Venue Head of Sales

**Role Responsibilities**

Farnborough International is looking to strengthen its team by recruiting a dynamic and proactive Head of Sales to expand the Venues portfolio of events and deliver commercial targets for Farnborough International Exhibition & Conference Centre.

Manage the development of a sales strategy and a programme of business development initiatives to deliver increased and profitable growth.

The Head of Sales will lead the commercial team to maximise growth, enhance yield management, deepen relationships with clients to focus a customer centric approach, further underpinning our industry Most Supportive Venue award recognition recently received at the Exhibition News Indy Awards.

Primary
- Develop and maintain senior level relationships with exhibition organisers & event agencies, both UK and overseas, focusing on objective of the clients event and how FIL can support these
- Develop and manage relationships with key internal and external stakeholders including customers, local government, enterprise partnerships, community representatives and the wider senior management team
- Provide leadership and strategic direction, creating a strong commercial culture, establishing an effective program to coach, appraise and train commercial team personnel
- Collaborate to set, build & maintain set level of customer service provided by the team and be proactive in the development of own skills and experience whilst demonstrating appropriate behaviours towards the wider team maintaining FILs core values.
- Drive sales performance to achieve business and financial targets to maximise revenue, whilst ensure that the Venue performs in line with profitability targets & remains competitive

Secondary
- Regularly analyse the sales activity for the Venue to identify areas of improvement and influence the sales strategy accordingly
- Proactively leverage data and knowledge to develop industry trends & insight, driving new business opportunities
- Ensure all relevant communication is recorded in the Company CRM and efficiency of sales administration is maximised, and additionally ensure that business protocols and administration processes are adhered to by the venue sales team
- Provide accurate and timely management information as required
- Keep up to date with market information such as competitor activity and economic data and assess its impact on venue sales revenues and profitability
- Develop an understanding of the operational impact of a proposed event on the venue and a proactive style in developing potential solutions
- Work alongside the marketing team to increase awareness of the Venue and engagement with clients Company representation
- Act as an ambassador for the company at industry events and face to face client meetings, cementing the Companys position at the forefront of the events industry
- Flexibility to travel both Nationally & Internationally representing Farnborough International at relevant Trade Exhibitions, Conferences and Agency sales missions

**Budget Responsibilities**

Responsibility for the venue sales budget and for event profitability

**Reporting Structure**

The role directly reports to the Venue Director with 4 direct reports which includes 2 Account Directors, 2 Account Manager..

**Skills & Competencies**
- Preferred 3 years and experience in a similar senior role
- High level of event industry knowledge
- Proven track record of achieving sales targets
- Able to identify issues and present creative solutions
- Demonstrated ability to negotiate and implement contracts with senior level clients
- Demonstrated ability to consistently follow a structured process to convert interest and enquires into sales
- Able to creatively and proactively seek new opportunities and business leads
- Competitive, driven and self-motivated, with an ability to adapt to the requirements of overall business objectives
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Strong influencing and interpersonal skills
- Competent in Microsoft Office, Venue management software and CRM systems
- Flexible to accommodate varying demands of fast paced environment

**The Salary & Benefits**

**Salary**: £60 - £65,000 per annum

Location: Farnborough Office, Hampshire

Details: Full Time, 37.5hours per week

Contract: Permanent Contract

Benefits include; sales commission, hybrid working, pension, private health insurance, life insurance, access to Farnborough parking, cycle to work scheme, extended remote working, enhanced parental leave, 28 days annual leave, buy additional annual leave, long service additional annual leave

**People & Values**

Farnborough has a rich history of pioneering aviation triumphs and we at Farnborough International have stood shoulder to shoulder with industry pioneers for decades. It is this pioneering spirit that continues to run through our business today and will enable us to grow in the future.

People are at the heart of what we do at Farnborough and we are looking