Director of Event Sales & Experiences

Loveland Living Planet Aquarium Jobs•Draper, UT

About The Position

The Director of Event Sales & Experiences is responsible for driving all aspects of event revenue generation, sales performance, and event execution at the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium (LLPA). This leadership role oversees a multi-million-dollar events portfolio, including the Grand Ballroom, pre-function areas, and event venues across the LLPA campus. The Director manages corporate, private, and signature LLPA events, including weddings, conferences, concerts, the Winter Lantern Festival, Shark Week celebrations, and community programs. They lead a high-performing team across sales and operations to ensure exceptional guest experiences, operational excellence, and strong financial outcomes while upholding LLPA’s mission and brand standards. This role also serves as LLPA’s primary liaison with the Aquarium’s Food & Beverage partner, ensuring seamless coordination, quality assurance, and optimized revenue performance. About Loveland Living Planet Aquarium: Loveland Living Planet Aquarium provides learning opportunities for all levels, interests, and ages, with the mission to inspire people to explore, discover, and learn about Earth’s diverse ecosystems since 1997. Since opening its new facility in Draper in March 2014, the Aquarium has welcomed over ten million visitors and provided more than 650,000 educational experiences to students. Home to more than 4,000 animals representing 650 species, the Aquarium showcases ecosystems from around the planet including kelp forests, coral reefs, the deep ocean, Antarctic waters, Asian cloud forests, South American rain forests, and the waterways of our home state of Utah. Loveland Living Planet Aquarium has been accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) since 2019. With a new expansion currently under construction and slated for completion in late 2025, LLPA will soon be the largest aquarium in the Mountain West, and 5th largest aquarium overall in the continental United States.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in business, Hospitality, Event Management, or related field (Master’s preferred).
8–10 years of progressive leadership experience in event sales, hospitality, or venue management.
Proven track record of generating $3M+ in annual event revenue.
Strong financial acumen and experience with pricing, forecasting, and contract negotiation.
Deep understanding of event logistics, venue operations, and guest experience design.
Exceptional communication, organizational, and client relationship skills.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute an annual event sales and revenue plan aligned with LLPA’s business objectives
Establish annual revenue targets for venue rentals, commissions, and F&B growth
Lead pricing, yield management, and forecasting for all event revenue streams
Analyze and report event profitability, utilization, and client satisfaction metrics to the Senior VP of Operations and Director of Operations
Ensure all sales activities meet budgeted performance goals and revenue benchmarks
Oversee pricing strategy, yield management, margin protection, and forecasting for all event revenue streams.
Lead, coach, and support Event Sales Manager(s) and sales staff to achieve or exceed revenue targets.
Drive new business development through corporate outreach, tourism networks, partnerships, and community engagement.
Build and maintain relationships with key corporate, wedding, nonprofit, and repeat clients.
Act as the primary liaison with the Food & Beverage partner to align menu offerings, service execution, and financial objectives.
Collaborate with Marketing to promote LLPA’s venues, offerings, and signature events.
Represent LLPA at trade shows, tourism organizations, and industry events.
Oversee event operations and ensure flawless execution of all LLPA events, from planning through post-event review.
Uphold LLPA brand, safety, service, and budget standards across all event types.
Lead post-event evaluations and continuous improvement initiatives.
Coordinate with Facilities, Security, Custodial, AV, and other internal teams to ensure operational readiness.
Maintain superior guest service standards and consistently high client satisfaction outcomes.
Build, develop, and retain a high-performing sales and operations team.
Implement training programs, mentorship, and incentive systems to improve performance and productivity.
Foster cross-departmental collaboration and ensure accountability through KPI tracking and performance reviews.
Create a culture of excellence, innovation, and proactive problem-solving.