Director of Sports Events & Partnerships

The Sports Facilities Companies; Mattoon (IL); On-site; USD 75,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Emerald Acres Sports Connection in Mattoon, IL is seeking a Business Development Director to drive revenue through events, tournaments, and partnerships. Working with the General Manager, you will expand market reach, lead sponsorship sales, and optimize the facility's calendar.

You will build strong relationships with event directors, CVBs, hotels, and partners, while steering growth initiatives and coordinating with marketing to boost lead generation and brand visibility.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in recreation, sports management, or related field.
• 5+ years in youth sports, trade shows, consumer shows and convention sales.
• Experience in contract negotiations, event creation and planning.
• Experience with hotel rebates and partnerships between hotels, CVB, and venue.
• Excellent interpersonal, problem solving, and negotiating skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Identify, pursue, and secure new events, tournaments, conferences, tradeshows, and revenue opportunities.
• Drive event bookings and revenue production to meet utilization and financial targets.
• Build and maintain a strong sales pipeline through outreach and relationships.
• Establish relationships with event rights-holders, tournament directors, CVBs, hotels, and partners.
• Lead sponsorship sales efforts to support revenue targets.
• Develop strategies to increase bookings, utilization, and market share.
• Oversee event agreements with accurate pricing, terms, and deliverables.
• Maintain master event calendar to maximize high-quality events.
• Analyze market trends and data to identify opportunities.
• Forecast sales volume and report performance and KPIs.
• Collaborate with marketing to support lead generation and promotions.
• Maintain CRM activity including pipeline tracking and outreach docs.
• Serve as Manager-on-Duty for select events as scheduled.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Negotiation skills

Verbal communication

Written communication

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in recreation, sports management, or related field

Tools

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

Emerald Acres Sports Connection in Mattoon, IL is seeking a Business Development Director to drive revenue through events, tournaments, and partnerships. Working with the General Manager, you will expand market reach, lead sponsorship sales, and optimize the facility's calendar.

You will build strong relationships with event directors, CVBs, hotels, and partners, while steering growth initiatives and coordinating with marketing to boost lead generation and brand visibility.