Director of Convention & Events

Your day to day
People
* Drive a great working environment for teams to thrive - linking up departments to create sense of one team
* Direct everyday activity, plan and assign work ensuring you always have the right staffing numbers
* Develop your team and improve their performance through coaching and feedback, and create performance and development goals for colleagues
* Train colleagues to make sure they deliver with compliance and to the standards we expect
* Recommend or initiate any HR related actions where needed
* Interact with outside contacts: guests, vendors, and other contacts as needed
Financial
* Complete forecasts, plans, and productivity reports and help prepare the departmental budget and financial plans
* Monitor hotel spend and always look for opportunities to optimise sales whilst minimising waste
* Negotiate sales prices within booking guidelines
Guest Experience
* Ensure the whole client experience successful and memorable and act as the brand ambassador and key contact throughout their journey
* Build long term relationship with planners and hosts to increase loyalty to the brand
* At pre-event planning stage consult with meeting planners to optimise all elements of the meeting / event including space, meeting/break flow, menu and design etc. to improve meeting efficiency
* Arrange agreed details of meeting / event e.g. room set-ups, staging, lighting
* Conduct pre-event and post-event meetings with clients and catering colleagues to identify improvements to the guest experience
* Meet with each meeting planner daily to debrief on daily events, review consumption, bill and any exceptions to contracted billing and review estimates of final billing
* Welcome the group and conduct the ‎60' meeting brief prior the start of the meeting / session
* Enable high productivity whilst maximizing downtime
* Relate to business needs and make sure team prioritises the things that help our guests get their business done
* Enable quality downtime by providing relevant recommendations that will help host and attendees recharge and relax throughout the day
* Analyse and action against client satisfaction surveys to improve services
* Conduct banquet and catering facility tours and entertain clients to enhance the guests' meeting/banquet experience
Responsible Business
* Raise the awareness and reputation of your hotel and the brand locally
* Ensure guest safety is a priority with minimal interruptions or problems
* Offer advice to clients to reduce waste, save energy and have a minimal impact to the environment
* Other ad-hoc duties - unexpected moments when we have to pull together to get a task done
What we need from you
* A confident communicator with strong interpersonal strong skills
* Business language and tools acumen
* Bachelor's Degree/higher education qualification/equivalent in hospitality or related field
* ‎5+ years total experience in a catering setting or related field
* Direct supervisory experience over a sales/catering team, or an equivalent combination of education and work experience
* Must speak local language(s)
* Position may have additional qualifications per brand standard
At IHG, we've made a promise. As one of the world's leading hotel groups,
we're here to deliver True Hospitality for Good. Making our guests and
colleagues feel welcome, cared for, recognised and respected - wherever they
are in the world. Want to be part of the journey?
Join Crowne Plaza one of the largest and best loved premium hotel brands in
the world. With more than ‎420 hotels in diverse locations globally Crowne
Plaza is the perfect base to connect on business, pleasure or a blend of both.
We've thoughtfully designed our spaces to encourage, support and celebrate
great connections. We're also big on meetings and events, a trusted and valued
partner for connecting both domestic and global groups alike.

Our branded service style 'Dare to Connect' is crafted for connection.
Designed for humans not nameless guests or colleagues. Still professional but
touches guests on an emotional level. Where colleagues take their initiative
and use their personality because they make a crucial difference in the
guest's experience. The role of every colleague at Crowne Plaza is to create
memorable emotional connections and the job of every leader is to create an
environment where that can happen. Lets Go Further Together.
Don't quite meet every single requirement, but still believe you'd be a great
fit for the job? We'll never know unless you hit the 'Apply' button. Start
your journey with us today and let's #GoFurtherTogether.