Aiken Center for the Arts seeks special events & facility rentals manager
The Aiken Center for the Arts seeks a dynamic, experienced and creative special events professional to design and implement special events that support the advancement, artistic, and enterprise goals of the institution, deepen visitor loyalty and drive attendance. The ACA’s facility rental program, and internally produced events are growing; the successful candidate is a goal-oriented, driven individual with a desire to optimize this growth.
At the direction of the executive director, the special events & facility rentals manager will produce and manage all special events, including opening celebrations, donor cultivation events, fundraising events, special performances, community receptions, and other friend-making/brand-building opportunities, as well as manage all external facility rentals from initial engagement to post-rental follow up. The successful manager will be able to meet or exceed budget revenue goals and to ensure that the user experience is positive resulting in repeat rentals. This position requires supervision of all after hour events.
Special Events/In-House Events
• Conceptualize, plan, implement and manage all special events. Use creativity to execute the vision of events, while meeting attendance goals and remaining within given budget parameters.
• Book talent, including musicians, performing arts groups, and speakers.
• Coordinate event logistics, including registration and attendee tracking, presentation and materials support and pre- and post-event evaluations.
• Collaborate with the volunteer coordinator to secure and oversee volunteer support for special events.
• Assist with managing on-site production and clean up for events as necessary.
Facility Rentals
• Manage the ACA’s facility rental program; respond to inquiries, provide customer service, maintain rental agreements, and track payment.
• Research, develop and maintain current and competitive policies, procedures and rates for the use of ACA spaces by individuals and organizations.
• Achieve annual revenue targets for facility rental sales.
• Develop and maintain positive working relationships with rental clients, and actively seek out new clients through participation in professional associations and tourism-focused organizations and businesses (i.e. meeting, convention and event planners), cold calls, attending trade shows and conventions, etc.
• Provide facility tours and negotiate contracts with potential clients.
• Serve as ACA representative and point person for all facility rentals, ensuring a positive rental experience, and increasing repeat business, and be available for client as the point of contact throughout the event. Respond to concerns and enforce space usage guidelines and policies.
• Facilitate rental customer’s needs and communicate with staff and volunteers to ensure that ACA event and program set-up needs are met (AV equipment, supplies, etc.); support furnishing set-up/tear down and communicate janitorial needs to facilities technician.
Administration
• Ensure special events calendar is current and accurate. Coordinate with other departments to ensure that there are no schedule conflicts; site is prepared for events/rentals, etc.
• Develop and maintain event and volunteer databases.
• With cooperation of the executive director, create and distribute marketing materials to ensure revenue goals are met for special events and group rentals.
• Develop and manage individual event budgets as well as the special events and facility rentals annual budgets, and monitor actual results against approved budget.
• Report monthly goals to the executive director, including event expense projections and forecasts.
• Secure all vendors, permits, insurance, contracts, process all invoices and track all expenses related to events.
• Keep inventory of projectors, computers, and other display materials.
• Research and analysis of past events, using them as a benchmark for recommendations and improvements for future use.
• This list of essential duties, tasks and responsibilities is not all-inclusive; individual will perform other related duties as assigned.
REQUIRED SKILLS/KNOWLEDGE:
• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, communications, hospitality, marketing or similar discipline or related work experience, preferably with a nonprofit organization, may substitute.
• Minimum of one year experience in planning special events in a business or nonprofit organization (preferably in museum, hotel or restaurant management).
• Demonstrated ability to assume a leadership role and to establish and maintain effective working relationships with clients, colleagues, volunteers, and members of the public; to exercise tact and diplomacy at all times, and to demonstrate an understanding of protocol and sensitivity to cultural diversity issues.
• The ability to communicate effectively, both in writing and verbally, with people at all levels of an organization, including board members, donors, students and staff.
• Exemplary customer service skills and a strong sales focus.
• Excellent negotiation skills.
• Demonstrated professional and calm demeanor in high-pressure situations.
• Demonstrated problem-solving ability and decision making abilities. Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions.
• Excellent demonstrated organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Proactive; Proven ability to manage multiple tasks and to prioritize while working independently.
• Proficiency with MS Office Suite and ability to learn new database quickly.
• Comfortable and competent working with numbers. Ability to calculate figures and amounts and the ability to apply concepts such as fractions, percentages, ratios, and proportions to practical situations.
PREFERRED SKILLS/KNOWLEDGE:
• Cold call sales experience and customer relationship building experience is highly desirable.
• Knowledge and experience in donor management software is a plus.
• Knowledge of and experience in non-profit organizations a plus.
• Experience in broad range of event planning, including but not limited to museum events, corporate functions, weddings, non-profits, etc or can demonstrate equivalent experience.
• Experience in training, supervising and motivating staff and/or volunteers.
ENVIRONMENTAL AND WORKING CONDITIONS
• Work is in a combination of office and “on the floor” environments. Will involve a combination of time behind a desk and in front of a computer and time in the front of the house with visitors and staff.
• Ability to lift objects up to 30 lbs on occasion.
• Must be able to set up and tear down equipment, such as tables, chairs, decorations. Physical abilities to reach, twist, bend, lift and climb stairs.
• Some travel required.
To apply:
Submit cover letter and resume by email to Jobs@AikenCenterfortheArts.org, by fax to (803) 641-2009 or by mail to:
ACA Personnel Committee
Aiken Center for the Arts
122 Laurens St. SW
Aiken, SC 29801
Review of applicants will begin on November 1, 2014, and will continue until the position is filled.
Aiken Center for the Arts is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, religion, age, handicap or national origin.
Via: Aiken Center for the Arts