Event Designer

**Join our team**

This role sits within our Sales & Events Team.

**About Hickory**

As an award-winning Scottish business, Hickory has a reputation for delivering bold culinary cutting-edge food and drink experiences in beautiful venues, with a focus on innovative and invigorating menus and sensational and stylish events. You’ll be joining an established team with a focus on exemplary standards in everything we do. We’re passionate about training, learning, and developing our future stars, innovation and leadership from within. We aim to promote a culture of respect throughout the food, drink and events industry and to ensure 5-star service, and product quality is delivered to our customers at every touch point.

**What you'll be doing**

Hickory is seeking an experienced individual to join our diverse team, based at our Eskmills Venue. You will play a pivotal role in connecting and enhancing the event and departmental planning processes across the Sales, Event Design, Hospitality, Logistics, Bars and Kitchen departments to support seamless company growth and meet the financial and brand objectives.

The role is a hands-on role, and will lead on overseeing and implementing a systematic, thorough approach to improve information relay, instilling the mandatories on time, budget and process being observed across the business - all designed to bring harmony and accord with internal teams, venue owners, suppliers and clients.

**Working Pattern**

Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm. Due to the nature of our business, working hours may vary, and you must be available some weekends.

**What can you bring?**

We are a friendly, decent bunch and we respect our people, places and planet. We want someone who has a real drive and enthusiasm for their job, as well as for their colleagues and the company. We always put the customer at the heart of our decisions, and never accept anything less than five-star standards.

This role would be a great opportunity for a graduate with the skills and experience below, looking to gain invaluable experience in the fast-paced and exciting world of hospitality sales and events.

**Key Deliverables**

Work with the Head of Event Design to ensure the achievement of financial and delivery objectives, always striving for excellence. Communicating with customers and contributing to the weekly and monthly operational events meetings.
- Develop detailed costings and client proposals for bespoke event briefs, delivering unique client experiences.
- Attending sales meeting and site meetings with clients
- Communicating with internal teams for status of event and ensuring that event planning is meeting key distribution dates.
- Establish and maintain close working relationships with clients and venue partners to maximise revenue and to ensure repeat business
- Ensure compliance and best practice with all business software, e.g., Enterprise Resource Planning System (ERP)
- Creating and providing opportunities by effective planning to increase sales value of each project, through upselling and successful negotiation.
- Stay current, and ahead of the curve, on event planning and design trends, proactively identifying and solving operational challenges
- Comply with legal, insurance, health and safety regulations at all times
- Attending networking and promotional events to develop and maintain contact with potential clients and professional bodies
- Be an ambassador for Hickory positioning it as the caterer of choice.

**The Person**

We are a friendly, decent bunch and we respect our people, places, and planet. We want someone who has a real drive and enthusiasm for their job, as well as for their colleagues and the company. We always put the customer at the heart of our decisions, and never accept anything less than five-star standards.

We are we are looking for a self-starter, creative and pro-active team-player that can demonstrate excellent leadership, with an exceptional knowledge of the food and drink market and current/future trends.

**Skills & Competencies Required**
- A minimum of 2 years of relevant event experience for this role with a proven track record within a planning and sales role across private and corporate events, ideally from within a luxury events company and used to working with premier venues.
- Strong collaborator and team player that enjoys working in a fast-paced environment and being part of a multi-site team.
- Financially strong with accuracy and ability to interpret margin management.
- A love of food and a creative flair for Event Design.
- A positive and adaptable approach to problem solving.
- Initiative, enthusiasm and creativity.
- Solid communication skills, both written and verbal and excellent IT skills
- Integrity, honesty and confidentiality.
- A love for organisation, logistics and planning with excellent time management skills.

**Enhanced Benefits Package**

**Here’s what it means for YOU**

We focus on quality, and we know that to attract a qualit