General Manager | Kalamazoo Event Center

Job DescriptionJOB PURPOSE:The General Manager is the visionary leader responsible for driving the overall success, culture, and performance of a premier event and entertainment destination. This role provides strategic and operational leadership for a large-scale, multi-use venue designed to deliver exceptional guest experiences, community engagement, and financial performance.The General Manager leads with a hospitality-first mindset while balancing business growth, operational excellence, team development, and long-term strategic planning. This individual serves as the face of the venue—building strong relationships with guests, employees, partners, sponsors, promoters, and the community.WHAT YOU’LL BE DOING:May include, but not limited to: Provide leadership for all day-to-day operations of the Event Center, ensuring a seamless, high-quality guest and event experience. Lead a complex, high-volume entertainment venue that includes sporting events,concerts, community events, premium hospitality offerings, sponsorships, and special programming. Develop annual business plans, performance objectives, and operational priorities aligned with organizational goals. Ensure operational readiness for a new facility launch, including staffing, training, culture-building, programming, and guest experience standards. Oversee venue scheduling, event planning coordination, staffing strategy, and facility utilization to maximize revenue opportunities. Build, inspire, and lead a high-performing leadership team that fosters accountability, engagement, and service excellence. Create a culture grounded in professionalism, calm leadership, teamwork, and guest-focused decision making. Provide visible, steady leadership during high-pressure events and complex operational situations. Coach, mentor, and develop leaders and staff to create a strong talent pipeline and long-term organizational growth. Set clear expectations, performance standards, and accountability measures across all departments. Drive financial performance through strategic programming, sponsorships, partnerships, ticket sales, premium experiences, and diversified revenue streams. Collaborate with marketing, sales, and business development teams to position the Event Center as a premier destination for entertainment and community engagement. Maximize advertising inventory, sponsorship revenue, and corporate partnerships to support venue growth. Identify emerging trends, programming opportunities, and competitive advantages to strengthen market presence. Own venue financial performance, including budgeting, forecasting, revenue targets, labor management, and expense control. Develop and manage operating budgets that support sustainable growth andprofitability. Ensure fiscal responsibility through strategic planning, reporting, and performance tracking. Build strong relationships with local organizations, civic leaders, media outlets, sponsors, and community stakeholders. Represent the venue at public events, meetings, speaking engagements, and networking opportunities. Increase community awareness and strengthen the venue’s reputation throughengagement, partnerships, and outreach.ESSENTIAL JOB RESULTS:1. Deliver an exceptional guest experience across all events and venue operations.2. Achieve annual revenue, profitability, attendance, and sponsorship goals.3. Build a strong leadership culture focused on accountability, service, and operationalexcellence.4. Successfully launch and scale operations for a new, expanded Event Center.5. Drive employee engagement, retention, and team performance.6. Establish the venue as a premier regional destination for entertainment, sports,hospitality, and community experiences.7. Maintain strong relationships with partners, sponsors, promoters, and industrystakeholders.8. Ensure operational excellence through effective planning, staffing, communication, and execution.9. Lead strategic planning efforts that support long-term venue growth and sustainability.WHAT YOU NEED FOR THIS POSITION: Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management, Business Administration, SportsManagement, Entertainment Management, Marketing, or related field preferred. Minimum of 5–8 years of progressive leadership experience in event venues, sports and entertainment, hospitality, live events, or large-scale operations. Proven success leading complex, multi-functional teams in a high-volume guest-facing environment. Experience opening, scaling, or transforming a venue, entertainment property, orhospitality operation strongly preferred. Strong financial acumen with experience managing budgets, forecasting, andoperational performance. Executive presence with the ability to lead confidently, communicate clearly, and inspire trust. Calm, steady decision-maker who performs effectively in fast-paced, high-pressure environments. Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, scheduling systems, reporting tools, andvenue/event software platforms. Ability to work evenings, weekends, holidays, and event-based schedules. Ability to stand and walk for extended periods during events and operations. Ability to lift up to 40 pounds occasionally. #J-18808-Ljbffr Jobleads-US