Director of Space Optimization | McCormick Place

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Overview

Reporting to the Sr. Vice President of Sales & Marketing, the primary role of the McCormick Place Director of Space Optimization (DSO) is to ensure that the highest quality and standards for revenue, economic impact goals and sales goal objectives are met for each fiscal year.

The DSO is responsible for managing team members involved and analyzing potential and existing business, tracking market trends, identifying key strategies to maximize the convention center, McCormick Place campus and city. The DSO is responsible for implementing inventory strategy and yield management functions of space in McCormick Place. This role requires strong background in research, data management, trend analysis, identifying need times, focusing team members on areas of concern and forecasting. This position works collaboratively and collectively with MPEA, MPEA Collection hotels, Choose Chicago, and the entire hospitality community. Additionally, the DSO interacts with peers and engages industry opportunities beneficial to the campus. This position requires a knowledgeable, revenue driven, hospitality professional who develops and implements ongoing strategic initiatives that will positively impact campus revenue and overall assets.

This role will pay a yearly salary of $140,000 to $160,000 and is bonus eligible.

For FT roles: Benefits: Health, Dental and Vision insurance, 401(k) savings plan, 401(k) matching, and paid time off (vacation days, sick days, and 11 holidays).

This position will remain open until May 16, 2025.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with convention center leadership, primarily Sales and Events, to monitor and analyze space usage, develop a comprehensive space optimization strategy, and implement revenue management principles.
• Analyze data (historical, future demand, booking trends) to optimize space allocation, pricing, and overall revenue generation, attracting events that strengthen McCormick Place's economic impact on the region.
• Collaborate with convention center leadership to monitor and analyze space usage, develop a comprehensive space optimization strategy.
• Ensure space contracting, ensuring optimal booking strategies and maximizing utilization through event layering and scheduling.
• Review leads and evaluate and analyze on yield strategy to ensure space maximization and subsequent impact to hotels.
• Partner with Sales & Marketing, Convention Bureau, campus hotels, and other stakeholders to optimize the events calendar and maximize campus-wide revenue.
• Conduct regular booking and space audits to identify improvement opportunities and ensure efficient resource use, considering the impact on the convention center, hotels, and economic impact.
• Foster strong relationships with key stakeholders across sales, event management, catering, operations, campus hotels, and the Convention Bureau to ensure a seamless sales and event process, maximize revenue, and amplify McCormick Place's mission.
• Utilize yield management principles to secure business in peak, need dates and shoulder periods, maximizing revenue streams.
• Consult with McCormick Place and Choose Chicago Sales to ensure room block to space ratios to maximize total capacity of McCormick Place space.
• Analyze potential business based on economic impact and net value to the campus.
• Understand convention center revenue streams and business needs for city wide and shorter-term opportunities.
• Continuing analysis of past financial performance to ensure proper placement and financial goals are being achieved.
• Prepare reports (daily, weekly, monthly, etc.) and include summaries of analyses.
• Maintain and maximize event revenue management software programs.
• Prepare presentations and reports for the sales team, including need dates calendar, booking impact analysis, variance analysis, and progress towards goals.
• Monitor industry trends, competitor strategies, local market dynamics, and demand generators, present action plans to management.
• Communicate occupancy fluctuations to operational departments for effective staffing and efficiency.
• Collaborates with Sales leadership on sales calendar reporting for all conventions, meeting, tradeshows, and event bookings.
• Collaborate with Sales leadership to monitor competitive convention center pricing and understand the impact of pricing decisions.
• Preparation of regular statistical reports which includes documenting sales activities, including prospecting efforts and results.
• Modernize processes where possible for holds, approvals keeping speed to market at the forefront.
• Maintain communication and contact on a regular basis with key stakeholders.
• Attend appropriate and agreed upon industry related meetings and events.
• Consistently and continuously contribute to finding ways to create a means and method of streamlining all aspects of the sales process and overall business development.
• Other Duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Minimum of five to seven years of increasingly responsible experience in a professional convention center management, hotel and/or hospitality setting. At least two years in a leadership or director role.
• Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college or university in public assembly facility management, hospitality management, business administration, finance or a related field.
• Experience working with large-scale events, conventions and exhibitions.
• Ability to collaborate with and align leadership amongst internal and external stakeholders with an emphasis on the campus partners.
• Strong understanding of revenue management, facility operations and experience with space planning tools/software.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret data, assist with shaping the dialogue with partners and make strategic recommendations.
• Ability to lead the creation of essential reports via CRM systems, Microsoft Office and investigate and potentially implement use of other available industry tools.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams.
• Detail oriented and organized, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
• A proactive and solution-oriented mindset.
• Take pride and ownership of projects and outcomes.
• Strong project management skills with the ability to juggle multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Strong problem-solving abilities and exercising solutions-oriented approach.
• Other combinations of experience and education that meet these requirements may be substituted.