The Lead Catering & Conference Services Planner will be responsible for establishing a warm, welcoming, and professional atmosphere for all clients, executives, and team members within in a corporate work environment. Our team provides a one-stop shop experience for our clients which provides a single point of contact for them to book their meeting space, add audio visual, additional items, order catering, and any other details related to their meeting to create a seamless booking process for our clients. The person in this role should have experience with conference centers, hotels, or convention services and knowledge of booking catering for clients. The Lead Planner will provide direct support to the Senior Conference Service Manager and General Manager and if senior leadership is unavailable, this person will be next point of contact to support and assist with overseeing the Planners.
Seeking someone who has the knowledge and experience in corporate meeting planning and catering. This position will allow you to grow your career within the hospitality industry while being in a corporate environment.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Catering & Conference Services:
· Manage and oversee top client & VP meetings & events throughout the Conference Center, which includes assigning Planners to meetings, detailing meetings, scheduling, and provide day of support to clients.
· Single point of contact for clients to reserve their conference rooms and detail all aspects of their meeting for a seamless meeting experience. Details will include room setup, audio visual, additional equipment & furniture, and detailing catering menus and special requests. Conduct any necessary follow ups after initial communication is sent. This will promote our Catering & Conference Services one-stop shop model for all our clients.
· Utilize the room reservation system (EMS) to ensure all meeting details are input into the system to provide a single resource for information for all teams. Focus on strategic assignment of meeting space to maximize utilization.
· Oversee day of meetings to ensure rooms are setup correctly with the proper equipment and amenities.
· Knowledgeable about catering menus to be able to place catering orders for upcoming meetings and training sessions.
· Oversee the weekly BEO Meeting and provide any updates to teams involved in the setup of the meeting or event.
Administrative
· Process reservations as they are received into the shared mailbox within 24 hours.
Communicate with client to ensure details are processed and update any necessary internal teams.
· Answer telephones on the central Reservation & Facility Line for the Enterprise in a friendly, professional manner to process room reservations and facilities requests for clients. Proper telephone techniques include always putting a smile in one’s voice and enhancing personalization by using names.
· Run daily reports for internal use to ensure all rooms and catering is set up per the meeting request and BEO.
· Provide assistance to Senior Leadership to pull utilization report on a monthly, quarterly, and yearly basis. Review and analyze reports that will highlight trends and provide recommendations on how to utilize the space more efficiently.
· Run weekly reports for internal teams to ensure they are aware of upcoming meetings, training, and interviews
· Participate & lead daily, weekly, and monthly meetings.
· Submit, process, and handle building maintenance tickets on behalf of clients and communicate information to appropriate teams
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $62,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Employee assistance program
- Employee discount
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Referral program
- Retirement plan
- Vision insurance
Schedule:
- 8 hour shift
- Monday to Friday
Ability to commute/relocate:
- Chicago, IL 60601: Reliably commute or planning to relocate before starting work (Required)
Experience:
- Event planning: 2 years (Required)
- Customer service: 3 years (Required)
- Events management: 2 years (Required)
Work Location: In person