Director of Events Sales & Operations

Director of Event Sales and Ops

WSA NYC Campus / SAA Campus

New York City

The Role

The Director of Event Sales and Ops is responsible for leading full-cycle event sales while overseeing the planning and execution of in-house, private, promotional, partnership, and member-facing events across WSA NYC campus and SAA campus. This role is accountable for top-line revenue generation, qualifying, negotiating, and closing business, while also ensuring each event transitions successfully from sale through planning, production, execution, and breakdown. The position bridges client development, venue sales, and operational leadership, with responsibility for revenue growth, site visits, staffing strategy, production coordination, food and beverage planning, technical requirements, and all aspects of delivering elevated in-person event experiences.

The ideal candidate will be a polished, highly hands-on leader who can seamlessly bridge revenue generation with operational execution. This individual should bring strong client instincts, production fluency, business acumen, and leadership presence, while creating an upbeat and positive client and team experience. Because the role sits at the intersection of sales and operations, the ideal candidate must be equally comfortable driving pipeline, guiding customers through event experiences, leading site visits and negotiations, and ensuring every sold event is executed thoroughly and profitably.

Reporting to: Head of Operations

Responsible for: Event Sales function, Event Operations Team, Event Service Teams, and close cross-functional coordination with Facilities, Housekeeping, Culinary, Beverage, AV, Security, Marketing, and Membership

Compensation Range: $125,000 - $140,000 + commission

Requirements:

• This is a hands-on leadership position where time is split between revenue generation, client development, pre-event planning, production coordination, on-site execution, team leadership, and post-event follow-through across multiple campuses and properties.
• Provide full-cycle event sales leadership, including top-line revenue generation, qualifying, negotiating, and closing business for the various properties, along with client support and site visits.
• Lead the planning, sales, production, and execution of all in-house, private, promotional, partnership, and member programming events with a high-touch hospitality mindset and strong operational discipline.
• Develop and execute strategic sales plans to achieve monthly and annual revenue targets, expand market share, and grow business within existing and prospective accounts.
• Own the end-to-end event process from lead generation through signed business, operational handoff, planning, execution, breakdown, and post-event recap.
• Generate new business through proactive solicitation, relationship-building, follow-up, referrals, site tours, community engagement, and outbound outreach using approved resources and channels.
• Guide customers through event experiences, providing solutions that meet their goals and objectives and result in compelling, well-executed events.
• Plan and execute client site visits, on-site negotiations, walkthroughs, planning meetings, and pre- and post-con meetings.
• Oversee venue readiness, setup, breakdown, furniture placement, signage, cleanliness, and overall presentation before, during, and after each event.
• Serve as the senior sales and operations lead on event execution, ensuring each program is delivered smoothly from first inquiry through final closeout.
• Develop and maintain a detailed understanding of each WSA and SAA event space, including capacities, layouts, restrictions, building rules, and ideal use cases.
• Oversee event management systems, CRM data integrity, calendars, documentation, and workflow standards, including Tripleseat or similar event management tools.
• Schedule and lead kickoff meetings, production meetings, staffing meetings, sales reviews, and internal event meetings to ensure alignment on scope, timing, ownership, and execution details.
• Collaborate closely with Facilities, Housekeeping, Culinary, Beverage, AV, Security, Membership, Marketing, and Sales-related stakeholders to deliver seamless event experiences and support repeat business.
• Create detailed staffing plans for each event, including service labor, setup labor, production support, and supervisory coverage based on scope, client expectations, and business needs.
• Manage team scheduling, labor deployment, accountability, and pre-event preparation while monitoring labor costs, staffing efficiency, and overall profitability.
• Lead recruitment, onboarding, training, scheduling, performance management, and mentorship for event sales and operations team members as applicable.
• Establish and continuously improve service standards, sales SOPs, production workflows, event-execution processes, and team compliance across campuses and properties.
• Prepare and manage detailed event pull sheets, including wine, spirits, beer, mixers, nonalcoholic beverages, plates, glassware, silverware, linen, and service equipment requirements for each event.
• Partner closely with Culinary and Beverage to confirm menus, quantities, prep needs, timing, and inventory readiness well in advance of each event.
• Coordinate linen orders and rental needs, including sourcing, ordering, confirming quantities, managing delivery schedules, receiving orders, checking accuracy, and coordinating post-event returns.
• Oversee production elements including load-ins, load-outs, production schedules, AV, lighting, staging, technical requirements, and outside production company coordination as needed.
• Develop and manage event tools and execution documents including proposals, run-of-show documents, floor plans, room diagrams, production schedules, staffing plans, Banquet Event Orders / Program Execution Orders, and related client-facing and operational materials.
• Maximize revenue opportunity for assigned customers through upsell and cross-sell strategies while protecting service standards and execution feasibility.
• Maintain fiscal oversight, including group and catering revenue forecasting, budget participation, staffing strategy, rental expenses, production costs, vendor negotiation, event revenue reconciliation, and post-event financial closeout.
• Monitor pipeline health, event expenses, staffing costs, rentals, additional charges, and financial performance, and prepare or review reporting tied to sales and event profitability.
• Submit, track, and catalog invoices in accordance with company standards and support accurate billing, contract, and financial closeout processes.
• Develop meticulously organized digital filing systems for event records, proposals, contracts, pull sheets, diagrams, invoices, permits, and auditing purposes.
• Build and maintain strong client, vendor, and industry relationships that support premium event execution, technical production, rentals, decor, linen, and long-term business success.
• Ensure all department documents are kept up to date, accurate, and exhaustive in detail for clear execution and communication.
• Partner with Health & Safety leaders and maintain a working understanding of NYC event requirements, including FDNY considerations, temporary permits, occupancy restrictions, building regulations, and other operational compliance needs.
• Anticipate issues before they arise, make independent decisions when needed, and convert feedback and event learnings into stronger commercial and operational best practices over time.
• Travel between campuses and properties is required, and this is an on-site role with evening, weekend, and holiday availability as business demands.

Position Qualifications include

• 8+ years of progressive leadership experience in event sales, event operations, event production, hospitality operations, or a related field with a strong record of both revenue generation and execution.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex events across premium venues, multi-use properties, members clubs, freestanding event venues, restaurants, or hospitality-driven environments.
• Minimum 3 years of successfully directing a sales, catering, event operations, or similar team preferred.
• Strong understanding of high-touch hospitality, client service, and the standards required to execute polished in-person experiences from both a commercial and operational perspective.
• Significant hands-on experience with event production, including load-ins, load-outs, AV coordination, lighting, staging, technical planning, and outside production vendor management.
• Must have experience in the NYC market across social, corporate, group, on-premise, and off-premise event or catering sales.
• Experience with event management tools and project tracking systems; Tripleseat, Toast POS, BEO formatting and detailing, Smartsheet, Google Suite, and Microsoft Office experience preferred.
• Strong project management capabilities, including timelines, room diagrams, run-of-show development, production scheduling, task management, pipeline management, and multi-stakeholder coordination.
• Proven performance achieving individual and team sales productivity goals, maintaining a healthy pipeline, and meeting or exceeding revenue targets.
• Exceptional problem-solving ability and the capacity to remain calm, decisive, persuasive, and highly responsive in high-intensity situations.
• Ability to interact comfortably and confidently with senior leaders, high-level clients, members, guests, and external partners from a wide range of industries and backgrounds.
• Strong financial acumen, including budgeting, forecasting, labor planning, rental oversight, invoicing, post-event reconciliation, and profitability review.
• Working knowledge of legal contract language, New York labor considerations, overtime awareness, event safety practices, FDNY-related event requirements, temporary permits, occupancy restrictions, and operational compliance standards preferred.

Highly entrepreneurial with superior attention to detail and the ability to execute in the face of competing priorities while maintaining accuracy across multiple concurrent events and sales opportunities.

Additional Skills

• Critical organizational and multitasking skills with the ability to prioritize all relevant components of an active sales, event, and production operation.
• Ability to communicate clearly and professionally with clients, vendors, internal teams, and leadership regarding policies, procedures, timelines, logistics, proposals, and event details.
• Confidence in making real-time decisions with professionalism, discretion, maturity, and commercial awareness in fast-moving environments.
• Demonstrated flexibility, reliability, and the ability to work well under pressure while diffusing high-stress situations and supporting both revenue goals and operational standards.
• A collaborative, entrepreneurial mindset with a strong sense of ownership, accountability, and passion for hospitality, production, sales, and events.
• Ability to work collaboratively and independently with colleagues, direct reports, and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to conduct site visits, lead negotiations, present information clearly, drive follow-up, and keep teams aligned.
• Data-oriented approach to pipeline management, forecasting, reporting, and operational decision-making.
• Must be able to work holidays, evenings, and weekends as required by the event calendar and business needs.
• Travel between campuses and properties is involved.

This is not a remote work position.

WSA NYC is an equal opportunity employer. We believe in hiring a diverse workforce and sustaining an inclusive, people-first culture. We are committed to non-discrimination on any protected basis, such as disability and veteran status, or any other basis covered under applicable law.