Event Services Manager

Western Washington University•Bellingham, WA

56d•$76,827 - $88,350

About The Position

The Event Services Manager is responsible for 1) the management of services that support the logistics and production of events at the Viking Union, and large scale university events held in venues on the Bellingham Campus and 2) oversight of reservations processes for the Viking Union Lakewood and Exterior spaces on campus. The Event Services Manager directs event setup and technical services, including supervision, scheduling and training of 2 full-time staff and up to 40 student employees, estimating costs, establishing service agreements, and coordinating logistics with customers (i.e. student, staff, faculty and off-campus event planners), service providers and space approvers. In addition this position supervises and oversees the Reservations and Access area of the Viking Union who confirm and review over 11,000 space reservations and management of 100's of keys. This position provides expertise, consultation, policy interpretation, risk assessment, logistical planning and negotiating with stakeholders (Deans, Directors, Event Coordinators and space approvers) to support the execution of events. This position guides customers through the planning process and helps navigate the complexity of university policies, laws, and procedure, including freedom of expression and public assembly, for use of university facilities for events. This position provides mentorship to student supervisors, creating experiential education, and professional development opportunities for students in event planning and service delivery. This position is a Budget Authority and is responsible for a $475,000 Budget, and completes monthly customer billing totaling over $148,000. This position may be required to work occasional evenings or weekends as needed to support major events.

Requirements

Bachelors Degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience
2 years of event planning, production, or venue management experience or equivalent education
Demonstrated well rounded experiences working effectively in highly diverse and inclusive environments
Proficiency working with Microsoft Office products (Outlook, Word, Excel, etc.)
Experience supervising employees including responsibility for hiring, training, and evaluating performance
Strong interpersonal skills including communicating in writing, in person, and facilitating meetings
Attention to detail
Demonstrated in-depth experience using software that schedules space, and manages resources

Nice To Haves

Coursework in Event planning, Business Management or Communications
4 years experience in event facility operations and/or related field
Experience using Mazevo space scheduling software or similar product that tracks space reservations, and resource allocation
Experience with reconciling, invoicing or billing clients
Familiarity with audio-visual equipment used in small and large meeting rooms and venues
Demonstrated knowledge and experience with creating training for adult learners or college students
Experience working in a higher education setting

Responsibilities

Directs the operations of Event Services including Audio/Visual, Reservations and Event Staff services offered to support the logistics and production of events/conferences held at the Viking Union and other venues at WWU.
Develops procedures and standards for the reservation of space and utilization of services offered to clients.
Reviews the quality of Viking Union Facility Meeting Spaces and Venues and their furnishings and equipment.
Consults with clients on event logistics for WWU special events and supervises the delivery of event support services. Assigns staff to consult with and deliver event support services to clients for more routine events.
Schedules event staff for setup and take down of event furnishings, monitoring capacity, taking tickets, and crowd management.
Generates estimates for events and issues service agreements for space and services used by event planners and sponsors.
Leads and delegates the reconciliation of charges of space use and services provided to clients. Invoices clients for all Event Services rentals and services.
Develops organizational practices to support student event programming.
Supports university's preparation for freedom of expression and other unplanned activities.
Orders services and submits work orders on behalf of Student Involvement Organizations in support of complex student events.
Develops and recommends fee structures and rates for service delivery and room rentals.
Establishes annual goals for Event Services Team and periodically evaluates the quality and capacity of service delivery.
Supervises staff in processing and approving reservation requests for the Viking Union Facilities (VU, Lakewood, Viqueen, etc.), and Associated Student Motorpool as well as additional processes for the approval of extracurricular space use of academic classrooms and exterior space.
Reviews and ensures proper procedures are in place for the assignment and tracking of keys and the checkout of departmental equipment. Refers access control issues to Area Access Manager.
Delegates and reviews billing for space and equipment use.
Supervises staff in the delivery of professional Audio and Visual support services for special events on campus including live sound reinforcement, projection, digital presentations, event lighting, and virtual meetings.
Reviews weekly service schedule with Audio Visual Services Coordinator and verifies events are adequately staffed and logistics are efficient.
Delegates and reviews the billing of Audio/Visual Services.
Provides general supervision to Event Services Audio/Visual Services Coordinator (1.0FTE), Reservations and Access Coordinator (1.0 FTE), (1) paraprofessional student supervisors, student crews of 15-20 employees and second line supervision of 15-20 student employees.
Approves leave, vacation schedules and approves overtime as necessary.
Reviews and prioritizes work assignments within Event Services operations.
Schedules employees to provide adequate staff for event service delivery and reservations support.
Supports and participates in training to enhance professional development including areas of inclusion, diversity, multicultural and cross-cultural communication, and other related topics.
Provides training for Event Services staff and crews in topics such as setup/take down of equipment, crowd management, onsite ticket sales, sound and technical support for events that meet professional standards of practice; this includes, but is not limited to ADA standards, University policy for cash handling, departmental space use policies, practices, etc.
Evaluates employees and recommends professional development and training opportunities for staff.
Independently conducts hiring processes of student employees and leads hiring processes for full time staff and temporary staff that support inclusion and equity objectives of campus.
Use event management software to track reservations, record event details and produce reports.
Use advanced features of event management software to generate custom reports, refine department workflow, and collect specific information about events; this supports other space approvers across campus beyond just the Viking Union.
Uses specialized software for creating building floor plans and two-dimensional diagrams to support event planning.
Demonstrate competency in Microsoft Office products for communication and distribution of event information.
Maintain an appropriate knowledge of audio and visual equipment and can select appropriate systems and accessories needed to produce a wide variety of events.
Provide leadership and acts as a software administrator to other on campus departments using event management software to manage space and services
Budget Authority for expenses in Event Services budget approving purchases and transfer of funds.
Supervises and plans the cyclic purchase of new equipment for Event Services Area and Viking Union Facilities and Meeting Spaces.
Monitors transactions in Event Services budget to ensure expenses and revenue are within allocation.
Creates and issues invoices for billing to on campus users and to off-campus event planners.
Develops and recommends service fees including increases and adjustments to rates structures.
Interprets policy and fee structures to determine the appropriate service charges and rates for events.