FACILITY SALES AND EVENTS MANAGER

Job Description

Under the supervision of the Facility Sales and Events Director, the Facility Sales and Events (FES) Manager is a working supervisory position providing support of the Garden’s rental programs, and planning logistics, set-ups, and support staff scheduled throughout the year.

This position necessitates an individual dedicated to customer service who thrives on collaboration in a forward-facing, on-site hands-on, environment with rental clients and Garden teams from inquiry to event execution. The Facility Sales and Events Manager works with Garden leadership to balance mission priorities, with revenue generation utilizing the shared resources of our Garden. This position works collaboratively and cooperatively with all departments and the Garden’s exclusive caterer, to ensure the highest quality of event planning and execution resulting in an exceptional experience for all. This position exemplifies our core value of hospitality to guests and staff to ensure the inclusivity of our Garden.

About Us

Mission
Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden’s mission is connecting people to plants by inspiring communities to explore and conserve nature.

Vision
We are a Virginia garden of international significance leading in horticultural and educational excellence. We cultivate experiences that enhance each person’s relationship with the natural world.

Values
Responsibility, Innovation, Integrity, Hospitality and Inspiration

Founded in 1984, Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden is a non-profit garden located in Richmond, Virginia’s Lakeside neighborhood. The Garden encompasses 82 acres, four lakes, 5,500 unique taxa of plants within 15 distinct outdoor gardens, 11 major buildings including a conservatory and greenhouse, plus an 80-acre branch site, the Lewis Ginter Nature Reserve. Annually, Lewis Ginter engages over 17,000 students in innovative and exciting education programs. This cadre of identified learners is just a fraction of the more than 400,000 annual visitors to the Garden. In recent years, the Garden has been honored with inclusion in several top ten lists for botanical gardens in North America.

Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate on the ground of race, color, religion, sex, age, disability or national origin in the hiring, retention, or promotion of employees. We support the diversity and inclusion policy adopted by The American Public Gardens Association: to create an equitable, diverse and inclusive culture where the contributions of all community members are valued, respected and appreciated.

The Facility Events department coordinates over 300 rental events and 40 special events per year in 12 different venues and gardens. This is accomplished by possessing knowledge and understanding of the Gardens venues, rental terms, logistics for guest traffic, a genuine desire to work with people and an intuitive ability to be helpful, empathetic and eager to be of service to guests, clients and Garden teams.

Duties & Responsibilities

Event Management and Rental Coordination Duties:
• Lead execution of all events, including setup, service, and breakdown
• Manage event timelines and ensure all elements (catering, AV, décor) are in place
• Provide on-site leadership during events, resolving issues as they arise
• Ensure exceptional hospitality and guest satisfaction throughout event
• Oversee post-event breakdown and restoration of the venue
• Perform duties with an eye to the horticultural and educational mission of the Garden, and to preserving the beauty of the displays.

Staff Leadership and Development
• Oversees the supervision of personnel, which includes recruitment, work allocation, training, promotion, enforcement of internal procedures and controls, and problem resolution; evaluates performance and makes recommendations for personnel actions; motivates employees to achieve peak productivity and performance.
• Coordinates with catering and building service personnel for food and beverage requirements, delivery and set-up of events, staffing, etc.
• Foster a positive, team-oriented, service-driven culture; ensures the Garden’s hospitality and operational standards are met.

Sales & Client Engagement:
• Collaborates with the Director to market and sell the Garden’s hospitality services to potential clients; meeting with clients to inform of all services provided, and to establish catering requirements for events.
• Prepares action plans and schedules to identify specific targets and to project number of contacts to be made; follows up on new leads and referrals resulting from field activity.
• Builds and maintains strong relationships with clients, including regular communication and meetings
• Responds to inquiries and researches and resolves problems related to transactions; serves as liaison with other constituencies in the resolution of day-to-day administrative and operational issues.

Administrative Duties
• Uses databases and POS systems to develop and implement efficient processes to complete all departmental tasks and duties.
• Assists with development and implementation of all Facility Rental programs, pricing structures, agreements, and terms and conditions, periodically reviewing to ensure they reflect the strategies and goals of the department.
• Works collaboratively with the Marketing Department for promotion of events and rental programs on the Gardens website and social media platforms.
• Prepares rental contracts, collects deposits and fees in accordance with required timelines.
• Assists in developing operating goals and objectives; implements and administers methods and procedures to enhance operations
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Education and Experience

Education and Experience
• Associates degree in a hospitality related field required or commensurate experience, Bachelor’s degree preferred.
• Three years demonstrated successful understanding of event coordination and sales.
• One year of supervisory experience and proven ability to motivate team members.
• Experience working in a Windows environment, including demonstrated capacity to work with scheduling and event related databases, including calendars, ticketing systems, room diagraming (Social Tables, Total Party Planner, or related programs).

Skills and Abilities
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to work effectively with a wide range of constituencies in a diverse community
• Knowledge of planning and scheduling techniques
• Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing
• Knowledge of customer service standards and procedures
• Ability to supervise and train employees, to include organizing, prioritizing and schedule work assignments.
• Skill using POS and event schedule and sales related technology systems.
• Skill in analyzing and resolving problems.
• Ability to analyze event requests and to assess catering products and equipment needs.
• Employee development and performance management skills.
• Ability to identity and follow up sales leads and referrals.
• Ability to foster a cooperative work environment
• Ability to develop, plan and implement short-and long-range goals.
• Must be available to work a flexible schedule to include early morning and evening hours, including evening/weekend shifts, occasional holidays and special events like GardenFest, ensuring coverage for Horticulture outside the traditional work week/day

Additional Information

Physical Demands / Working Conditions
• Ability to lift 20-30 pounds intermittently.
• Must be able to walk quickly between all garden venues regularly.
• Ability to navigate the Gardens campus in most weather conditions.
• The position requires familiarity with all public areas of the 82-acre property.

Note: Duties described above, other duties and physical demands have been identified as essential functions as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Each Employee of Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden
• Must comply with provisions of the current Employee handbook, all published personnel policies and the requirements of their individual job descriptions.
• Must perform all duties in a manner consistent with a public garden serving all individuals and families in accordance with the organization’s strategic plan and directives of inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility.
• Must be aware of surroundings and vigilant to threats to the safety of visitors, volunteers, and staff or to security of their property, ensuring that all concerns are promptly reported.
• Must report all injuries and incidents immediately and ultimately in writing to supervisor(s) and to Human Resources.
• Must ensure compliance with all applicable federal and state laws and regulations.
• Must perform other duties as assigned by supervisor.

Application Instructions

Please submit cover letter and resume to hr@lewisginter.org