Catering Sales Manager - ESPN World Wide of Sports Complex

Compass Group

About The Position

The disruptor in defining the sports and entertainment hospitality experience, Levy is recognized as the market leader and most critically acclaimed hospitality company in its industry. Twice named one of the 10 most innovative companies in sports by Fast Company magazine and one of the top three Best Employers for Diversity in America by Forbes, Levy’s diverse portfolio includes award-winning restaurants; iconic sports and entertainment venues, zoos and cultural institutions, theaters, and convention centers; as well as the Super Bowl, Grammy Awards, US Open Tennis Tournament, Kentucky Derby, and NHL, MLB, NBA, NFL, and MLS All-Star Games. The Catering Sales Manager will be responsible for managing the overall event sales lifecycle of catering events at the location to meet and exceed established annual sales revenue goals. The ideal candidate will be an experienced and driven sales professional - able to collaborate with a range of stakeholders to plan and deliver outstanding guest experiences.

Requirements

2+ years in a catering sales role
High level of computer literacy
Passion for hospitality, food, and retail
Excellent interpersonal and stakeholder management skills

Nice To Haves

Hospitality or Business Degree is preferred
Experience working on major events is preferred

Responsibilities

Builds and maintains relationships with location partner teams to jointly secure and maximize catering opportunities
Ensure smooth transition and communication with location partner teams to execute positive client experience
Partnering with location leadership to identify opportunities to grow revenue via sales trends, strategic menu development, and creative, new opportunities to expand catering revenue opportunities
Work closely with the building partner to identify win-win opportunities and areas for collaboration
Contributes to and manages the development of strategic sales initiatives
Completion of annual group sales review to identify strengths and opportunities for the future
Completion of annual competitor analysis within the market and working with location partner to optimize menu offerings, as needed
Completion of annual lost business analysis to investigate areas of opportunities resulting in increased secured business
Ability to analyze sales trends, client s needs, and wants to enhance the overall event experience
Proactively engaging in networking and other lead generation activities
Maintains successful performance by increasing revenues, controlling expenses, and providing a return on investment for the location partner
Promptly respond to all client correspondence, phone, and email, including initial inquiry correspondence, proposal development for qualified leads, and all follow up as necessary to secure business
Negotiate with clients through the use of creative and attractive menu presentations and event proposals, to achieve both maximum revenue/profit potential and fulfillment of contractual responsibilities while satisfying client needs
Working closely with the culinary and operations team to develop menus and staffing bids to WOW clients and guests while simultaneously maintaining operational feasibility, cost-effectiveness, and event appropriateness for venue facilities
Creating Banquet Event Orders (BEOs) and catering agreements in appropriate system and submitting for client signature in accordance with venue deadlines
Works with venue or client to create floorplans and submit to local authorities, when necessary
Manage client relationships to set expectations and drive positive event experience
Handling client billing to ensure accurate and timely payment of deposits and final payments
Solicits event feedback and compiles opportunities for improvement and event experience
Attending management meetings and partnering with all management stakeholders to ensure the timely fulfillment of group sales contracts
Manages event communication to appropriate stakeholders including, but not limited to, event files for use by operations, schedule of events, and final BEOs
Facilitating weekly BEO meetings with operations and culinary to ensure everyone is aligned on event expectations
Collects end of night feedback from the operations team to include in event recap documentation
Maintaining CRM system of current and future potential clients
Completing maintenance and clean-up of processes in the infor/Reserve system
Inspecting event setups to ensure they match the banquet event order
Other duties as assigned