Job Title: Venue Consultant
Department: Project Management
Based: Hartlebury
Reporting to: Senior Venue Consultant
PURPOSE
To support the KAM teams and source the best venues and resources that meet the project brief to create tailor-made proposal documents along with venues tried lists and accurate cost tables.
PRINCIPLE DUTIES
- Strive to find suitable, relevant and imaginative venues throughout the UK and worldwide
- Act as a consultant to the wider team; challenge the venue brief to ensure it is specific and will bring in the best venue for the project
- Focus on providing solutions to challenges; include suggestions for approaching things differently that may create more opportunities
- Keep updated on venue and product knowledge through visiting venues, related exhibitions and reading industry news
- Negotiate with suppliers to achieve the very best rates and added value deals
- Achieve at least an annual average of 30% savings from rack rate
- Increase commission by an annual average of 15%
- Prepare venue and product proposals including recommendations for use and most suited options together with a rationale
- Produce accurate cost tables and comprehensive venues tried lists (VTL) for each search
- Be a supplier liaison and champion providing unrivalled support to the Key Account Manager
- Keep our venue databases and previous history information up to date
- Contract negotiation and management to ensure the best terms and conditions are agreed for our clients
- Efficiently chase suppliers for information to ensure the project timelines are always met
- Regularly attend live projects to keep your knowledge fresh of how the venues are used
- Attend supplier meetings and FAM trips to keep knowledge up to date and report back on experience
- To carry out any reasonable request by the department Director and Manager
- To report to Clients / Project Managers / Directors as required
This list is not exhaustive, and you will be expected to work flexibly and undertake other such duties as the management may from time to time reasonably require.
EXPERIENCE
- Good venue knowledge in the UK and Worldwide
- A knowledge of event organising and operations
- Knowledge of hotel operations
- Minimum of 2 years’ experience of International and UK venue sourcing
SKILLS
- Good keyboard and computer skills with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel and Outlook)
- The ability to work with figures in order to issue accurate quotations
- Strong negotiation skills
- Solution-driven
- Good organisational and time management skills with the ability to prioritise workloads
- Ability to work independently and to ‘think outside the box’
- Analytical thinking to be able to sift through lots of information to provide the most relevant solution
- Positive, friendly attitude
- Excellent attention to detail
- Excellent communication and inter-personal skills
- Flexible attitude to working hours
- Foreign language skills would be an advantage
OTHER REQUIREMENTS
- Able to travel throughout the UK and overseas attitude to working hours
- Driving license
DATA SECURITY
At all times you must work within the guidelines set out in the DRPG Information Security Policy and your Employee Confidentiality Agreement. Failure to do so may be treated as gross misconduct.
HEALTH AND SAFETY
You must work within the guidelines set out in DRPG’s Health & Safety Policy and Employee Manual at all times.
FURTHER NOTES
The role will be based primarily in our Worcestershire head office. There will rare occasions when this role will require you to work from the company’s other offices. You will be expected to work flexibly and undertake other related commercial duties both in the UK and overseas as the company may from time to time reasonably require.
THE COMPANY
Established in 1980, we’re one of Europe’s largest and most experienced fully integrated, award winning communications agencies. From the strategic communication consultancy to our complete in-house production facilities for digital media, video, events and print, we deliver to companies of all sizes that span a wide range of markets.
DRPG is an equal opportunities employer.