Sports Development Manager

Palm Beach County Sports Commission; West Palm Beach (FL); On-site; USD 65,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

The Palm Beach County Sports Commission seeks a Sports Development Manager to recruit and solicit new sports events across Palm Beach County, FL, building a sales strategy and promoting the county as a premier destination.

You will work with Event Operations and Marketing, lead bid development, manage contracts and budgets, and cultivate partnerships with venues, hotels, and local organizations to attract events.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and proven leadership in athletic/sports sales.
• Ability to engage in contract negotiation and proposal writing.
• Excellent project and team management skills.
• Strong communication, budgeting, and multitasking abilities.
• Experience coordinating with venues, hotels, and organizations.

Responsibilities

• Create and sustain relationships with events rights holders and clients.
• Lead strategic sales goals and departmental objectives.
• Recruit new sports events to Palm Beach County and maintain regional relationships.
• Develop bids/proposals to win hosting rights for events.
• Manage the bid process, contracts, budgets, and venue procurement.
• Build partnerships with facilities, hotels, parks, venues, and municipalities.
• Maintain inventory of sports facilities and promote assets and venues.
• Organize familiarization tours and site visits with event owners.
• Engage with national bodies and partners at industry conferences.
• Manage relationships with facility operators and stakeholders.
• Assist with research and analysis of future facility-related projects.

Skills

Sports sales

Leadership

Contract negotiation

Proposal writing

Project management

Budget management

Team collaboration

Communication skills

Autonomy

Strategic planning

Education

Bachelor’s degree in related field

Tools

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Job description

The Sports Development Manager is responsible for the ongoing recruitment and solicitation of new sports-related events to Palm Beach County, Florida. This role is responsible for identifying sports event targets to pursue while building a sales strategy for the Sports Commission. The position promotes and helps build Palm Beach County’s position as one of Florida’s premier sports destinations. The Sports Development Manager works closely with the Event Operations and Marketing departments.

Duties

• Create and enhance relationships with events rights holders through a variety of communications, including dialogue with both prospective and existing clients that offer event bidding or hosting opportunities
• Implement the strategic sales goals and objectives of the department. Give direction and leadership toward the achievement of the organization’s philosophy, mission, strategy and its annual goals and objectives
• Recruit new sports events to The Palm Beaches and maintain relationships with relevant local, state, and national sports-related organizations that could foster sports tourism
• Lead the efforts to develop and prepare bids /proposals to win the rights of hosting sports events in The Palm Beaches, Florida
• Manage the bid process, including contractual agreements, budget preparation, securing and presenting appropriate venues, procurement of necessary supports services, coordination of housing accommodations, and other requirements as needed.
• Build collaborative partnerships with stakeholders that are required to attract and host sporting events in Palm Beach County (facilities, hotels, parks & recreation, event equipment & service providers, chambers, municipalities, etc.)
• Maintain an inventory of Palm Beach County sports facilities, both private and public
• Promote and educate events rights holders about Palm Beach County and its sports assets and venues
• Organize and conduct familiarization tours, site visits, or site reviews with sports-related event owners
• Engage with event rights holders, national governing bodies, and other prospective business partners at industry conferences, trade shows, and meetings
• Manage and enhance relationships with facility operators, which represent the single most important stakeholder in attracting and hosting sporting events (private and public sports venues, County & municipal parks & recreation departments, colleges & universities, & PBC School District are examples of facility owners)
• Assist with the research and analysis of future facility-related projects in Palm Beach County

Knowledge, Skills, Education and Abilities:

• Bachelor’s degree in related field
• Proven experience in diverse athletic/sports sales and leadership background
• Ability to engage in contract negotiation and proposal writing
• Excellent project and team management skills
• Ability to manage multiple projects and objectives simultaneously
• Excellent communication skills, both oral and written
• Demonstrated ability to make good judgments
• Proven understanding of budget and fiscal responsibility
• Capable of working in teams and autonomously
• Working computer knowledge in Word, Excel, e-mail, and the internet
• Excellent written and oral communication skills