Senior Venue Sourcing Specialist, Meetings & Events

Encore Travel•Montreal, QC

About The Position

Encore runs complex, high-stakes Meetings & Events programs for financial services clients across North America. The Venue Sourcing Specialist is a dedicated procurement expert who owns the full sourcing cycle, from RFP strategy through signed contract, across our entire M&E portfolio. This is a focused, senior role. You will bring deep market knowledge, established hotel relationships, and the negotiating experience to secure terms that protect our clients and our business. You will work closely with event coordinators who own program management, and with leadership on commercial outcomes. Sourcing needs to be your craft, not one of many things you do. If you have spent years building expertise here and want a role where that expertise is the whole job, this is it.

Requirements

Minimum 5 years of experience in hotel venue sourcing and contract negotiation, in an agency, TMC, or corporate travel setting. Three years is a starting point. Five or more is where this role lives.
A track record of managing high-volume RFP pipelines, not occasional sourcing support on large programs.
Direct experience negotiating hotel contracts independently, including attrition, cancellation, and commission clauses. Not reviewing contracts. Negotiating them.
Experience with venue sourcing platforms and comfort working across standard corporate travel and event management tools.
Ability to manage a high volume of active RFPs concurrently without a reduction in quality.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present venue options clearly to clients and internal stakeholders.
Exceptional attention to contract detail and deadline management across a complex portfolio.

Nice To Haves

Financial services or corporate event experience is a meaningful advantage.
Bilingual proficiency in English and French is preferred.

Responsibilities

Own the full RFP cycle for all M&E events from initial brief through venue presentation to client.
Develop sourcing strategies tailored to event type, budget, location, and program objectives, not off-the-shelf templates.
Prepare detailed, client-ready RFPs with clear evaluation criteria and timelines.
Manage multiple concurrent RFPs without sacrificing quality or turnaround.
Lead all hotel and venue contract negotiations, securing favorable rates, attrition protection, cancellation terms, and concessions.
Review contract terms with a risk lens, flagging exposure on force majeure, commission language, and liability clauses before anything goes to the client.
Manage deposit schedules, option dates, and contractual milestones across the active portfolio.
Keep the team proactively informed when contractual deadlines are approaching.
Negotiate ground transfer contracts and any additional venue-side vendor agreements as required.
Maintain active relationships with key hotel properties in markets where our clients travel most.
Stay current on hotel openings, renovations, brand transitions, and market dynamics in priority cities.
Identify preferred property opportunities that could benefit multiple clients, and bring these to Leadership.
Provide sourcing expertise early in the sales process when event teams are scoping new opportunities.
Serve as the subject-matter expert on hotel block management, supporting event coordinators through the rooming period.
Act as the point of escalation with hotel groups teams when issues arise on room blocks, reservations, or special requests.
Ensure contracted terms are being honoured by the property and raise discrepancies promptly.
Ensure expected commission amounts are captured accurately at the time of contract execution.
Work in partnership with accounting to monitor commission collection across the portfolio.
Act as the escalation point when commissions are outstanding, disputed, or at risk of aging past due.
Bring unresolved commission issues to the Leadership's attention with context and a recommended course of action.
Partner with event coordinators throughout the planning cycle, handing off sourcing deliverables clearly and completely.
Build and maintain sourcing templates, venue reference materials, and market guides that raise the team's sourcing quality.
Join client calls when venue expertise is needed.
Contribute to process improvements as the team grows.