Venue Sales & Events Manager - Crane Estate

Job Description

Job Description

Who We Are:

Founded in 1891 by a group of visionary volunteers, The Trustees of Reservations (The Trustees) is Massachusetts’ premier conservation and preservation organization. The Trustees’ preserves, for public use and enjoyment, properties of exceptional scenic, historic, and ecological value in Massachusetts. Our properties are open to all, and we thrive by involving as many people as possible in all that we do. We aim to protect special places for future generations to enjoy in perpetuity, and have helped protect more than 50,000 acres, including 27,000+ acres on more than 120 reservations that are open to the public. As a non-profit conservation organization, we are funded and supported entirely by our visitors, supporters, volunteers, and our 100,000 Member households. We encourage you to learn more about The Trustees on our website,  

Posting Information:

Base Salary Range: $61,250 - $78,750

Please note that new employees are placed in the base salary range between $63,000 and $66,500 to allow for an equitable starting salary process and continual salary growth during an employee’s time at the Trustees.

Additional Salary: Commission (based on both individual and team sales)

Hours per week: 40 (Weekends and evening work required, flexible scheduling offered) 

Job Classification: Full-Time, Exempt 

Job Location Type: Hybrid 

Location: Castle Hill at the Crane Estate, Ipswich, MA

Anticipated Start Date: Dec 1st, 2026

Your Impact: 

The Trustees operates some of New England's most distinctive private event destinations, where historic estates, scenic landscapes, and cultural assets create memorable experiences for clients and guests. As a Venue Sales and Events Manager, you will drive revenue growth, deliver exceptional client experiences, and cultivate new business opportunities across a portfolio of premier event venues. Success in this role requires consultative sales expertise, relationship-building, strong event execution, and strategic partnership development. You will serve as an ambassador for The Trustees, helping transform event clients and guests into long-term visitors, supporters, members, and advocates. By creating meaningful experiences for clients and their guests, this role inspires appreciation for extraordinary landscapes and generates essential revenue that funds The Trustees' conservation and stewardship work. 

The Role: 

As the Sales & Events Manager for The Crane Estate, you will be responsible for wedding, corporate, and social event sales.  You will be responsible for collaboration with the exclusive catering partner, maintaining the event calendar, planning and executing event details, fielding and responding to client inquiries, ensuring all Trustees standards are being met, and providing complete, accurate, and accountable information to potential and contracted clients. You will also be responsible for maintaining client files, communicating with property staff, and coordinating event vendors.   

This position reports directly to the Regional Vice President with a dotted line to our statewide Director of Enterprise Partnerships and will collaborate closely with peers in their region. As needed, this role will provide leadership and supervision to other event staff. This role will help expand beyond weddings to corporate events, nonprofit functions, retreats, celebrations, meetings, and off-season bookings to maximize venue utilization throughout the year. You will own individual venue sales goals while collaborating with colleagues across the portfolio to support enterprise-wide revenue growth and shared business success. 

Specifically, you’ll be responsible for: 

Drive Sales and Revenue Growth 

• Act as the main point of contact for all wedding and private event bookings at your venue, managing every step of the process including responding to initial inquiries, conducting tours, answering questions, closing on the booking for each event, and day-of coordination and management.  

• Own and achieve annual booking, revenue, profitability, and utilization goals for assigned venue(s).  

• Actively support lead generation and venue promotion by partnering with the exclusive caterer, photographers, planners, and industry professionals to increase awareness and drive new business. 

Manage Event Execution   

• Oversee event planning, coordination, and day-of execution for assigned events.  

• Collaborate with property staff for support of events and management of the events calendar, communicating event details clearly and accurately to all stakeholders.  

• Ensure adherence to Trustees policies, venue standards, historic preservation requirements, safety procedures, and operational expectations.  

• Manage venue timelines, logistics, staffing coordination, setup, execution, and post-event follow-up.  

• Supervise set-up and day-of operations for private events, including deliveries, wedding parties, all vendors, parking, and guest registration.  

• Coordinate with property staff to ensure that events are closed out following appropriate procedures.  

• Complete post-event evaluation of event success, and follow-up as needed with caterer, vendors and/or staff.  

Deliver Exceptional Client Experiences   

• Serve as the primary client relationship manager throughout the sales and event lifecycle.  

• Act as a trusted advisor, providing expert recommendations and guidance from inquiry through event execution.  

• Provide direction and recommendations to clients, strategically presenting options appropriate for the event and venue.   

• Create outstanding experiences that generate positive reviews, referrals, and repeat business.  

• Maintain high standards of communication, responsiveness, professionalism, and service excellence.  

Contribute to Enterprise Growth  

• Champion a One Trustees Portfolio approach by collaborating across venues and sharing qualified leads when another venue is a better fit.  

• Identify opportunities to connect event clients and guests to additional Trustees experiences, memberships, programs, retail offerings, and philanthropic initiatives.  

• Support development of ancillary revenue opportunities associated with private events, such as retail gifts. 

Administration 

• Maintain accurate records within venue management systems. 

• Evaluate event success and identify opportunities for continuous improvement. 

• Coordinate with property team to ensure that event calendar is optimized and not in conflict with programming and other mission-related uses. 
• Perform other assigned tasks that support private event sales and execution and the mission of the organization. 

This is a full-time, exempt position (40 hours a week) reporting directly to the Regional Vice President with a dotted line to the Director of Enterprise Partnerships.

Requirements

What You’ll Need:  

Skills and Experience: 

• Demonstrated history of meeting or exceeding revenue and sales goals.  

• Proven ability to generate new business and build a strong sales pipeline. Strong consultative selling, negotiation, and closing skills, with hospitality and service-oriented mindset.  

• Degree from an accredited college or university, or comparable experience. 

• 5 to 9 years of sales and management in hospitality, preferably in cultural institutions   
• 2+ years of self-managed experience in weddings, corporate events, and event management and coordination.

• Excellent organizational and event management skills; ability to initiate, plan, prioritize and oversee multiple events successfully.    

• Proven ability to work effectively as part of a team and independently.  

• Persuasive communicator, excellent interpersonal skills, and ability to foster client and vendor relationships. 

• Superior knowledge of event/meeting logistics including catering, audio/visual, strategic event layout, and general event operations/management.

• Results and deadline driven with strong ability to work independently.  

• Positive, outgoing, and attentive demeanor, professional appearance, and consistently delivers high-impact customer service experience. 

• Proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, with ability to learn a sales and venue management program. 

• Flexibility to adapt to a varied work schedule and event scheduling demands. 

Preferred: 

• Familiarity with Tripleseat booking platform and Canva. 

• Past catering or venue sales experience at cultural institutions. 

• Understanding of sustainable practices for weddings and other events. 

Eligibility Criteria:

• Current authorization to work in the United States – a candidate must have such authorization by his or her first day of employment. 

• A satisfactory criminal background (CORI) check. 

• Must be able to stand, walk, reach and bend for more than 50% of working hours. 

• Must be able to lift upwards of 40 pounds. 

Don’t quite have all the skills and experience listed above? We still want to hear from you! Research shows that historically marginalized groups are less likely to apply if they do not meet every single requirement. We are committed to building a diverse team and encourage you to apply even if you are missing some of the skills and experience above.  

Questions? Contact our People team at View email address on ziprecruiter.com  

Benefits

Your Benefits: 

• Sick time: 15 days per year 

• Vacation time: 20 days per year  

• Holidays: 12 observed holidays, 3 floating 

• Health Insurance: You are eligible to participate in the Trustees health insurance benefit via Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS). BCBS also offers additional benefits, such as fitness reimbursement and rewards for healthy habits.  

• Short-Term and Long-Term Disability Insurance 

• Massachusetts Paid Family Medical Leave 

• Life Insurance  

• 401k with 5% match after 1 year of employment 

• Employee Assistance Program: Free access to a confidential service that helps employees and their communities with personal and work-related issues, such as mental health support, counseling, and financial advice.  

• Reciprocity: Employees have access to free and discounted admission and membership to more than 50 nearby museums and cultural institutions.  

• Discounts: Enjoy free entry to all Trustees properties, discount event tickets, and discounted merchandise at our stores and on stays at our inns.  

• Day of Wonder: Spend one workday per year to exploring a Trustees property 

• Day of Service: Spend one workday per year to helping with a project at a Trustees property  

Equal Opportunity and Diversity: 

The Trustees is a proud equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any protected status including, but not limited to, age, race, ethnicity, sex, gender, sexual preferences, nation of origin, religion, or disability status and strongly encourages applications from people of color, persons with varying abilities, women, and LGBTQ+ applicants. We aspire to reflect and effectively serve the residents and communities of Massachusetts, who are at the core of our mission.    

The Trustees’ commitment to advancing the organization’s vision for this work may be found here:  Diversity, Belonging, Inclusion and Equity . 

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.  

We are committed to creating an inclusive and accessible work environment. To request reasonable accommodation during the application or interview process, please contact us at View email address on ziprecruiter.com .