POSITION TITLE: Special Events and Facility Sales Manager
ORGANIZATION: Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum
REPORTS TO: Executive Director
POSITION LOCATION: Indianapolis, IN
FLSA STATUS: Exempt
WORKER CATEGORY: Full-Time
This position description is for an employee of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC (“Speedway”) to work for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Foundation, Inc. (d/b/a Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, the “Museum”), pursuant to the relationships of the Speedway and the Foundation as those may be defined from time to time.
The Special Events and Facility Sales Manager (“Manager”) must have extensive experience with out-side sales and enjoy the challenge of meeting sales goals and increasing the revenues that the Muse-um will receive from outside clients. The Manager must provide excellent guest services to rental clients and their guests, colleagues in the Museum with whom s/he works, Museum members, Museum guests, and personnel of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (“IMS”) and its affiliated vendors and sponsors. This position requires a high energy level, self-direction, problem solving skills, excellent communication and interpersonal skills, collaboration with colleagues and clients, timely responses to inquiries, and the ability to manage multiple projects.
Responsibilities:
The Manager is responsible for all facility rental activities of the Museum and managing or providing support services to Museum staff for special Museum events. The Manager is responsible for initiating and conducting all sales-related activities pertaining to the booking of rental spaces at the Museum, including marketing the venue, managing the event calendar, negotiating with clients and vendors about rentals, and delivering event objectives. The position includes responsibilities for monitoring time-frames and budgets, participating in collaborative sessions with other staff, and supervising one person who assists on a part-time basis with event management.
Sales and Business Development
Manage and supervise all aspects of facility rentals including sales, planning, marketing, operations, and event implementation. This includes:
• Increasing the Museum’s rental client base and rental of Museum space through effective sales generation processes including: networking with event planners (corporate and individual), timely pursuit of leads generated internally or by IMS personnel, participating in lead generation meetings and other opportunities, following up with past Museum clients, and cold calling solicitations.
• Developing relationships with tourism and travel professional such as VisitIndy, group tour program operators, convention planners, and other professionals.
• Enhancing and maintaining existing client relationships to improve their experiences and generate repeat bookings.
• Developing excellent relationships with the client, event, and facility rental staff of IMS.
• Developing a comprehensive marketing and communications plan using internal resources (website, social media, rack cards) and external advertising and promotion opportunities. Includes development of sales collateral as well as the regular distribution of the same to appropriate venues and dissemination avenues. Coordinates all such activities with appropriate colleagues, including Director of Development and Partnerships, Tour Coordinator, and Director of Communications.
Event Planning
Manages all Museum and client events at the Museum, except for those designated Museum events that are handled by other staff. In the later instances, her/his role will be defined on a case-by-case basis in consultation with the appropriate Museum colleague. This includes:
• Providing information about facility rentals and in-person walk-throughs with prospective clients.
• Negotiating contract terms with prospective clients.
• Serving as the point person for coordinating all event details with internal and external clients once a contract is signed. Includes additional facility walk-throughs as needed.
• Supervising staff for the facility rental function, which involves coordination with colleagues (Museum front desk and host staff) and third-party vendors, IMS, janitorial services, catering, furniture rental, and other vendors.
• Supervising and training staff member who assists with events on a part-time basis, responds to inquiries, coordinates logistics, and undertakes other duties as the Special Event Manager may assign.
• Coordinating with accounting staff in the creation of invoices and tracking payments for rental clients, vendor royalty payments, and other expenses.
• Working with client to create/revise room layouts/arrangements for each event as necessary.
• Managing on-site production and clean up for events as necessary. Will periodically be required to assist with physical set-up and tear-down.
• Developing excellent working relationships with caterers, furniture rental companies, AV rental companies, florists, and others that provide services to clients internally and externally.
• Negotiating exclusivity contracts with caterers and others, subject to supervisor’s approval.
• Partnering with the IMSM Curator and Tour department to develop opportunities to offer the client for the purpose of enhancing the event guest experience.
• Managing and analyzing facility rental fee structure and recommends improvements and changes as needed.
• Assuring the safety of all guests participating in third-party events or Foundation sponsored events through appropriate event guidelines and planning.
• Surveying clients and colleagues post-event to determine satisfaction with level of service.
Administrative Duties
• Preparing an annual plan and budget that maximizes earned income opportunities, and tracking budget results.
• Maintaining and communicating a current schedule of rentals to determine availability of Museum spaces for bookings and ensure there are no conflicting events or dates internally and externally.
• In consultation with colleagues, setting parameters for events in the Museum and providing input into event budgets and activities. Identifying sources for external event services and equipment; negotiating and securing outside vendors when necessary.
Knowledge/Skills:
• Undergraduate degree in hospitality services, marketing, or sales preferred; will consider high school diploma or equivalent with significant experience in sales and event planning (8 years or more).
• Minimum of four years’ experience in selling, coordinating, and managing special events and/or facility rentals.
• Demonstrated success in developing, managing, and executing event sales campaigns.
• Strong project management, time management, and organizational skills; ability to create structure and organization out of a non-structured situation and/or ability to adapt to the structure imposed by client processes. Timely, appropriate follow-up to inquiries. Follows through promptly and delivers work product on-time and in acceptable condition/quality.
• Self-motivated, pro-active approach to work and relationship-building with referral sources, prospective clients, clients, partner organizations, and Museum colleagues. Committed to and “owns” his/her work product.
• Strong customer service skills.
• Experience in supervising employees.
• Values diversity of thought, backgrounds and perspectives
• Excellent organizational skills – ability to create structure and organization out of a non-structured situation.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• Ability to use technology to achieve desired results. Ability to use basic technology that Museum offers to its client for rental purposes.
• Knowledge of and experience using MICROSOFT Office products (WORD, EXCEL, POWERPOINT, ACCESS databases). Knowledge of and experience using facility rental software to track events, do layouts, and provide appropriate customer service. Familiarity with Caterease a plus.
Discretion/Latitude/Decision-Making:
• Ability to work independently, without direct supervision, while keeping others informed of progress, potential conflicts of priorities, and other matters relevant to their work.
• Ability to distinguish between problems and solutions requiring management approval and those that s/he may resolve directly.
• Maintains confidentiality of proprietary, confidential, and sensitive information.
• Has a high degree of personal and professional integrity; acts in an ethical manner and avoids conflicts of interest.
• Ability to prioritize projects and adjust priorities in light of changing needs and circumstances, recognizes when to involve supervisors in decision-making about priorities.
Communications/Interpersonal Contacts:
• Very good written and oral communications skills, with an emphasis on inter-personal relations. Able to interact with a wide variety of individuals. Adept at communicating both on a personal level and with groups. Sets an example of a professional demeanor on the telephone, in written communications, and in person. Engenders confidence in abilities and commitments from referral sources, prospective clients, clients, partners, and colleagues.
• Ability to communicate own plans and ideas to colleagues and individuals or organizations with which s/he interacts.
• Keeps colleagues and supervisors informed of progress of tasks, as well as issues that require supervisor’s resolution.
• Ability to communicate well with and provide feedback to supervised employee with respect to performance of responsibilities, good feedback and constructive criticism.
• Remains calm under pressure, communicating in a mature, reassuring, and effective manner.
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.
• Frequently works all or a part of a day in the evening or on weekends. Flexible scheduling permitted.
• Needs to lift and carry up to 30 pounds.
• Some walking and standing for long periods of time.
• Some exposure to inclement weather during outdoor events.
Work Environment:
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• Work is mainly performed in an indoor environment and in close proximity to others.
• The employee is faced with frequent interruptions and must meet with others on a regular basis.
• The noise level in the work environment can be loud, due to professional racing events.
Equal Opportunity Employer:
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, amnesty or status as a covered veteran in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws. The Company complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities and/or events.