VisitAberdeenshire is currently seeking a Head of Convention Bureau to lead the DMO’s business events agenda. This role is designed to add significant value to Aberdeen’s competitive position in the business events area, leading the Aberdeen Convention Bureau (ACB) leading to an uplift in meetings and conventions held in the city.
Key responsibilities:
- Create and manage destination awareness activity aimed at targeted business audiences, nationally and internationally.
- Determine destination marketing material requirements and work with VisitAberdeenshire colleagues to deliver social media campaigns and PR as required.
- Work in close partnership with P&J Live on bid development activities, abiding by an agreed delineation of roles to ensure that the service delivered by ACB adds value.
- Oversee proactive bid options outside of P&J Live research spectrum, supporting other venues across the region.
- Lead the Aberdeen Ambassador Programme with academic institutions (Inc. Robert Gordon University, University of Aberdeen, James Hutton Institute), and industry leaders.
- Produce and lead competitive bid documents for the destination. Inputting destination narrative to P&J Live bids.
- Work with Aberdeen City and Shire Hotels Association and venues to secure room allocations for prioritised conference and event bids.
- Manage the VisitAberdeenshire support service offered to all conference organisers in terms of identifying venues and providing impartial advice and support.
- Effectively lead and manage the Convention Bureau team, ensuring that objectives are set, monitored, and delivered upon. (Including holding monthly support meetings and annual appraisals).
- Provide day-to-day management, support, and guidance to the Convention Bureau team members.
- Develop and deliver a clear action plan and budget for the Convention Bureau team with the CEO in line with agreed priority themes and operating environment.
- Work with Chief Executive to agree targets for outputs and outcomes from VisitAberdeenshire’s work in this area.
- Evaluate and report on outcomes from VisitAberdeenshire’s work, using internal and external resources to monitor and measure the impact of activity.
- Overall responsibility and accountability for the departmental budgets, ensuring that procurement policy and procedures are followed, including reporting.
- Oversee supplier contracts agreed by the Convention Bureau team.
- Act in accordance with any and all company processes, including quality, health, safety and environmental.
- Take a proactive stance to achieving set objectives with a solutions-led approach to overcome the unexpected.
- Takes responsibility and ownership for own performance, development and behaviour, learns from successes and failures and setting high expectations.
- Play an active part in the development of the VisitAberdeenshire team, including coaching and mentoring team members appropriately to support their continued development.
- Maintain high levels of communication and dialogue with internal colleagues, external partners, and stakeholders.
- Evaluate and report on outcomes from VisitAberdeenshire’s work, using internal and external resources to monitor and measure the impact of activity.
- Overall responsibility and accountability for the departmental budgets, ensuring that procurement policy and procedures are followed, including reporting.
- Oversee supplier contracts agreed by the Convention Bureau team.
- Manage time and resources effectively, prioritising efforts according to organisation goals.
- Undertake any other duties that may be required in order to ensure the smooth running of the organisation including deputising for the Chief Executive as required.
- Act upon defined areas of the business plan, as agreed with the Chief Executive.
- Work with the Chief Executive and Senior Management Team to devise the organisation’s annual activity plan.
- Produce quarterly reports for the Board of Directors and Chief Executive, as well as ad-hoc performance reports as requested.
- Deputise for the Chief Executive at meetings as required and agreed.
Key skills & experience:
- Creative thinker with ability to confidently engage with businesses at high level of seniority.
- Excellent demonstrable team leadership and management skills.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills – including ability to confidently present in public.
- Target driven with excellent organisational skills.
- Ability to manage a broad portfolio of projects.
- Ability to draft concise and informative reports in line with organisational requirements.
- Excellent attention to detail in reporting.
- Minimum of 5 years’ experience.
- Experience of working with a range of businesses in a specific sector.
- Partnership working with both public and private sector.
- Experience of stakeholder management.
- Experience of developing strategies.
- Demonstrable experience of staff management.
- Demonstrable experience of budget management.
- Ability to positively represent the organisation to lever the best possible agreementswith partners.
- Ability to work collaboratively and on own initiative.
- Dynamism. Able to work under pressure and to tight timescales for delivery, prioritising as required.
- Strongly motivated, reliable, and conscientious.
- Confident. Ability to lead and develop a team.
- Able to work out-of-office hours and spend time away from home as required.
- Ability to travel throughout the region, nationally and internationally as required.
Click here to view the detailed recruitment pack.
How to apply: please send your CV and cover letter to Fiona Douglas, HR & Business Services Manager at [email protected].
