Director of Booking | Full-Time | Rupp Arena

Oak View Group•Lexington, KY

8d•$105,000 - $125,000

About The Position

The Director of Booking reports to the General Manager and oversees all aspects of booking and scheduling ticketed and non-ticketed events at the venues. Responsible for delivering a superior level of content procurement, private and special events, customer service and effective relationships with clients, promoters, tenants, staff and guests. This role pays an annual salary of $105,000-$125,000 and is bonus eligible Benefits for Full-Time roles: Health, Dental and Vision Insurance, 401(k) Savings Plan, 401(k) matching, and Paid Time Off (vacation days, sick days, and 11 holidays) This position will remain open until May 22, 2026.

Requirements

5-7+ years’ experience booking arenas, clubs, theatres and/or stadiums with direct responsibility for supervising/directing staff across a wide-range of functions in a fast-paced environment in sports & entertainment industry. Experience with large crowd management in a stadium or concert setting of a similar size (15,000+ seats) is highly desirable
Bachelor’s degree in business management, hospitality or facilities management or other related field and/or equivalent of work experience in live entertainment
Previous experience working with a professional sports team or sports tenant, concerts, trade/consumer shows
Prior responsibility and experience for calendar and scheduling for professional sports team and use of booking software
Proven relationship and success working with various promoters, agents and managers
Possess strong organizational and communication skills, a strategic thinker and planner with a proven track record of success
Proven record of developing and maintaining strong partnerships and collaborative spirit with peers in all lines of the business
A strong record of personal and team achievement over his/her career with substantial personal contributions to the positive evolution of the business through innovative thinking and an ability to make things happen
Solid experience in leading, motivating and developing employees
A high degree of personal integrity and consistently put the interests of the organization ahead of their own

Responsibilities

Serves as a key contributor to the growth and profitability of the business, including strategic direction of event related sales and bookings at Rupp Arena, The Lexington Opera House and the Town Branch Park Amphitheatre.
Grow relationships with agents and promoters across the industry to increase portfolio of events that take place at all of the venues
Strategize on all venue deals to increase event traffic at all of the venues
Prepare and analyze operational performance of the company and its staff to meet objectives, and determine areas of potential cost reduction, program improvement, and policy change.
Must be able to establish and implement current & long-term objectives for event sales and bookings of all private, public, and ticketed events.
Daily delegation of responsibilities to directors, managers, associates, and coordinators within event sales and bookings.
Exuberantly promote the use of all event spaces in conjunction with marketing representatives to increase utilization.
Oversee and manage the development of the annual operating calendar, activity schedules, projections for attendance and/or revenue.
Schedule and lead weekly sales and booking department staff meetings.
Directly accountable for the sale goals, budgeting and profitability of event sales and venue booking.
Build and maintain positive customer/client relationships by providing efficient, quality services, and products.
Represent the organization and promote all objectives at official functions or delegate representatives to do so.
Organize and manage department budgets for approval, including those for funding and implementation of programs.
Manage costs to maximize event revenue with Events Department
Research, cultivate data, develop pitches with market information to agents and promoters
Facilitate communication between OVG venues and promoters, agents and managers for the betterment of OVG venue content.
Develop and Maintain high level relationships across the entire live industry
Negotiate deal points to ensure maximum revenue streams for the complex
Any additional tasks assigned.