Business Development Specialist, Sport & Major Events

Discover Saskatoon; Kelowna; On-site; CAD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Discover Saskatoon is seeking a Business Development Specialist focused on sport and major events to attract visitors and secure event bids. This role involves driving community impact through partnerships and leading sales strategies to ensure Saskatoon’s competitive edge in tourism.

Benefits

Market-aligned salaries

Generous paid time off

Employer-sponsored health, dental, and vision insurance

Matching RRSP contributions

Free passes to local events

Qualifications

• Experience in developing RFP responses and bid proposals.
• Strong understanding of Canadian sport and major event landscape.
• Outstanding interpersonal and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead generation and bidding for sport and cultural events.
• Cultivate relationships with sport organizations.
• Manage event strategies and coordinate logistics.

Skills

Project Management

Communication

Relationship Building

Education

3+ years in sales, sport event management, or tourism business development

Tools

CRM (Simpleview)

Job description

Discover Saskatoon is the destination marketing and management organization (DMMO) for Saskatoon, focused on elevating the city’s profile as a premier destination for leisure, sport, and business events. We drive economic impact by attracting visitors, securing events, and fostering industry collaboration that grows our vibrant visitor economy.

We are seeking an energetic, strategic, and passionate individual to join our team as the Business Development Specialist, Sport & Major Events . If you’re a sales leader, excited by sport tourism, event attraction, and building partnerships that drive real impact—this is your moment.

Position Summary

As the Business Development Specialist, you will lead Saskatoon’s sport and cultural event attraction efforts—researching, qualifying, and converting leads into successful bid opportunities. Your work will ensure Saskatoon remains a competitive and compelling host city across provincial, national, and international event landscapes.

You will also play a critical role in the advancement of Discover Saskatoon’s Legacy Program, which connects events to community impact and economic sustainability.

Reporting to the Manager, Business Development, this role is ideal for a proactive, network-oriented professional with experience in sport tourism, sales, or event management.

Key Responsibilities

Lead Generation & Bidding

• Research and qualify leads for sport and cultural events.
• Develop RFP responses and bid proposals with creativity and precision.
• Represent Saskatoon at industry events, FAM tours, and site visits.

Partnership Development

• Cultivate relationships with local, provincial, and national sport organizations.
• Serve as liaison between venues, universities, hotels, and rightsholders.
• Contribute to the Saskatoon Sport and Major Event Committee and other key forums.

Sales Support & Event Strategy

• Organize sales missions and tradeshow attendance.
• Provide event hosting support and help coordinate logistics for key clients.
• Contribute to content and marketing collateral that supports event attraction.

Legacy Program & Impact

• Lead the implementation of the Discover Saskatoon Legacy Project for Sport.
• Drive event strategies that prioritize long-term community and economic outcomes.
• Support internal evaluation of impact metrics and success indicators.

Reporting & CRM Management

• Track all lead activity in Discover Saskatoon’s CRM (Simpleview).
• Submit monthly reports detailing pipeline progress and event opportunities.
• Monitor competitive insights and trends in sport and event tourism.

What You Bring

You are a dynamic, detail-oriented professional who thrives in a fast-paced, high-performance environment. You’re highly organized, self-motivated, and energized by the opportunity to turn potential into impact. You bring :

• 3+ years in sales, sport event management, or tourism business development.
• A strong understanding of the Canadian sport and major event landscape, including rights holders, bid processes, and legacy impact.
• Excellent project management and time management skills, with the ability to juggle multiple priorities under pressure.
• Outstanding interpersonal and communication skills — you’re equally confident leading a room or fine-tuning the details behind the scenes.
• A solutions-driven mindset and the ability to build strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Confidence navigating tight deadlines and the agility to adapt quickly — you keep pace, stay focused, and bring others with you.
• A collaborative spirit and a passion for growing Saskatoon’s reputation on the national stage.

Why Discover Saskatoon?

• We are building a destination city—and you will shape its future.
• We work with passion, agility, and purpose.
• You’ll be part of a collaborative, values-aligned team where leadership is encouraged at every level.

o market-aligned salaries

o generous paid time off

o employer-sponsored health, drug, dental, vision, & life insurance coverage

o matching RRSP contributions

o other perks including free passes to local events, new experiences, and many other

Additional Information :

• This position is based in-office, in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan with local, provincial & international travel required.
• This position is based on 37.5 hours per week, Monday through Friday, though may require some evening and weekend work, depending on project and event needs.

How to Apply

Please submit your cover letter and resume to by Monday, June 16, 2025, at 5 : 00 pm CST.

We thank all applicants for their interest but only those being interviewed will be contacted. Any information submitted will be managed with the strictest of confidentiality.