Senior Event Manager

Appellation Healdsburg•Healdsburg, CA

1d•$80,000 - $90,000•Onsite

About The Position

Born from the elegant merger of the culinary and hospitality worlds, Appellation is much more than a typical hotel company. Inspired by its name, this new hotel brand brings together the best of local elements in a new way: a hotel collection powered by people, connected by food, and defined by place—all designed to celebrate its destinations’ culture, community, and craftsmanship. Developed by visionary co-founders Charlie Palmer, one of America’s best-known, award-winning chefs and pioneer in the American hotel-restaurant model, and Christopher Hunsberger, a 30-year veteran of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts and its former president of North Americas. Join Appellation as its first hotels and resorts take root in 2025. The Senior Event Manager is a strategic, client-facing leader responsible for overseeing the planning and execution of complex, high-profile, and high-revenue events. This role manages the most sophisticated programs and serves as a mentor to Event Managers, ensuring operational excellence, financial discipline, and a consistently elevated guest experience that reflects the hotel’s brand standards.

Requirements

5–8+ years of event management experience, preferably in a hotel or resort setting
Proven experience managing complex, high-revenue events and multi-day programs
Strong financial acumen with experience in contracts, billing, and event profitability
Exceptional leadership, communication, and decision-making skills
Ability to remain calm, decisive, and guest-focused under pressure
Flexible schedule including evenings, weekends, and holidays

Nice To Haves

Luxury or lifestyle hotel experience
Experience mentoring or leading event teams
Advanced knowledge of banquet operations, F&B and AV coordination

Responsibilities

Own the planning and execution of large-scale, multi-day, and VIP events
Act as the primary escalation point for complex client needs or on-site challenges
Translate high-level event vision into executable operational plans
Anticipate risk and proactively resolve issues before they impact the guest experience
Build trusted relationships with top-tier clients, planners, and repeat partners
Lead high-level planning calls, executive site visits, and final detail meetings
Partner with Sales to support client retention, rebookings, and strategic accounts
Represent the hotel in a polished, confident, and consultative manner
Lead cross-functional alignment with Culinary, Beverage, Banquets, AV, Front Office, Housekeeping, Spa, and Engineering
Conduct and lead pre-event meetings for complex programs
Oversee on-site execution, service flow, and team performance during events
Ensure flawless transitions between event components, spaces, and days
Review and interpret complex contracts, including attrition, concessions, and custom clauses
Manage budgets, guarantees, and final billing with a high level of accuracy
Identify strategic upsell opportunities while protecting margins
Ensure events meet or exceed revenue and profitability targets
Mentor and support Event Managers through coaching, shadowing, and feedback
Assist in onboarding and training new team members
Share best practices, templates, and process improvements
Provide leadership coverage in the absence of the Director of Events
Serve as a power user for event management systems (e.g. Delphi, Amadeus, Social Tables, Tripleseat)
Ensure documentation is thorough, accurate, and timely
Identify operational inefficiencies and recommend process improvements
Champion brand standards and consistency across all events