JOB DESCRIPTION

POST TITLE: Venue Sales Assistant

RESPONSIBLE TO: Venue Sales Supervisor

JOB SUMMARY:
The Venue Sales Assistant is the first point of contact for new business enquiring about booking the facilities for their meeting or event. The post holder is expected to deal with both proactive and reactive sales. This includes contacting existing clients to assist with their event needs and answering emails, phone calls and online help enquiries.
Woburn House Conference Centre (WHCC) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Universities UK (UUK). The conference centre is located at UUK’s headquarters on Tavistock Square in Bloomsbury. The venue hosts internal and external meetings and events across its 8 spaces, 7 days a week.

Working hours - 35 hours a week, usually 10am – 6pm Monday - Friday with the flexibility to alter these to fit with the needs of the business.

Main responsibilities

  1. Management of enquiries and bookings:
  • Be the first response to telephone, face to face, online and email enquiries for the venue
  • Show potential clients around the venue advising them on the best way to use the facilities whilst upselling additional services such as AV and catering
  • Logging and processingenquiries and bookings using the Rendezvous booking system including turn downs
  • Advise clients on the most suitable spaces for their event
  • Manage relationships with internal clients, managing expectations, providing advice and assisting with booking requests.
  1. Marketing of the Conference Centre:
  • Assist and input into Woburn House social media channels including Linked In, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
  • Proactively contact clients to follow up on enquiries and previous bookings
  • Assist the General Manager in the roll out of the annual marketing plan in line with UUKs data protection policy
  • Represent the venue at industry meetings, training, networking events and exhibitions
  • Assist in relationship marketing campaigns such as Christmas and client showcase events
  • Update the Woburn House website as and when required.
  1. Other
  • Assist the Venue Sales Supervisor in producing financial reports on business performance
  • Liaise with AV and Operations Coordinator and Venue Sales Supervisor to ensure all clients requests are possible and booked on the system
  • Flexible approach to working both in terms of tasks and hours required to ensure the venue operates at a standard beyond client expectations and meets the demands placed on a small team.

This job description will be reviewed and amended in the light of changing professional demands.

A job description is not a rigid or inflexible document but acts to provide guidelines to the duties expected while in post.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential/Desirable / QUALIFICATIONS AND TRAINING / ASSESSED:
Application / Shortlisting / Interview
A. WORK BACKGROUND AND EXPERIENCE
Essential / Experience of working in a customer service environment / Application
Essential / Experience of communicating with clients via email and telephone / Application/Interview
Desirable / Some experience in the events industry / Application

B. SKILLS AND APTITUDES REQUIRED

Essential / Good standard of knowledge on Microsoft Office packages such as Word, Excel, Outlook. / Application/Interview
Essential / Good IT knowledge on both hardware and software and an ability to learn new systems / Application/Interview
Essential / Excellent telephone manner / Application/Interview
Essential / Excellent standard of English both written and verbal / Application/Interview
Essential / Good basic level of maths and enjoyment of working with numbers / Application/Interview
C. SPECIALIST KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED
Desirable / Experience or knowledge of room booking software / Application
Desirable / Experience or knowledge of online applications such as Survey Monkey and Mailchimp / Application

D. PERSONAL QUALITIES

Essential / Reliable and flexible approach to work both tasks and hours / Interview
Essential / A “can do” attitude with a desire to help clients and colleagues / Interview
Essential / Ability to work under pressure and to tight deadlines / Interview
Essential / Ability to think on your feet / Interview
Essential / Results driven mentality / Interview