Senior Sales & Conference Manager

Job Summary The Senior Sales & Conference Manager is responsible for proactively soliciting and securing new business opportunities while overseeing the planning and execution of meetings and events from initial client contact through successful completion. This role combines strategic sales skills with conference and catering execution responsibilities to maximize revenue, enhance client relationships, and ensure exceptional guest experience. Key responsibilities include generating group and catering revenue, managing group room blocks, negotiating contracts, overseeing event detailing and execution, and ensuring seamless communication between clients and hotel operations teams. The Senior Sales & Conference Manager serves as a liaison between sales, and all hotel departments to ensure. Provides leadership and operational oversight for the Sales and Catering team in the absence of the Director of Sales, ensuring continuity of service, team support, and achievement of departmental objectives. The ideal candidate is a proactive, independent, and detail-oriented hospitality professional with strong sales skills, exceptional organizational abilities, and a commitment to delivering outstanding customer service. This role requires leadership, strategic thinking, revenue generation expertise, and the ability to manage multiple priorities. Activities & Responsibilities Primary focus for this role includes soliciting and servicing local events, corporate meetings, galas, weddings, fundraisers, and day meetings while growing overall hotel revenue. Proactively identify, solicit, and secure new business opportunities to achieve individual and hotel revenue goals. Manage group room block management to maximize occupancy and profitability. Organize bookings from date of booking through departure, including meeting requirements, guest room requirements, food and beverage, and audio-visual needs. Ensure appropriate upselling opportunities are identified to maximize revenue potential. Lead contract negotiations for catering events, group bookings, and event space while maximizing profitability. This role will involve servicing all meetings, conferences and events. Organize bookings from date of booking to departure, including meeting requirements, guest room requirements, guest room pickup, food and beverage, and audio visual. Create detailed floor plans, resumes, and banquet event orders for seamless execution of programs. Conduct memorable pre-planning tours, pre/post pre-conferences, and tastings. Engage and encourage team members by being a role-model. Establish and maintain a rapport with all clientele and internal hoteliers. Flexible Schedule which includes working events over evenings and weekends as needed. Effectively handle multiple programs and ensure the successful completion of all job duties Phone client and maintain effective communication throughout planning and while on site make them comfortable to call your cell phone. Maintain complete knowledge of and comply with all departmental policies/service procedures/standards Anticipate guests? needs, respond promptly and acknowledge all guests Maintain positive guest and colleague relations at all times Be familiar with all hotel services/features and local attractions/activities to respond to guest inquiries Resolve guest complaints, ensuring guest satisfaction Daily scheduled group functions, times, locations, amount of people and specified requirements Understand the location of all hotel function space and names of function rooms Understand all styles of meeting and banquet room sets and banquet room capacities Create and organize Banquet Event Orders (B.E.O.'s) according to departmental standards Document daily set-up requirements according to departmental procedures / attach respective diagrams Inspect pre-set scheduled function areas/rooms for cleanliness, working condition, recognize and communicate any room blemishes or imperfections. Ensure proper furniture/equipment set up; rectify any deficiencies with respective departments Monitor and ensure that functions are set up, refreshed and broken down in compliance with scheduled times and departmental procedures Conduct pre-function meeting and review all information pertinent to set-up and service of group Constantly monitor staff performance in all phases of service and job functions, ensuring that all procedures are carried out to departmental standards and as requested on the B.E.O.?s; bring any deficiencies with respective department personnel Maintain Communication between client and operations team Inspect all meal periods and be present unt