Manager, Guest Experience

Vinik Sports Group; Tampa (FL); On-site; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Vinik Sports Group, based in Tampa, seeks a Manager of Guest Experience to lead a 300+ frontline team across Lightning Hockey, Legendary Concerts, and USF Athletics venues. You will hire, train, and deploy staff, shape service standards, and collaborate with departments to create flawless guest interactions.

The role requires 3–5 years of leadership in staff management, 2–3 years in guest experience, and a degree in sports/entertainment management or related field.

Qualifications

• Brings 3-5 years of leadership experience in managing staff
• Bachelor's Degree preferred in Sports and Entertainment Management or relevant focus
• Minimum of 2-3 years of experience in a Guest Experience role, preferably in the Sports and Entertainment Industry
• Ability to remain calm and focused during times of stress and is extremely adaptable
• Excellent ability to establish rapport and the ability to build strong interpersonal relationships with direct reports, colleagues, and senior leadership

Responsibilities

• Hiring, training, deploying, and developing a frontline staff of 300+ committed individuals, including assistant managers, supervisors, ushers, ticket takers, elevator operators, plaza team members, concierges, and suite hosts
• Bring to life the service vision of a world-class organization while being an excellent steward of finances and budgeting
• Work in tandem with other Guest Experience Manager to accomplish tasks and achieve organizational goals
• Determine staffing levels and execute operational plans towards the seamless success of each event
• Work closely with all departments to establish and refine all processes for guest interaction, feedback, and conflict resolution
• Develop and deliver department specific training annually or as needed
• Ability to fully understand the intricacies of each event to generate an event coverage calendar
• Serve as an advocate for frontline direct reports and ensure they have all resources to successfully perform their job duties
• Accountable for the uniform process for the department
• Manage and schedule the Guest Experience Office Assistant and Front Desk Receptionist
• Schedule, prepare deployments, event sheets, suite logs, event packets for the Guest Experience Department
• Manage the Lost and Found Program (this includes but is not limited to; logging items in ABI, storing valuables and objects in a locked area and providing the item back to the rightful owner)
• Offer event crowd management and provide ADA compliance
• Perform other duties as needed
• Supervisory & Management Responsibilities
• Direct oversight over 345+ Part-Time Guest Experience employees
• Game/Event Responsibilities
• Game/Event Night responsibilities: Yes
• Approximate number of events worked per year: 100+

Skills

Leadership

Guest Experience Management

Communication Skills

Interpersonal Skills

Adaptability

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Sports and Entertainment Management or related field

Tools

Microsoft Word

Excel

Outlook

Incident management software

Job description

Job Summary The Guest Experience team are kind, curious, competent, and compassionate people. We are passionate in our quest to deliver the very best in guest experience during every interaction with our guests. We respect our guests, want them to have a fantastic time in our venues, whether watching Lightning Hockey, Legendary Concerts, or USF Athletics. It is our mission for each guest that visits one of our venues to experience the best memories to be made in the sports and entertainment industry. Exceeding expectations is the standard and we will work our hardest to ensure the best guest experience in North America. The Manager, Guest Experience values guests and is committed to providing positive impressions while delivering World Class Service. This position plays a vital role in creating a clean, safe, and enjoyable experience for our guests and employees. The Manager, Guest Experience will build and train a department of frontline staff that deliver memorable moments during Lightning Hockey, Legendary Concerts, and USF Athletics. The Manager, Guest Experience will determine appropriate staffing levels that bring to life positive guest experiences at all events. This position serves the organization by successfully executing its mission to deliver the best guest experience in North America. Service is truly a core pillar in daily tasks and culture building for this position.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Hiring, training, deploying, and developing a frontline staff of 300+ committed individuals, including assistant managers, supervisors, ushers, ticket takers, elevator operators, plaza team members, concierges, and suite hosts
• Bring to life the service vision of a world-class organization while being an excellent steward of finances and budgeting
• Work in tandem with other Guest Experience Manager to accomplish tasks and achieve organizational goals
• Determine staffing levels and execute operational plans towards the seamless success of each event
• Work closely with all departments to establish and refine all processes for guest interaction, feedback, and conflict resolution
• Develop and deliver department specific training annually or as needed
• Ability to fully understand the intricacies of each event to generate an event coverage calendar
• Serve as an advocate for frontline direct reports and ensure they have all resources to successfully perform their job duties
• Accountable for the uniform process for the department
• Manage and schedule the Guest Experience Office Assistant and Front Desk Receptionist
• Schedule, prepare deployments, event sheets, suite logs, event packets for the Guest Experience Department
• Manage the Lost and Found Program (this includes but is not limited to; logging items in ABI, storing valuables and objects in a locked area and providing the item back to the rightful owner)
• Offer event crowd management and provide ADA compliance
• Perform other duties as needed
• Supervisory & Management Responsibilities
• Direct oversight over 345+ Part-Time Guest Experience employees
• Game/Event Responsibilities
• Game/Event Night responsibilities: Yes
• Approximate number of events worked per year: 100+

Qualifications

• Brings 3-5 years of leadership experience in managing staff
• Bachelor's Degree preferred in Sports and Entertainment Management or relevant focus
• Minimum of 2-3 years of experience in a Guest Experience role, preferably in the Sports and Entertainment Industry
• Ability to remain calm and focused during times of stress and is extremely adaptable
• Excellent ability to establish rapport and the ability to build strong interpersonal relationships with direct reports, colleagues, and senior leadership
• Ability to communicate clearly in a professional manner both verbally and written
• Exhibit good judgment, make sound decisions quickly, be proactive and anticipate needs of guests
• Ability to meet tight deadlines, multi-task proficiently, work well under pressure with attention to detail and be creative with solutions to guests needs
• Ability to relate to a diverse guest and employee base
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook
• Knowledge of ABIMM preferred
• Knowledge in incident management software

Working Conditions

• Ability to work efficiently and effectively in office and arena environment that can be exciting, loud and distracting
• This is an onsite role; flexibility to work a minority of time remotely.
• Ability to work extended hours including late nights, holidays, and weekends as needed
• Ability to work prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Ability to lift/carry/move up to 25lbs
• Ability to work in cold/hot indoor and outdoor temperatures
• Ability to commute to various venues throughout the Greater Tampa Bay Area
• Ability to work in areas that can become crowded with equipment and/or people
• Ability to stand on feet for long periods of time, walk long distances and climb stairs.

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Overview

Vinik Sports Group (VSG) is an entity established by Jeff Vinik to manage the three-time Stanley Cup Champion Tampa Bay Lightning (2004, 2020, 2021) of the National Hockey League and hold the leasehold rights to Benchmark International Arena, the 19,092-seat downtown Tampa home in which the team plays its games. The venue opened in 1996 and became Benchmark International Arena in August 2025 when the global mergers and acquisitions firm, Benchmark International, partnered with Vinik and the Lightning. Since 2010, Vinik has led a complete brand and business transformation of the Lightning and the arena, featuring a mostly private renovation of the publicly owned facility. Doug Ostrover and Marc Lipschultz joined the expanded ownership group of Vinik Sports Group in 2024, alongside Arctos, which initially joined in 2021. In addition to owning the Lightning and managing Benchmark International Arena, Vinik Sports Group, through TBSE, manages the Yuengling Center on the campus at the University of South Florida. Website VinikSportsGroup.com