Sales Manager – Conference & Events Sales – InterContinental® Dubai Festival City

Job Description

• Event planning and strategy: developing and implementing event strategies, including setting goals, objectives, and budgets. Collaborating with stakeholders to determine event themes, formats, and target audience.
• Budget and revenue management: developing, managing and following event budget, tracking payments, expenses, and ensuring financial accountability. Making strategic decisions to optimize resources and achieve desired outcomes within budgetary constraints.
• Event logistics: overseeing all logistical aspects of events, including venues selection, accommodation, transportation, audiovisual setup, catering and equipment rentals. Ensuring smooth operations and timely execution.
• Client Relationship management: building and maintaining relationships with clients, understanding their event requirements, and providing exceptional customer service. Collaborating with clients to develop event concepts, themes, and programs.
• On-site event management: overseeing on-site event operations, including staff coordination and troubleshooting. Ensuring seamless and memorable experience for all participants.
• Risk management: identifying and mitigating potential risks and challenges associated with events. Developing contingency plans and ensuring compliance with legal, health, and safety regulations.
• Post-event evaluation and actions: gathering feedback from clients and attendees. Analyzing data, identifying areas for improvement, and implementing changes for future events.
• Team management: to be responsible for leading a team of events coordinators, executives, and assistants; assigning tasks, providing guidance and support, and ensuring effective communication. Mentoring and developing the team members, providing alignment with the organization’s broader objective.
• Industry knowledge and trends: straying update with industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices in events management. Incorporating innovative ideas and strategies to enhance the quality and impact of events.
• To grow into a “Destination Dubai and UAE market expert” for the Meetings, Incentives, Congress, Exhibitions by acquiring knowledge about the Hotels competitive sets, the STR performance of the Hotel as well as its competitive sets and the socio-economic developments in Dubai, UAE and worldwide affecting the hotel business.
• To gain in-depth knowledge about the business model, concept, market dynamics and trends, exhibitions and key geographic areas of the client portfolio that is managed.
• To develop relationships across all business units and hierarchy levels within the customer’s organization in order to achieve a relationship indicator of at least 5 (scale 1-10) if prospect qualifies for potential IHG DFC account.
• To maintain active communication with the customer across all available channels with a key focus on personal interaction – maximize “eyeball time” – based on “activity guideline”.
• To grow relationships within customer’s organization and have an in-depth knowledge of the new market penetration and align the Hotel’s strategies based on the potential of these new emerging markets.
• To seek personal contact with Senior Decision Makers through “guest engagements” in the hotel during Meetings, functions, meal periods and check in/check out.
• To effectively manage up/sidewards within the Hotel’s organization to “work better together” and manage internal relationships in a strategic manner, similar to customer relationships with the aim to achieve Hotel’s common objectives.
• To consistently communicate “within” to share market intelligence, provide feedback; ensure “customer awareness” with the Hotel and to ensure professional planning and coordination of sales activities.
• To maximize on the opportunities for the hotel by conducting innovative site inspections for potential business opportunities and Fam trips being different from the competition.
• To attend relevant meetings such as Group Yield Meeting, Yield Meeting, Revenue Room, Departmental Sales Meeting, Segment Sales Meeting as and when appropriate to foster collaboration, provide input and acquire knowledge about developments within the Hotel and the market.
• To utilize IHG/IHG DFC sales tools in an appropriate manner to ease work process and make the same more efficient and transparent i.e. IBP, Delphi, i-RFP, Merlin/Sales Source, SSP, I-Lead.To monitor and track financial performance of (own) account portfolio through monthly SSP data management and quarterly “Business Review” with DOES and DOS/DOSM.

What we need from you

• High level of passion, enthusiasm and drive for results
• Excellent communication skills across all mediums – presentation, telephone, correspondence, face to face etc. in English and preferable a 2nd language.
• Strong interpersonal skills to develop and foster beneficial relationships.
• Ambitious and eager to learn and grow.
• High level of common sense and high skill of problem solving and decision making.