Sports Sales Director

Title: Sports Sales Director

Reports to: Vice President, Sales

Overview of Position: 

As an employee of Visit Savannah, the Sports Sales Director is responsible for attracting and retaining profitable sports-related business opportunities for Savannah and Chatham County. The position will work closely with the Savannah Sports Council Advisory Board to promote Savannah and Chatham County as a destination for regional, national, and international sporting events. The primary mission is to reach individual and team room night quotas, while developing enough tentative business to support future quotas.

Duties/Responsibilities: 

Core Functions

• Research and generate bookings in the Sports and related market and achieve the assigned room night quota while developing enough tentative business to support future quotas.
• Identify new business opportunities to maximize space at the Savannah Convention Center, Enmarket Arena and other athletic venues throughout the Savannah/Chatham County area.
• Evaluate all potential sports-related business opportunities for their ability to benefit Savannah in terms of hotel room nights, delegate spending, regional / national exposure for Savannah and the prospect of leading to future business.
• Provide members with the necessary information in a lead that will enable them to properly evaluate and correctly bid for conventions, meetings, or trade show business.
• Prospect for new business utilizing databases and directories.
• Make sales trips, attend conferences, trade shows, sales missions, and networking meetings to promote convention business, which can also include pre-planning, target marketing, pre/post communications, industry event registrations, and arrangements for trade shows.
• Coordinate and conduct site inspections for visiting organizations showcasing hotels, facilities, attractions, and community aspects of interest to the visiting delegate.

Planning

• Maintain a well-informed working knowledge of all hotels, sports facilities and venues, attractions, and services, both public and private, available in the area.  
• Research, study, and recruit possible future sports businesses for all areas of the community.
• Maintain an awareness of competitor's products, promotions and industry issues that influence sales by establishing a rapport with other divisions within our organization, members, and related hospitality professional organizations in the community.

Networking/Communications

• Develop and maintain a close working relationship with personnel from each facility and act as a liaison between meeting planners and the hospitality community.
• Coordinate communications with local sports organizations and media about upcoming sports events.
• Make written, computer-generated, or personal Bid presentations to the board of directors, convention delegates, or site selection committees to present the area as a meeting destination.
• Stay abreast of current industry trends in sports event management and marketing, while keeping Advisory Board and Visit Savannah management informed.
• Sell and maintain relationships with sponsors and potential sponsors for designated events.
• Maintain a membership in good standing with the industry organizations that will assist in accomplishing organizational goals.
• Represent and maintain positive exposure of the Savannah Sports Council at important industry and civic events.
• Strong public speaking skills.
• Respond in a timely manner to all inquiries.
• Maintains an active, positive, and professional social media presence that promotes the destination and would never reflect poorly on the Savannah Chamber of Commerce or Visit Savannah.   

Administrative/Management/Supervisory

• Manage and produce quarterly Savannah Sports Council Advisory Board meetings.
• Maintain accurate and uniform documentation of all sales files in the CRM system.
• Participate in creating a budget and marketing plan for the group sales division.
• Work within the approved budget guidelines.
• Effectively manage and train the Sports Council Events Manager.
• Work collaboratively with all departments, with emphasis on marketing/communications department.

Customer Service

• Assist meeting planners with referrals to Sports Council Events Manager, Destination Service Manager, or other service providers. 
• Participate in ongoing high-quality improvement/client satisfaction efforts.
• Demonstrate high standards in service through all interactions with customers, service providers, hospitality partners and staff. 

Organizational Commitment

• Maintain a cohesive working relationship with all other personnel to successfully accomplish Savannah Sports Commission, Visit Savannah, and Savannah Chamber of Commerce goals.
• Handle additional responsibilities and projects assigned. 
• Demonstrate a complete commitment to the goals and mission of Visit Savannah.

Education and Experience/Key Competencies: 

• 4-year degree from an accredited college or university (A Bachelors in Sports Marketing or Management is preferred).
• Minimum of 5 years’ sales experience at management level.
• Excellent communication, management, and organizational skills.
• Strong analytical and judgmental skills. 
• Participate in training opportunities for both professional and personal development.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office software, CRM software, industry software and the Internet.
• Ability to establish priorities and meet deadlines efficiently and effectively.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze data and implement change based on changing market conditions.
• Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, and customers.
• Experience with sponsorship sales preferred.
• Strong budget management skills.

Work Environment: 

Working conditions are normal for an office environment.  Work may require occasional weekend and/or evening hours.  This position requires occasional domestic and international business travel.  Reasonable accommodations may be limited to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Office: 80-85%, Travel: 15-20%

Evening / Weekend / Overtime: As Required

Sales: 80-85%, Administration 15-20% 

Other Information:

This job description describes the general nature and work level to be performed; it is not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of job responsibilities, duties and skills required for the position.

About Visit Savannah:

Visit Savannah is the official destination marketing organization (DMO) for the beautiful city of Savannah, Georgia. Our mission is to promote Savannah as a premier travel destination, welcoming visitors from around the world to experience the unique charm, history, culture, and hospitality that our city has to offer. We work closely with local businesses, government agencies, and tourism stakeholders to drive economic growth and ensure that Savannah remains a top travel destination.