What's in a day?
Well, you're in effect a PA to the conference and events sales manager in a hotel, so you'll deal with clients over the phone to book events and make sure marketing promotions run at the optimum time.
Key responsibilities
- Dealing with guests over the telephone
- Putting conference dates in the diary
- Negotiating rates
- Upselling more expensive event or conference packages
- Ensuring marketing promotions run at the right time
- Updating and cleansing the database to make sure you're selling to the right people
What sort of hours will I work?
This is essentially a 9-5 job, five days a week, unlike most of the hospitality industry, although no doubt you'll have to work long hours in the run up to large events.
What's the best bit about being a conference and events sales co-ordinator?
It's a varied job so you'll do a lot of show-arounds for people wanting a wedding, christening or conference at the hotel, and then you'll co-ordinate the event.
"One day I could be organising a week-long conference and the next it could be a wedding," says Claire Funnell, sales co-ordinator at the Grand Hotel, Eastburne. "I enjoy meeting new people. It's also satisfying to get feedback from guests – to know that you have contributed to a girl's dream wedding, for instance."
And the worst?
- When you've got a big event or conference, the pressure will be on…
What skills do I need?
- Excellent people skills to help in your day to day dealings with guests
- Sound negotiation skills to agree good rates with customers
- Impressive telephone skills
What qualifications do I need?
If you have the right basic skills in place, you'll find many hotel companies will offer the formal training programmes to complement them. Otherwise, there are a number of vocational courses that will help launch your career – for instance a degree, foundation degree or BTEC HNC/HND in events management, hospitality management, marketing, public relations or business studies.
Who would it suit?
It goes without saying that you'll enjoy working with the public. Those of you who scale the career ladder will be confident at negotiating rates with customers and be as happy making telesales as you are showing off the hotel to prospective customers.
What sort of salary can I expect?
Probably in the region of £16,000 to £18,000
Where can I go from here?
You'll get plenty of opportunities to deputise for the conference and events sales manager and build your own contacts list, so you're well placed for that next step up.
(Source: information contributed by Blend Recruitment)
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