<p>Loveland Living Planet Aquarium</p> <p>Director of Event Sales & Experiences</p> <p>Position: Director of Event Sales & Experiences</p> <p>Reports To: Director of Operations</p> <p>Position Summary: The Director of Event Sales & Experiences is responsible for driving all aspects of event revenue generation, sales performance, and event execution at the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium (LLPA). This leadership role oversees a multi-million-dollar events portfolio, including the Grand Ballroom, pre-function areas, and event venues across the LLPA campus. The Director manages corporate, private, and signature LLPA events, including weddings, conferences, concerts, the Winter Lantern Festival, Shark Week celebrations, and community programs. They lead a high-performing team across sales and operations to ensure exceptional guest experiences, operational excellence, and strong financial outcomes while upholding LLPA's mission and brand standards. This role also serves as LLPA's primary liaison with the Aquarium's Food & Beverage partner, ensuring seamless coordination, quality assurance, and optimized revenue performance.</p> <p>About Loveland Living Planet Aquarium:</p> <p>Loveland Living Planet Aquarium provides learning opportunities for all levels, interests, and ages, with the mission to inspire people to explore, discover, and learn about Earth's diverse ecosystems since 1997. Since opening its new facility in Draper in March 2014, the Aquarium has welcomed over ten million visitors and provided more than 650,000 educational experiences to students. Home to more than 4,000 animals representing 650 species, the Aquarium showcases ecosystems from around the planet including kelp forests, coral reefs, the deep ocean, Antarctic waters, Asian cloud forests, South American rain forests, and the waterways of our home state of Utah. Loveland Living Planet Aquarium has been accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) since 2019. With a new expansion currently under construction and slated for completion in late 2025, LLPA will soon be the largest aquarium in the Mountain West, and 5th largest aquarium overall in the continental United States.</p> <p>Qualifications:</p> <ul> <li>Bachelor's degree in business, Hospitality, Event Management, or related field (Master's preferred). </li><li>8-10 years of progressive leadership experience in event sales, hospitality, or venue management. </li><li>Proven track record of generating $3M+ in annual event revenue. </li><li>Strong financial acumen and experience with pricing, forecasting, and contract negotiation. </li><li>Deep understanding of event logistics, venue operations, and guest experience design. </li><li>Exceptional communication, organizational, and client relationship skills. </li></ul> <p>Critical Skills/Competencies:</p> <ul> <li>Develop and execute an annual event sales and revenue plan aligned with LLPA's business objectives </li><li>Establish annual revenue targets for venue rentals, commissions, and F&B growth </li><li>Lead pricing, yield management, and forecasting for all event revenue streams </li><li>Analyze and report event profitability, utilization, and client satisfaction metrics to the Senior VP of Operations and Director of Operations </li><li>Ensure all sales activities meet budgeted performance goals and revenue benchmarks </li></ul> <p>Essential Duties and Responsibilities:</p> <ul> <li>Oversee pricing strategy, yield management, margin protection, and forecasting for all event revenue streams. </li><li>Lead, coach, and support Event Sales Manager(s) and sales staff to achieve or exceed revenue targets. </li><li>Drive new business development through corporate outreach, tourism networks, partnerships, and community engagement. </li><li>Build and maintain relationships with key corporate, wedding, nonprofit, and repeat clients. </li><li>Act as the primary liaison with the Food & Beverage partner to align menu offerings, service execution, and financial objectives. </li><li>Collaborate with Marketing to promote LLPA's venues, offerings, and signature events. </li><li>Represent LLPA at trade shows, tourism organizations, and industry events. </li><li>Oversee event operations and ensure flawless execution of all LLPA events, from planning through post-event review. </li><li>Uphold LLPA brand, safety, service, and budget standards across all event types. </li><li>Lead post-event evaluations and continuous improvement initiatives. </li><li>Coordinate with Facilities, Security, Custodial, AV, and other internal teams to ensure operational readiness. </li><li>Maintain superior guest service standards and consistently high client satisfaction outcomes. </li><li>Build, develop, and retain a high-performing sales and operations team. </li><li>Implement training programs, mentorship, and incentive systems to improve performance and productivity. </li><li>Foster cross-departmental collaboration and ensure accountability through KPI tracking and performance reviews. </li><li>Create a culture of excellence, innovation, and proactive problem-solving. </li></ul> <p>Physical Demands of the Job:</p> <ul> <li>The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 25 lbs. and occasionally lift and/or move up to 75 pounds, stand for long periods of time and drive aquarium vehicles </li><li>Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus </li><li>While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear </li><li>The employee is frequently required to use hands and fingers to handle, reach or feel and manipulate objects or controls </li></ul> <p>While this job description attempts to describe the essential functions of the position, it does not prescribe or restrict the tasks that may be assigned. It does not restrict management's right to assign or reassign duties or responsibilities to this job at any time. The overall work environment while doing this job includes exposure to weather conditions and the noise level is usually moderate. The employee is expected to adhere to all policies and to act as a role model in adherence to the policies.</p> <p>The Living Planet Aquarium is proud to be an equal opportunity employer committed to creating an inclusive environment for all. We do not discriminate based on age, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, ancestry, creed, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, citizenship, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, veteran status, or military status. The Living Planet Aquarium is committed to ensuring individuals with disabilities are provided with reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application and interview process. Should you require accommodations, please contact accommodations@livingplanetaquarium.org.</p> <p>How to Apply</p> <p>Apply at: livingplanetaquarium.org/jobs</p> <p>Loveland Living Planet Aquarium</p> <p>12033 S Lone Peak Pkwy</p> <p>Draper, UT 84020</p> <p>Phone: 8013553474</p> <p>Visit our website</p>