Description
About Visit Baltimore:
As Baltimore’s official destination marketing organization, our mission is to promote, sell and encourage visitation to drive economic impact for the city and its residents. We craft and communicate the Baltimore narrative, advance the tourism and hospitality industry and support community.
Values: Our day-to-day behaviors are the foundation of our workplace culture. Because of this, all our actions must come from a place of respect for ourselves, our colleagues, our customers, our community and our stakeholders. Grounded in a foundation of respect, we embrace the following values as the principal pillars of our culture:
Practice Mindfulness
Ensure Collaboration
Exemplify Adaptability
Celebrate Diversity
Ignite Innovation
Summary:
The Chief Sales Officer (CSO) functions as the senior executive business leader of the Sales and Customer Experience department. The position drives the sales strategic platform and provides leadership and direction for the Sales and Customer Experience team. In alignment with organizational priorities, develop strategic goals that address short-term and long-term demand, set regional and vertical deployment strategies and determine new business opportunities. To be successful, the CSO must be able to develop and maintain collaborative relationships externally with the Baltimore hospitality community and key stakeholders to engage them in supporting the organization’s goals.
Work collaboratively with the Sales leadership team to ensure a positive and results-oriented team environment with open communication and dialogue around strategy and goals.
This role reports directly to the President & CEO and serves as a core member of the Executive leadership team. The ideal CSO is an experienced hospitality leader with a proven track record in managing and motivating high performing teams in achieving organizational goals. They are strategic, creative, relationship centered, thoughtful, agile and deeply collaborative, with a commitment to modeling Visit Baltimore’s core values and leading with trust and integrity.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
Sales and Customer Experience
Develop and implement plans and programs to support and achieve the organization’s sales and customer experience goals and objectives.
Establish and oversee long and short-term sales strategies for convention groups. Identify and evaluate new market potential and develop a focused account selling strategy for the sales team.
Assist with closing business for priority sales accounts; assign all new accounts.
Lead, motivate and evaluate performance of direct reports. Work closely with Sales leadership to maximize productivity from the sales and customer experience team and maintain a positive culture.
Maintain close working relations with area hotels, municipal facilities, and serve as liaison between the client and these facilities; conduct regular meetings with hotel GM’s and DOSM’s in Baltimore.
Communicate regularly with external stakeholders regarding Visit Baltimore’s sales and customer experience efforts, activities, opportunities and ensure their appropriate participation and support.
Product development liaison with City partners for hospitality development projects.
Liaison with City partners for visitor/customer experience projects.
Assist in the development of a marketing plan and strategies to promote Baltimore as a convention destination.
Develop cooperative programs, familiarization trips and sales missions with area hotels and hospitality industry to market Baltimore.
Attend tradeshows to promote Baltimore as a convention destination.
Oversee sales incentive program for the sales team.
Maintain statistical data pertaining to conventions held and booked, and their economic impact to Baltimore.
Manage all booking reports, bid presentations and site inspections conducted by the sales and customer experience departments.
Oversee memberships in pertinent convention/meeting/exhibition trade organizations.
Develop and manage sales and customer experience departmental budgets.
Work collaboratively with the marketing department on all convention-related promotional and advertising projects.
Conduct periodic meetings with the sales and customer experience departmental staff to discuss upcoming conventions, outstanding leads, and special projects.
Represent the organization for statewide meeting/convention related committees and organizations.
Act as Board liaison for the District Management Committee (DMC).
At the direction of the President and CEO, report to the Board on behalf of the sales and customer experience departments.
General
In all personal actions, support and comply with the organization's policies and procedures, performance standards and core values.
Maintain general awareness of modern communications, sales tools and marketing trends as they pertain to sales and customer experience, as well as the overall tourism industry.
Other duties as assigned by the President and CEO.
Requirements
Bachelor’s degree in related areas with a minimum of 15 years’ experience in hospitality industry sales with progressive responsibilities to include management of multiple personnel and projects, preferably with a DMO or hotel; or equivalent combination of education and experience.
Proven development and execution of strategic sales plans and budgets into key alignment of short and long-term goals.
Knowledge of Baltimore hotel community a plus.
Demonstrated ability to effectively lead and manage teams, and foster a positive, success-oriented environment within the organization.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Ability to build and maintain successful working relationships with board members, partners, clients and the hospitality community.
Ability to understand and process information and ideas and present information to internal and external stakeholders in a clear and concise fashion.
Innovative thinker that encourages and adopts new ideas and strategies in achieving goals and objectives and seeks ways to streamline processes and procedures to maximize efficiency and interdepartmental collaboration.
Excellent judgment and creative problem-solving skills, including negotiation and conflict resolution.
Computer proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and company CRM.
Ability to seamlessly adapt to changing business needs and tourism industry trends.
Demonstrated passion for Visit Baltimore’s mission, vision and values.
Must be able to travel as needed and able to work evenings, weekends and/or holidays based on client and office demands.
Additional Details:
Full-time, hybrid position. Comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental and vision insurance, flexible spending accounts, paid holidays, 20 days paid time off (accrual based), 7 days extended sick time off (accrual based), 16 hours volunteer time off, Life, LTD, and ADD insurance and 401(k) plan with employer match.
