Whether you title the position Director of Special Events, Venue Manager, Sales Director, or Facility Rentals Manager, the person you hire to run your facility rentals program should be a key hire for your organization. The right person can’t be hired without the right job description. Here are some tips to help find your superstar.
- Because events in some form or another are central to non-profit cultural facilities, this person will likely be central to the operation and coordination of all of your organization’s activities. They should be a big-picture person, able to lead teams, and an excellent communicator.
- This person will be touching both external (rental) and internal events, so they should really have expert skills in planning events, ideally in a non-profit setting. They should have an inherent understanding of how both external and internal events contribute to the intricate fabric of your organization so everything fits together seamlessly.
- When looking at candidates, it’s great to find people who have hotel, event planning, catering, or private dining experience, but it’s even better if they also have cultural event/development experience! This person must embody your organization’s mission and be able to discuss it confidently in both sales and business settings.
- Since it is likely your venue will compete with other commercial and cultural institutions, it’s important that this person approaches the sales process with an entrepreneurial spirit. It is as if this department is a for-profit entity that exists within the non-profit one, so they should be aware of evolving competition and trends in the field. They should also be involved in your city or town’s events community, which includes local planners and other vendors, like caterers, A/V providers, furniture rental companies, entertainers, etc.
- It is likely this person will be the only one focused on the facility rental marketing message, so be sure they are adept at messaging and social media. They will drive the all-important website and social media content.
The sweet spot for this role is someone who recognizes that event clients are potential donors and donors are potential event clients! After all, if clients and donors enjoy the experience of being at your facility and actually like the people that work there, they will find ways to deepen their connection with the organization. Finding someone who can work in creative ways to bridge the gap between fundraising efforts and facility sales is the golden ticket.