Department: Guest Services
Reports to: Director of Guest Services
Classification: Salaried, Exempt, Full-time, Regular
Job Overview:
The Venue Operations Manager provides transformative guest experiences, managing all aspects of Kingwood’s venue related operations such as private rental, public, and special events. This position works with clients and staff to plan, follow-up, and schedule private and public events. Contracts and works with vendors for in-house and outside catering, entertainment needs, food trucks, etc. as required. This manager infuses Kingwood Center Gardens’ core values into each area affecting guest event experiences. This includes delivering exceptional guest service, managing private rental logistics, coordinating public event execution, and event set-up, ensuring all event guest experiences meet Kingwood’s guest quality standards.
The Venue Operations Manager leads a team of venue operations staff, working as a coordinated unit to deliver exceptional guest service and hospitality. The Manager collaborates with the Seasonal Show Steering Committee and other department staff to deliver Kingwood’s many public event offerings. The Manager works with the Director of Guest Services to develop Kingwood into a prime event venue destination.
Duties and Responsibilities:
- Manages and oversees weddings, private rentals, photo shoots, and certain aspects of public events delegated by the Seasonal Show Steering Committee
- Leads and manages the venue operations staff
- Implements guest experience quality standards and measure methods to ensure event guests are receiving exceptional event experiences
- Provides periodic reports of event guest perceptions of their experience at Kingwood detailing suggestions for experience improvements and enhancements
- Rectifies event guest disputes, complaints, or issues as appropriate
- Contributes to venue operational decision making and execution as a member of the Seasonal Show Steering Committee
- Contributes to building and managing relevant portions of the departmental budget
- Recruits, screens, and hires candidates for direct report positions
- Supervises, coaches, nurtures, and assesses the staff in the areas of venue operations
- Delivers outstanding personal customer service to guests and clients, ensuring prompt response time to emails and phone calls/inquires
- Communicates professionally and thoroughly with rental clients from the point of inquiry through follow-up procedures (inquiry, correspondence, tours, contracts, payments, planning, vendor communications, diagramming, rehearsals, managing security deposits, and thank you’s)
- Creates timelines, for final walk-throughs, rehearsals, photo shoots, set-up, tear down, and creative problem solving with clients and vendors
- Handles client and vendor contracts and payments for all venue related operations
- Works with vendors to assure event setup and tear down logistics follow Kingwood’s rental agreements
- Creates comprehensive budget/income reporting to directors as needed
- Is the liaison and single point of contact with Kingwood’s primary vendor for catering operations
- Plan and implement strategies for increased rental potential
- Works closely with the Guest Services Supervisor, Safety and Security Supervisor, Volunteer Coordinator, and other departments to identify and schedule the required staffing for public, private, and special events, exhibits, and programs
- Collaborates with other Kingwood staff in designing and executing programs, interpretation, events and displays associated with yearly seasonal and occasional traveling exhibitions that support the mission, engage our community, generate revenue, or encourage visitation
- Cover manager-on-duty shifts as assigned, especially during Christmas at Kingwood
- All other duties as assigned
Requirements:
- Prolonged periods of continuous standing, sitting, or walking along with occasional stooping, bending, reaching, crouching
- Ability to lift 30 pounds occasionally
- Must be able to move around garden in all weather conditions
- Ability to work a flexible schedule including evenings, weekends, and holidays as needed
- Possess strong management, interpersonal, and conflict resolution skills
- Must be goal-oriented, flexible, and adaptable to potential unanticipated opportunities
- Must be able to organize workflows to ensure necessary details are captured and enacted
- Ability to prioritize work amongst competing set of tasks
- Excellent communication skills, written and verbal skills (phone and in person)
- Strong event planning, scheduling, and process tracking skills
- Ability to relate to persons of all ages, diverse backgrounds, skills, and abilities
- Ability to collaborate across departments and provide leadership support as required for special events
- Ability to create solutions in the moment for the best outcome
- Must have strong organizational skills, attention to detail and be comfortable working with the public in both organized and informal situations
- Demonstrated ability with computers, Microsoft Office programs, social media platforms, and other databases
Qualifications:
- 2 to 3 years of event planning experience with event planning is required
- 1 to 2 years of management experience a related field is required
- Associate degree or higher is preferred
- Must have a valid Ohio Driver’s License
- Must pass a background check
- Must pass drug test
Send resume and cover letter to humanresources@kingwoodcenter.org