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Salesforce Strategic Events is searching for an experienced Strategic Events Manager, focusing on Housing and Venue operations to join our team. This role will be responsible for the day-to-day management of housing strategy and operations, and hotel and venue strategic sourcing strategy within our events portfolio, ensuring operational excellence for pre, on-site, and post planning. 

This individual will be a detail-oriented, data-driven professional who, as a key member of the Housing Center of Excellence team, will provide tactical execution and strategic oversight for housing and venue sourcing and room block management. This role supports the end-to-end process - from initial research and RFP development to contract negotiation, block management, and post-event analysis - while serving as a central partner for cross-functional teams, agencies, and city and hotel partners. The position requires a self-starter who can work both independently and with guidance from Strategic Events leadership, and will involve onsite travel to ensure all facets of housing management run flawlessly.

• Develop and execute sourcing strategies for hotels and venues, from RFP management and bid analysis to contract negotiation.
• Oversee the negotiation of key contract terms to ensure favorable rates, mitigate risk, and secure value-added amenities.
• Collaborate with Agency Partners, Legal, Procurement, and Finance to ensure all contracts comply with company policies and financial guidelines.

• Act as the primary liaison, providing strategic guidance and oversight to our housing agency to ensure all deliverables are met on time and with accuracy.
• Oversee the optimization of hotel blocks by our housing agency, providing strategic guidance on monitoring pickup, adjusting block sizes, and reconciling rooming lists.
• Provide strategic direction to our housing agency in their collaboration with event technology partners to configure, test, and launch housing assets within the registration platform.
• Contribute to the team's operational excellence and organization by maintaining detailed documentation, SOPs, industry best practices, and templates.
• Provide housing support and communications to employee attendees and their workstream leads.
• Maintain an active understanding of internal policies (e.g., event communications, data privacy) to ensure compliance.
• Travel onsite when needed to manage housing execution.

• Act as a trusted partner to internal stakeholders (e.g., Event Leadership, Registration, Sponsorships, Employee Engagement) to align on event housing needs and provide strategic guidance.
• Serve as the main point of contact for hotel, CVB, and DMO partner escalations, addressing issues related to inventory, reservations, and event goals.
• Develop and implement strategies to drive attendees into contracted room blocks.
• Maintain a strong understanding of industry trends and market conditions to inform sourcing and housing decisions.

• Forecast and track key housing metrics, including room block pickup, attrition exposure, commissions, and rebates.
• Identify opportunities for cost savings and avoidance throughout the sourcing and housing lifecycle.
• Contribute to post-event analysis to evaluate hotel performance and inform future sourcing strategies and negotiations. 

• 5+ years in event or hotel operations
• Experience working with CVBs, hotels, and housing agencies.
• Highly organized, detail-oriented, with excellent project and time management.
• Exhibits strategic level thinking and then clearly shows what the data means using easy-to-understand charts, graphs, and dashboards to help everyone make smart decisions
• Experience with large-scale, city-wide events.
• Possesses strong interpersonal skills, with a proven ability to influence and engage effectively with leadership and key stakeholders.
• Thrives in fast-paced, complex environments, effectively managing multiple projects, competing priorities, and last-minute changes.
• A proactive, "can-do" attitude, with a proven ability to problem-solve and contribute under pressure.
• Comfortable with organizational ambiguity
• Ability to travel domestically and internationally
• Knowledge of Salesforce, Slack, Google Suite, Excel, Cvent, and RainFocus highly preferred

• Experience working in a corporate events environment.
• Knowledge of legal and financial principles related to hotel and venue contracting.
• Certification in event management (e.g., CMP)