Job description. Events Assistant. Background

Transcription

1 Events Assistant Background For over a century the Whitechapel Gallery has premiered world-class artists from modern masters such as Pablo Picasso, Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko and Frida Kahlo to contemporaries such as Sophie Calle, Lucien Freud, Gilbert & George and Mark Wallinger. Job description. With beautiful galleries, exhibitions, artist commissions, collection displays, historic archives, education resources, inspiring art courses, dining room and bookshop, the Gallery is open all year round, so there is always something free to see. The Gallery is a touchstone for contemporary art internationally, plays a central role in London s cultural landscape and is pivotal to the continued growth of the world s most vibrant contemporary art quarter Role The Events Assistant will support the delivery of events within the Gallery s Venue Hire Business, with a focus on selling, managing, and delivering events. In addition the post holder be responsible for the administration of the department. They will also ensure that all clients and potential clients receive a polite, professional and efficient service, maintaining all Whitechapel Gallery and catering provider standards. Accountability The Events Assistant is part of the Commercial Ventures team. The team consists of: Head of Commercial Enterprises, Publications Manager, Book Fair Coordinator, Editions Manager, Editions and Mail Order Officer, Events Manager, and Events Assistant. The Events Assistant is line managed by the Events Manager.

2 Duties & Responsibilities Venue Hire Working closely with the Events Manager to respond to Venue Hire enquiries To proactively contact potential clients and convert into sales Coordinate with internal departments to ensure the event can be hosted in line with the Gallery s Venue Hire Terms & Conditions Lead site visits as required Maximize the number of clients attending site visits, talking through what the Gallery can offer, in liaison with catering and other external suppliers. Be the main point of contact for incoming hires, from enquiry to delivery Issue event quotes and liaise with the catering operators to issue catering quotes Ensure hires maximize occupancy and revenue by upselling equipment and catering and repeat bookings Liaise with the Operations department and any other relevant Gallery departments to deliver the event Support the Events Manager in managing long-term client relationship postevent Manage the delivery of Taster events Attend Venue Hire sales and marketing strategy meetings Be in attendance at the event if there is a customer service/sales reason to do so Marketing With the Events Manager, produce necessary marketing print to promote Venue Hire or special packages and offers, including the E-Bulletin To research and generate potential Venue Hire clients as per the Hire Marketing strategy, in collaboration with the Events Manager To represent the Gallery at industry conferences, networking events and associations (such as Unique Venues of London and marketing consortia) with a view to increasing the Gallery s reputation as a venue and make connections with new potential clients, proactively identifying networking opportunities Administration To prepare event contracts for the client and ensure all event specifications are compliant with the Gallery s ethos and Terms and Conditions Ensure all relevant event confirmation paperwork is completed Manage Venue Hire contacts and ensuring all prospects, clients and supplier contacts are recorded and managed Liaise with the Exhibitions team regarding the layout and allowances in each gallery space, and manage all exhibition protocol documents

3 Organise all department administration including meetings scheduling and agendas Represent the Events team in internal meetings Keep the venue hire webpages up-to-date and support production of new print materials in line with the sales and marketing strategy Manage all Event department interns and casual staff, including recruitment, training, responsibilities and day-to-day management Manage the Events department stock room Customer service To build positive long-term relationships with existing hire clients with a view to securing business in the future To ensure all paperwork and record keeping relating to sales is up-to-date and forwarded to relevant departments and/or clients Ensure the client is invoiced accurately and promptly and that financial information is properly recorded. Other Any other duties as reasonably requested by the Events Manager Represent Whitechapel Gallery at public events, meetings and networking

4 Person Specification Essential Criteria A minimum of one year large-scale event management and venue hire experience One year organizational and administrative experience Practical, hands on, approach and attention to detail Able to respond using own initiative and a good team player Proven successful sales experience Experience of working with people of all levels, from suppliers to high level corporates Computer literacy including excellent excel, word and database skills Good financial skills including budgetary management Excellent communication skills, including written and spoken English, and the ability to deal with clients in a professional manner Experience of staff supervision in an event management context Desirable Marketing skills and experience Experience of working within a Gallery or other cultural venue context Experience with setting up and using A/V equipment

5 Conditions of Work Permanent contract: Full Time Hours of work: 9.30am 5.45pm, Monday to Friday, plus some occasional weekend and evening work, which will be compensated by time off in lieu. Salary scale: 18,000 21,500 The period of notice is 1 month in writing on either side Probation period: 6 months In addition, the benefits you are eligible to receive are, subject to availability: 25 days annual holiday (pro rata for part-time staff) Eligibility to participate in the group personal pension scheme with the Gallery contributing an equivalent od 4.5% of your gross annual salary Discount from the Gallery bookshop Discount from the Whitechapel Café/Bar Discounts on editions (one per edition) and publications Training opportunities Annual research/travel grant of 200 Option to participate in the Busy Bees Childcare Voucher scheme