Catering Sales Manager

CRVA•Charlotte, NC

About The Position

The Catering Sales Manager is responsible for booking short-term meetings, catered events, and repeat accounts at the Charlotte Convention Center. The role details food and beverage requirements for Convention Center events and joint citywide events with the NASCAR Hall of Fame, coordinating with clients, food and beverage teams, and operations to support successful event execution. The manager handles client relationships throughout the sales and event lifecycle, from responding to inquiries and preparing proposals and contracts to planning menus, creating Banquet Event Orders, coordinating event operations, collecting guarantees, and supporting timely payment. The position also supports sales and marketing initiatives, revenue forecasting, budgeting reviews, and maintenance of the catering database in Momentus. The role requires a flexible schedule that includes nights, weekends, and possibly holidays. It has no budgetary or supervisory responsibilities and no travel requirements. The employee works in an environment with usually moderate noise and must regularly lift or move up to 25 pounds.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent from a four-year college or technical school, and four to five years of related experience and/or training; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Knowledge of the Microsoft Office suite.
Ability to interact effectively with people of diverse backgrounds.
Excellent analytical, problem-solving, critical-thinking, and decision-making skills.
Self-motivation, individual accountability, and ability to work as a strong team player.
Ability to provide exceptional customer service and improve the bottom line.
Clear, concise written and verbal communication skills.
Creativity and innovation, attention to detail, and excellent time management and multitasking skills.
Passionate, enthusiastic, flexible, and energetic approach to work.
Project management experience.
Ability to anticipate customer needs and effectively present information and respond to questions from managers, clients, customers, and the general public.
Ability to build positive relationships with customers and vendors and exceed customer needs.
Ability to regularly lift or move up to 25 pounds.
Close vision; regularly sit, use hands to handle or feel, and talk or hear; frequently stand and walk.
Must be able to work a flexible schedule that includes nights, weekends, and possibly holidays.

Nice To Haves

Experience working on major events is preferred.

Responsibilities

Respond to and book short-term inbound Convention Center inquiries from repeat customers, phone, walk-ins, websites, hotels, and referrals; communicate dates, rates, and space; and use Momentus, proposal templates, opportunities, traces, and contracting procedures.
Qualify the history of new Convention Center event opportunities, including contacting other facilities, conducting internet searches to confirm legal entities, and reviewing previous event websites.
Work with culinary and operations teams to develop menus that appeal to clients and guests while remaining operationally feasible, cost-effective, and appropriate for venue facilities.
Conduct site visits for potential clients and participate in planning site visits when requested; coordinate and conduct tastings to support upselling.
Work with contracted clients on food and beverage needs and use Momentus to create Banquet Event Orders (BEOs) detailing menu selections and service requirements; obtain client signatures by deadlines.
Facilitate weekly BEO meetings with Kitchen, Banquet, and Operations teams to review upcoming events and communicate event details and client expectations.
Obtain final guarantees from clients and assist accounting in securing timely deposits and final payments.
Be onsite during events to ensure rooms are set properly and food is prepared as ordered and delivered on time; communicate pop-up needs and last-minute BEO changes.
Manage client relationships, set expectations, follow up after events to confirm success and initiate rebooking, and send client surveys.
Participate in targeted sales and marketing initiatives when requested by Visit Charlotte, such as client familiarization trips and entertainment.
Forecast event revenues in Momentus UDF and participate in annual budgeting account profile reviews.
Work a flexible schedule that includes nights, weekends, and possibly holidays; attend weekly meetings as scheduled.
Source and procure specialty items and maintain and update the catering database in Momentus.
Consistently deliver excellent customer service and represent the city by setting a standard of Southern hospitality; apply CRVA Service Standards to meet customer needs and provide personalized, complete solutions that exceed expectations.
Champion CRVA’s mission, vision, and core values, and comply with organizational policies and procedures.
Perform other duties as required.