Senior Catering Sales Manager

POSITION OBJECTIVE

Responsible for soliciting new business, servicing social and corporate catering business, entertaining and maintaining relationships with existing accounts to meet and/or exceed food and beverage and group rooms revenue goals. Monitor all contractual agreements pertaining to guest room blocks, meeting space, food and beverage and special concessions. Effectively communicate to all hotel departments the information necessary to successfully execute the group’s needs while maintaining a good client relationship.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

• Solicit, negotiate and book social catering events through efforts (outside sales calls, telemarketing, networking, etc.) while maximizing banquet space to meet/exceed revenue goals.
• Proactively sell and service social events to include but not limited to weddings, homecomings, galas, corporate seminars, holiday parties, and birthdays.
• Manage and maintain strong client relationships from initial inquiry through the post-event follow-up, ensuring a seamless and exceptional experience
• Check function room set-ups prior to guest arrival, ensuring all details agree with clients’ requirements and hotels standards. Ensure appropriate personnel correct deficiencies.
• Welcome group contact upon arrival at the function and ensure guest satisfaction.
• Monitor and ensure all functions are set up, refreshed, and broken down in compliance with scheduled times and departmental procedures.
• Proactively identify and pursue catering sales opportunities through networking, outreach, and relationship-building, quarterly marketing initiatives and bi-annual sales blitz coordination
• Prepare and conduct site visits, proposals, tastings, contracts, and pre/post‑conference meetings
• Prepare Resumes, Banquet Event Orders (BEOs), Invoices, and Diagrams for distribution 10‑14 days prior to events.
• Manage all billing to collect deposits and final payments prior to the event.
• Monitor and enforce program deadline dates and work with clients to release meeting space not needed to maximize hotel revenues.
• Service Catering groups of all sizes, as well as handle any resort wide special projects as assigned by the Director of Catering and Conference Services.
• Monitor and manage room blocks according to group sales contract
• Accurately forecast group rooms and group food and beverage revenues for assigned groups and affiliate business
• Check sleeping room and suite block, special room concessions and rates as outlined in contract with group reservations agents, as well as updating group reservations agents with any changes.
• Maintain professional and open communication with all hotel operating departments.

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE

• High School diploma or general education degree (GED); bachelor’s degree preferred.
• At least four years of Resort/Hotel Catering Sales experience required

REQUIREMENTS

• Must be able to work nights, weekends, and holidays when required.
• Must be able to speak, read, write and understand the primary language(s) used in the workplace to facilitate the communication process.
• Requires good communication skills, both verbal and written.
• Extensive knowledge of meeting room capacities, banquet set-up, audio-visual and any other pertinent details as they relate to function room set-up.
• Most tasks are performed independently or in a team environment with the employee acting as a team leader. There is minimal direct supervision.
• Ability to enforce Innisbrook standards, policies and procedures with assigned staff.
• Knowledge of hotel and competitive market.
• Must possess basic computational ability.
• Must possess computer skills, including, but not limited to, accounting programs, Microsoft Word, Excel, Delphi, Cvent, Social Tables, and Proposal Path.
• Excellent interpersonal and sales-related skills.
• Exceptional organizational skills.
• May be required to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form; to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

• Most work tasks are performed indoors. Temperature is moderate and controlled by hotel environmental systems.
• Must be able to sit at a desk for up to 5 hours per day. Walking and standing are required the rest of the working day. This includes traveling to and from meetings. The length of time of these tasks may vary from day to day and task to task.
• Must be able to exert well-paced ability to maneuver between functions occurring simultaneously.
• Must be able to exert well-paced ability to reach other departments of the hotel on a timely basis.
• Must be able to lift up to 15 lbs. occasionally.
• Requires grasping, writing, standing, sitting, walking, repetitive motions, listening and hearing ability and visual acuity.
• Talking and hearing occur continuously in the process of communicating with guests, supervisors and other employees.
• Vision occurs continuously with the most common visual functions being those of near vision and depth perception.
• Must have finger dexterity to be able to operate office equipment such as computers, printers, 10-key adding machine, multi-line touch tone phone, filing cabinets, photocopiers, dolly and other office equipment as needed.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

• Must be able to work effectively in a stressful environment, open office workplace, communicate with others, effectively deal with customers and accept constructive criticism from supervisors.
• Must be able to change activity frequently and cope with interruptions.