business;
- Organize and execute sales calls, familiarization tours, client events and tradeshows in assigned market;
- Participate and generate new business lead opportunities through industry events/tradeshows, sales calls and networking;
- Engage prospective and current clients in regards to campus partnership and sponsorship opportunities where appropriate in coordination with Exec. Director, Jayhawk Community Partners;
- Continue market-specific professional development through industry certification programs;
- Coordinate and conduct site inspections at hotels, meeting & sporting venues for prospective clients specifically, tailored to the needs of each organization;
- Actively represent the university in regional sales cooperatives/initiatives, both formally and informally;
- Prospect for potential customers and events through industry-specific resources; follow-up with direct contact to determine client interest;
- Effectively manage individual travel budget and report all expenses in a timely and accurate manner within the university policy guidelines;
- Develop and maintain individual accounts and specific venue databases through CRM system;
- Attend client prospect events to educate and promote the university as a destination for meetings and events;
- Develop and maintain annual budget for travel, tradeshows, familiarization tours, sales travel/missions/blitzes, client events, etc.;
- Provide account updates, expenses and sales activity reports to Director on a regular basis.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree with seven or more years of job-related experience, or master’s degree with four or more years of job-related experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience. A degree in Business Administration, Hospitality Management, or related field is highly desirable;
- Experience with managing meetings and events in a higher-education setting is preferred;
- Experience in the development and review of contracts and service agreements for the execution of meetings and events;
- Must be able to thrive in a fast-paced environment;
- Work with a sense of urgency, have the ability to handle stress associated with tight deadlines and deal with multiple projects in short time frames;
- Effective communication and interpersonal skills;
- Ability to work with a wide range of constituencies in a diverse community;
- Ability to make independent administrative/procedural decisions and judgments;
- Ability and willingness to work on evenings and weekends as needed.
Salary Info: $75,000
This position is a benefits eligible role. Kansas Athletics offers relocation assistance and an excellent benefits package including: 403(b) matching program, plus voluntary retirement savings plans; health, dental, vision insurance, Section 125 flexible spending plans; paid holidays, vacation and sick leave; paid Parental leave; employer paid long-term disability, group term life and AD&D; tuition reimbursement; Adidas merchandise allotment and discounts; free weight room access; and more!
Work Environment:
This job operates in a professional office. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as laptop computers and various digital devices, including, but not limited to: cell phone, printer, copy machine, and other related devices. This job requires flexibility and adaptability in schedule and the ability to perform job related duties on short notice.
Physical Demands:
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to speak and hear. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and ability to adjust focus. This position may require frequent bending, moving, lifting, and carrying material weighing up to 25 pounds; standing up to eight hours each day; and working in all weather conditions.
Travel:
25% of travel may be expected in this role
Hours of Work:
This is a full-time position. Days and hours of work will vary based on the needs of the position. Early morning, evening and weekend work maybe required.
Other Duties:
Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.
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