Sales, Marketing & Events
The sales and marketing department will likely include a conference and events sales team. Their objective is to market and sell the hotel or pub to fill its restaurants, bars, function rooms and beds.
Functions undertaken by this department include:
- Promotional activities to increase awareness of products and services;
- Engage with and secure business from new and existing customers;
- Develop strategies to meet sales targets and budgets;
- Research competitors’ strategies – be clear on the hotel’s ‘point of difference’ and determine ways to increase market share.
Sales, Marketing & Events Hierarchy
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Event Coordinator
The event coordinator is an important first point of contact for businesses looking to hold a function/event at a hotel or pub. To be successful in this role, you’ll likely have a keen eye for detail and probably have had some food and beverage service experience too. These businesses will have particular objectives they want to achieve, by hosting their event at your property. Perhaps a celebration, a reflection on a person’s career or life, a business meeting, or the launch of an exciting new product. Whatever their goal, it’s your job to help deliver success. You will work closely with your food and beverage operations team to shape the style of event your client wants, including the type of catering they require (e.g. sit down meal or stand up finger food), event timings, coordinate any ideas or supplies provided by external companies and make sure the event runs within budget.
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Social Media Coordinator
A hotel or pub’s online profile often determines whether customers will return to the venue, or try it for the first time, based on the recommendations and ratings of others who have already tried it. A recent Australian consumer survey revealed that 91% of 18–34-year-olds trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations while 93% of consumers said online reviews influenced their purchase decision! As your venue’s Social Media Coordinator, you will be responsible for your maintaining your hotel or pub’s online presence, promoting offers and experiences that increase its profile and encourage purchase of hotel products or services. You will likely also respond to customer feedback received, including alerting relevant hotel or pub departments if a complaint has been received, leading the response and remedy (as necessary) with your customer.
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Marketing Executive
Do you have creative flair and an eye for detail? If so, this role might be right for you! Help produce a range of hotel and pub marketing collateral, including brochures, flyers, advertisements, electronic direct mail campaigns and newsletters.
Manage the expenses of the sales and marketing team to ensure campaigns and activities stay within budget and provide important assistance to the Director of Sales and Marketing and PR Director (in a hotel), and/or Marketing and Events Manager (also in a pub), as required.
You’re likely the first point of contact for media enquiries and are responsible for the coordination of photo shoots and film crews and public relations events, like trade shows.
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You will be experienced in working at events (weddings, conferences, etc) most probably as wait staff. If you show potential, you might be promoted to an Event Services Team Leader role. At each event, you will look after a team of wait staff ensuring all their tasks are done exactly to the client’s (and hotel’s) event requirements. Remember that you may still be developing your people management and leadership skills to get the most out of your team.
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Event Services Manager/Function and Event Manager (P) (H)
One of the most rewarding jobs in hotels and pubs is helping customers to plan and organise their special celebrations. More than just a place to gather for drinks or dinner, hotel and pubs are looked to as a special place to celebrate occasions with family and friends, hosting an array of events like birthdays, engagements, weddings and wakes.
Many companies also like to host events at their local hotel or pub. If you are the kind of person who loves to help and enjoy interacting with people from all walks of life, then this is a great role to aspire to. You will need loads of experience in setting up and working at a variety of events and functions, a great knowledge of food and wine and a thorough understanding of what things cost and how to price them. You will be a dynamic salesperson and strong at negotiating great outcomes.
Public Relations and Communications Manager
Public relations (PR) activities focus on how the hotel or pub can build mutually beneficial relationships with key stakeholders that engage with their business. When done well, good PR enhances awareness, and public perception of the hotel or pub brand, while good publicity can generate new customers who are keen to experience its hospitality offer.
The Public Relations and Communications Manager will likely have a solid understanding and familiarity with each of the operating departments of the hotel or pub, have strong writing and people skills and be an effective project manager, able to juggle multiple priorities.
In a hotel setting, the Public Relations and Communications Manager will also often assist the Director of Sales and Marketing with creative ideas and opinions on website content, marketing collateral and the execution of sales and marketing campaigns. Should emergencies or unexpected events occur, for example an injury or accident, this person will also lead the hotel’s response, in close consultation with the hotel General Manager.
Social Media Manager (P) (H)
Of course, social media allows an almost instant connection with hotel and pub customers, staff and the public, through different communications channels. Digital marketing campaigns can be a cost effective and very targeted way of engaging with them.
The venue’s Social Media Manager will plan these campaigns and monitor interactions with the hotel or pub’s brand. They will likely use a range of data to work out which strategies are most effective and generating the highest levels of engagement. Monitoring customer feedback and online reviews will also be an important responsibility.
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The Marketing Manager is responsible for the creation and execution of a marketing and promotional calendar that helps to fill the hotel or pub’s bars, bistros and beds! They identify and develop new marketing opportunities to engage with customers, through different events and activities and work with different operational departments within the hotel to ensure these campaigns help them meet related revenue targets.
The Marketing Manager will often prepare weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual reports to demonstrate how effective each marketing campaign has been at driving new customers into the venue.
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The Director of Sales and Marketing has ultimate responsibility to develop the hotel’s annual sales and marketing plan, including delivering new product or service offers that will help the property stand out from competitors. They provide relevant financial data on the revenue impact of different campaigns, to assist the General Manager to shape the hotel’s future operational strategy.
The DOSM manages all the hotel’s sales and marketing activities. They are often the key contact for the property’s top corporate accounts and will analyse the activities of competitor hotels, including their customer base, with the aim of developing and securing new business and providing a market advantage.
