Sales Coordinator

Charlottesville Albemarle Convention and Visitors Bureau (CACVB)

Full-Time, 12 months

Exempt, Pay Grade 15

About the Charlottesville Albemarle Convention and Visitors Bureau (CACVB)

The CACVB’s mission is “to enhance the economic prosperity of City and County by promoting, selling and marketing the City of Charlottesville and County of Albemarle, as a destination, in pursuit of the meeting and tourism markets”.  In addition to serving as the global resource for marketing the tourism assets of Charlottesville and Albemarle, Virginia, through https://www.visitcharlottesville.org/about/about-the-cvb/, the CACVB assists tour operators, meeting planners, reunions and other groups planning visits to the destination.

The Sales Coordinator

The CACVB is actively recruiting a motivated and enthusiastic Sales Coordinator. The successful candidate will be responsible for work related to the generation of sales leads and promotion sales efforts in support of the Charlottesville Albemarle Convention & Visitors Bureau (CACVB) mission to promote group, meeting and event-related travel to the greater Charlottesville Albemarle area.

The Expectations

Essential functions and responsibilities of the Sales Coordinator include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Develop goals for sales of group travel, events, meetings and more to increase hotel occupancy, increase revenue for event venues, and increase media exposure;
• Execute sales plans on a day-to-day basis;
• Develop a deep understanding of the capabilities of hotels, meeting and event facilities, sports venues, and facility personnel;
• Identifies and nurtures relationships with various organizations, including hotels, event and meeting facilities, sports venues, event producers, venue managers and more, to attract groups, meetings, and events to the area;
• Develop a collaborative partnership within the city and county;
• Identify regional and national organizations and events in order to create a relationship that will enhance the sales process for national meetings and events;
• Develop and track goals for room nights booked in preparation for CACVB Executive Board meetings held every other month;
• Maintain an inventory of event and meeting facilities and build a working relationship with the managers of these facilities;
• Coordinate with local hotels and use CACVB research to identify low occupancy times to specifically target meetings and events for those times;
• Organize, plan, and participate in planner site visits and familiarization tours;
• Evaluate and report on booked business;
• Direct sales leads generated by tradeshows and meetings toward assessed hotels and motels, and other partner venues providing support to these groups;
• Identify, recommend and attend meetings, group, and event-related trade shows;
• Develop and deliver verbal and written presentations to potential clients and stakeholders;
• Develop and pursue leads on potential group, meeting and event clients;
• Serve as organization representative in appropriate local organizations;
• Manages relevant e-mail and contact lists for CACVB inside customer relationship management system and serves as the primary distributor of e-mail communications;
• Stays current with various partners/contacts as well as their content (organization, business, etc.); Conducts formal training and seminars;
• Advises and informs staff and partners on the current state of destination sales efforts;
• Represents CACVB at various events, Chamber roundtables, industry conferences, etc., and partners with relevant regional/national organizations, particularly Virginia Tourism Corporation;

Performs various other activities as required.

The Qualifications

Education and Experience

Any combination of education and experience equivalent to a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management, Marketing or a related field. and three (3) years of experience in sales, marketing, event or meeting management or other related fields.  Minimum one-year experience generating, analyzing, and iterating on sales campaigns required.  One year of work experience may substitute for one year of the required education up to a maximum of four years substitution. Where substitution is accepted, the applicant must demonstrate increased knowledge-base and progressively more challenging work assignments.

Experience in the travel industry, event or meetings industry or equivalent experience with CVB, a destination marketing organization, hotel, or event venue is highly preferred. 

Previous experience in tourism sales and marketing, hotel or banquet sales, or other related area preferred.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

The successful candidate will have the ability to work independently and handle tasks of importance to the organization with minimal direction;

A team player who works and collaborates well with others;

Self-motivated with the ability to multi-task;

Must have familiarity with or willingness to learn area meeting facilities, attractions, hotels, recreational facilities, and restaurants as they relate to group business in the area;

An excellent oral and written communicator with the ability to communicate effectively to diverse audiences;

Keen problem solver with the ability to identify sales market trends;

Technical Skills: Expert level working knowledge of Microsoft office suites. Additionally, a strong ability to maintain databases.

THE PHYSICAL CONDITIONS AND NATURE OF WORK CONTACTS

Physical requirements of the position are clerical – focusing on tasks on the computer/ sitting at a desk – and interactive – meeting with key clients, leading sales FAM/site visits, attending after-hours business functions. This position requires the ability to travel to attend trade shows, industry meetings, and other relevant events. Must possess a valid driver’s license and the ability to operate a motor vehicle. Willingness to participate in special training programs and classes as necessary to maintain credibility and to remain current on trends and issues in the tourism industry.

The salary range for this position is $45,474 - $54,569 per year.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: Monday, August 10, 2020, 5:00 p.m. EST

PROCESS: For consideration please apply at https://albemarleva.tedk12.com/hire/index.aspx

EOE/EEO