Description

Destination Vancouver is seeking a dynamic and results-driven leader to join our award-winning team as Manager, Meeting & Convention Sales, Corporate, Eastern US.

Destination Vancouver is one of the world's most dynamic Destination Organizations, delivering on a mandate for destination development and promotion that makes Vancouver a must visit global destination. It responsibly strives for a triple bottom line approach to measuring destination success through people, planet, and prosperity. As a private, not for profit business association, continued relevancy equals success by supporting the industry and building a competitive global destination brand.

Destination Vancouver offers an exceptional product backed by a powerful and globally recognized brand. Our commitment to excellence, innovation, and delivering unforgettable experiences makes Vancouver a premier destination for meetings, events, and leisure travel. Our brand promise, Vancouver is a place that connects people and inspires them to live with passion, guides how we engage potential customers, collaborate with stakeholders, and support our 800+ members. It reflects our commitment to fostering meaningful connections and driving impactful experiences. 

The Manager is responsible for leading Vancouver's destination sales and marketing efforts in this key market. The key purpose of the position is to generate high-yield, quality leads and convert them to definite business. This is done by researching, identifying, developing, and targeting convention business, corporate meetings, incentive programs, and all other related group business travel opportunities for Destination Vancouver member businesses, Metro Vancouver, and the surrounding region

The Manager, Meeting & Convention Sales, Corporate, Eastern US, under the direction of the Director of Sales, Meetings & Conventions, Corporate, will ideally be based in the Northeast area, managing all corporate business opportunities east of the Mississippi River.

Essential to success is maintaining a high-profile in-market presence, building strategic and productive relationships with customers, partners who are active in this market, Destination Vancouver members and other key stakeholders to help grow our corporate base and drive group business into Vancouver. This is done through effective communications, managing and motivating internally and externally, as well as help with developing overall meeting and convention sales/marketing strategies and specific market driven sales activities and tactics.

Strategic Accountabilities
1.         Leadership role on behalf of, not only Destination Vancouver, but the entire Vancouver tourism and hospitality community and industry active in the Eastern US markets.

2.        Initiate, plan, lead and execute Vancouver's in-market sales activities, sales trips and events, sales missions, conference and tradeshow presence, industry organization representation.

3.        Initiate, plan, lead and execute Vancouver's in-destination sales activities, qualified individual client site inspections, targeted group familiarization visits and hosting of high priority, client rich industry organization events.

4.        Build strong strategic relationships with colleagues, clients, members, and partners while delivering a high level of customer sales and service.

5.        Generate qualified M&C leads and convert them to definite business.

 
Join Destination Vancouver as an Independent Contractor – Where Your Work is Valued, and Your Success is Rewarded
At Destination Vancouver, we recognize and celebrate the value of your contributions. That’s why we offer:

        Highly Competitive Fees that reflect your expertise and dedication.
        Monthly Allowances to support your professional needs.
        Annual Incentive and Recognition Programs to reward your hard work and accomplishments.

We believe in supporting a healthy work/life balance, ensuring you have the flexibility to thrive personally and professionally.
Our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion fosters an environment where every voice is heard, valued, and empowered.
This position is long term with the opportunity to renew the agreement annually, providing the contractor with both flexibility and the chance to be part of something meaningful.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of experience working in destination marketing, hotel, or convention industry sales, ideally with strong market segment knowledge related to association business, corporate meetings and the incentive market. This includes understanding of third parties and intermediaries. 
• Strong innovative and creative outlook for sales, marketing and business development.
• Proven track record of attaining measurable goals/results/targets in a sales & marketing capacity.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team, leadership skills are essential as being an effective team leader is fundamental (sales missions, conferences and tradeshows, project groups).       
• Demonstrate high level of verbal, written and business presentation skills.
• Able to make sound business decisions and recommendations, meet project deadlines, take direction as well as initiative. Fiscally responsible, socially engaging and diplomatic professional demeanour. 
• Experience in coaching and managing a direct report. 
• Technology skills requirements include social media for business, good working knowledge of database management, Microsoft Office applications, CRM technology, Al, and a strong willingness to learn and adapt to new software applications
• Post-secondary education in a related discipline and/or relevant experience.
• Business travel within the US is a requirement, approximately 4-6 times per year.
• Being passionate about Vancouver as a meeting and convention destination is a must.

If interested…
Please send your resume and cover letter to: careers@destinationvancouver.com

For more information, please visit http://destinationvancouver.com

Requirements

• Generates qualified Meeting and Convention group business leads, prepare bid documents and convert to definite business for Vancouver.
• Leadership role on behalf of, not only Destination Vancouver, but the entire Metro Vancouver meeting and convention tourism community active in the Eastern US corporate market. This position is to be well known and recognized as the industry expert M&C leader for this market.
• Understanding and highly efficient use of Destination Vancouver's CRM - account database management software - Simpleview. For account/lead generation and management as well as a communication and information system for all groups requiring follow-up or action (i.e. trace for a decision on Vancouver as a meeting site). Ability to run and analyze reports and searches.
• Manages lead system policies and procedures in referring business to Destination Vancouver members in a fair and equitable manner at the same time being highly customer-focused and driven.
• Strong working relationship with the sales team at the Vancouver Convention Centre including a base level of understanding of convention centre space utilization, food & beverage and operations.
• Strong working relationship with the sales team at Destination Vancouver member hotels, including a base level of understanding of hotel operations.
• Strong working relationship with Destination Vancouver DMC members, including a base level of understanding of DMC sales and operations.
• Keeps informed with members' personnel changes, product renovations, changes in management, regular hotel site inspections, visits with sales personnel and property tours, regular contact/meetings with key members and industry partners active in the market.
• Develops and maintains good working relationships with all local members and partners active in the Eastern US market as well in-market industry partners and representatives such as Destination Canada Business Events, hotel global, national, and regional sellers, competitive DMO's.
• Initiates, plans, executes and leads qualified individual client site inspections as well as familiarization group visits in destination.
• Initiates, plans, executes, and leads all sales activities in-market including trade shows, conferences, sales missions, special promotions and client events.
• Prepares and delivers destination presentations to decision makers, influential clients, members, industry partners and suppliers.
• Maintains active membership in the appropriate industry associations, for example: MPI, PCMA, SITE, CEMA and more, this also includes potential volunteer leadership roles.
• Keeps informed on city of Vancouver development, construction, trends, and events.
• Keeps informed on competitive intelligence regarding business practices, convention centre and major hotel development, competitive DMO activities and budgets.
• Assists the Director of Sales in the preparation of annual sales and marketing operational plan, including budget preparation.
• Provides information and/or guidance to Destination Vancouver local members and partners requesting market intelligence, convention statistics and sale and marketing activity information.
• The position may be required to perform other related duties as assigned by Destination Vancouver.