Group Sales Manager

MUST APPLY ONLINE AT LONGMONTCOLORADO.GOV/JOBS REPORTS TO: CEO WORK SCHEDULE: Monday – Friday (Occasional nights, weekends, and holidays as required to satisfy business needs) LOCATION: Longmont, Colorado (On-site and flexible) EMPLOYMENT TYPE: Full-time ABOUT US Visit Longmont (VL) is the community of Longmont’s destination marketing and management organization (DMMO), responsible for promoting Longmont to potential travelers from around the world. Our mission is to cultivate a visitor economy that enhances the overall quality of life in Longmont. We share office space in the historic downtown district within easy walking distance of local shops, breweries, and restaurants. Our culture values collaboration, a positive attitude, and an enthusiastic commitment to sharing the stories, history, culture, and outdoor adventures of one of Colorado’s Front Range communities. ABOUT YOUR ROLE The Group Sales Manager is a newly created role at Visit Longmont designed to accelerate economic growth. We are seeking a goal-driven professional responsible for generating new group meeting, convention, and sporting event business through proactive prospecting, direct outreach, and strong relationship-building. The primary focus of this role is to build a robust group business pipeline, attract group bookings during community need times, and establish segmented target opportunities that deliver measurable increases in hotel lodging revenues and visitor spending. This role requires a self-motivated professional with a passion for hospitality sales and destination marketing. ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES Sales Strategy and Execution Proactively generate and close group leads, focusing on high-impact opportunities and community need times to maximize local lodging revenues. Manage incoming event leads, input updates into the destination CRM system, and utilize database tracking to manage the group business pipeline. Coordinate local and regional sales calls and meetings with industry partners, including individually meeting with hotels to analyze and track group room blocks. Utilize economic impact numbers and industry tools to qualify leads and evaluate business potential. Lead & Resource Management Assess community events, meetings, conventions, and sports facilities to identify local strengths, gaps, and development opportunities. Utilize strategic research, planner databases, and lead management tools to isolate target market segments most likely to develop in Longmont. Client & Partner Engagement Foster strong relationships with third-party, independent, and association event planners, demonstrate high-quality professionalism and enthusiasm for Longmont. Plan and conduct destination site visits showcasing Longmont's unique local offerings, including downtown attractions, restaurants, and venues. Act as a key liaison service provider between event organizers, city entities, hotels, and local businesses to enhance the overall visitor and planner experience. Identify, budget, and attend targeted regional and national trade shows, establishing a quality branded presence to align with target segmented groups. Marketing Support & Communications Develop integrated, brand-aligned sales materials for the website, social media, email campaigns, and trade shows. Develop attendance-building tools and promotional resources that event planners can utilize to market their events and grow attendance. Regularly outreach to community businesses and stakeholders to update partner contact information and gather destination content. Enhance Visitor Experience Cultivate existing events to enhance the experience and grow event attendance Provide liaison services between event organizers, city, hotels, attractions/restaurants that serve groups Evaluate existing visitor services and invest in ones that help attract, retain, and grow events Travel and Industry Management Trade Shows & Conferences: Identify, budget for, and attend regional and national trade shows, sales missions, and industry conferences to generate leads and network with meeting planners. Destination Representation: Travel out-of-market to represent Visit Longmont with an investment in a high-quality, branded booth presence that aligns with target segmented groups. Professional Development & Memberships: Attend industry association events and maintain active engagement with regional hospitality groups to stay in tune with market trends. Local & Regional Mobility: Drive locally and regionally for frequent on-site meetings with local lodging partners, facility operators, and potential clients. Flexible Schedule: Maintain a willingness to travel and work a flexible schedule, which regularly includes overnight stays, evenings, weekends, and holidays to satisfy trade show and event requirements. General & Administrative Support Visit Longmont’s commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) across all organizational initiatives. Track visitor and marketing data using internal tracking processes to support organizational benchmarks. Represent Visit Longmont in person at local community events and festivals when necessary. Follow all operating and safety standards within the City of Longmont and the State of Colorado. QUALIFICATIONS Education & Experience Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management, Tourism, Marketing, Business Administration, or a related field (or an equivalent combination of education and experience). 3-5 years of experience in tourism or hospitality sales (Hotel, Destination Marketing/Management Organization, Event Venue) or related professional administrative sales experience. Specialized Skills Proficient sales acumen with a proven track record of meeting or exceeding lead and booking goals. Strong listening, negotiation, presentation, and written/oral communication skills. Comfortable using CRM platforms, lead management databases, Google Workspace, and Microsoft Office products. Ability to multi-task, show obsessive attention to detail, work efficiently with frequent interruptions, and function independently within a shared, multi-use public office space. Willingness to work a flexible schedule, including occasional evenings, weekends, and holiday travel as required to satisfy trade show and event obligations. PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT Typical multi-use public office environment with regular interruptions from staff, public visitors, and phone inquiries. Must be able to drive locally for meetings with lodging partners, facility operators, and clients. Regularly required to sit, stand, walk, talk, hear, and interact in an open-office environment. Must occasionally lift and/or move materials or trade show equipment up to 25 pounds. SALARY AND BENEFITS PACKAGE Salary Range: $50,000 – $70,000 Base Salary per year, Depending on Experience (DOE). Benefits Include: Visit Longmont offers a comprehensive benefits package to eligible employees, including: Unlimited Trusted Time Off (TTO) and Sick Time Paid Holiday Pay Paid Medical Insurance, optional Dental, and Vision Basic Life and AD&D Insurance Simple IRA Retirement Plan VISIT LONGMONT EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY (EEO) WORKPLACE Visit Longmont provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees, volunteers, and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, amnesty, or status as a covered veteran in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws. Visit Longmont expressly prohibits any form of unlawful harassment or improper interference with the ability of employees to perform their expected job duties. #J-18808-Ljbffr