Business Development Director- Emerald Acres Sports Connection

The Sports Facilities Companies • Mattoon, IL

3d

About The Position

Emerald Acres Sports Connection is a premier sport, recreation and entertainment destination focused on improving the health and economic vitality of Mattoon, IL. You will be joining a championship level team focused on fun, fulfillment and service built to enrich the community as well as your career and personal growth. Emerald Acres Sports Connection is a managed facility by Sports Facilities Management, LLC, a Sports Facilities Companies (SFC) company. SFC is the nation's leading resource for managing and developing sports, recreation, wellness, and events facilities. We provide a highly collaborative and supportive culture that raises our team members to new levels of career growth. Together, we will carve a path in a hyper-growing industry where you will enjoy the journey and learn from the industry's best while having some fun. SFC has been awarded national recognition as a Top Workplace and is considered a workplace of choice. Our mission-focused company is highly entrepreneurial, team-oriented with a culture centered on collaboration, accountability, excellence, and service. We are growing rapidly and looking for high performers at every level to grow with us.

The Business Development Director will promote the venue as a regional destination for sporting events, tournaments, conferences, tradeshows, and other high-impact special events. This role drives revenue through event bookings, sponsorship sales, and strategic partnerships while collaborating closely with internal teams, events rights-holders, and community partners. Success will be measured by key performance indicators established by the General Manager, including event volume, sponsorship development, new business generation, and overall sales performance.

Requirements

• Prior experience conducting marketing research to identify consumer insights and partnership opportunities
• A bachelor's degree in business administration, sports management/recreation, marketing, or advertising OR minimum of 5+ years of experience in similar position
• Proven experience in youth sports, trade shows, consumer shows and convention sales
• Proven experience in contract negotiations, event creation and planning
• Must have excellent interpersonal, problem solving, and negotiating skills
• Must have excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Must have excellent computer skills, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.
• Must be able to work flexible schedules including weekends, nights, and holidays
• Prior responsibility in P&L management and budget oversight
• Must be able to lift 40 pounds waist high
• Will be required to sit for extended periods of time operating a computer
• Will be required to conduct venue tours to prospective clients
• Office environment has intermittent noise, normal in nature

Nice To Haves

• Strategic, relationship-driven communicator
• Experience in sports tourism, events rights-holder relations, and destination marketing
• Strong relationship sales background
• CRM proficiency, including maintaining a sales pipeline, logging outreach activity, and generating performance reports
• Data-driven decision-making
• Ability to collaborate cross-departmentally
• High level of professionalism and accountability

Responsibilities

• Develop and secure sporting events, tournaments, conferences, tradeshows, and high-impact special events
• Provide oversight and coordination of tournament and event agreements to ensure accurate terms, pricing, deliverables, and alignment with facility capabilities
• Lead sponsorship sales efforts to meet revenue targets
• Supervise and guide marketing staff in the execution of the facility's marketing plan
• Maintain oversight of the facility's master event and tournament calendar to support strategic planning
• Prepare and present reporting on event strategy, sales pace, and performance metrics
• Analyze market trends, customer data, and event performance to identify new business opportunities
• Forecast sales volume and revenue expectations to support facility financial planning
• Build and maintain strong relationships with key partners, events rights-holders, CVBs, hotels, and community organizations
• Manage communications with all event stakeholders to ensure alignment and success
• Participate in strategic and departmental planning meetings
• Serve as Manager-on-Duty (MOD) for select events as scheduled
• Other duties as assigned by management

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director