The San Diego Tourism Authority is a private, non-profit, mutual benefit corporation composed of approximately 900 member organizations, businesses, local governments, and individuals seeking a better community through the visitor industry. San Diego Tourism Authority (SDTA) members include tourism-related entities in such categories as lodging, dining, arts & attractions, shopping, and transportation, among others, as well as other companies indirectly involved in the visitor industry.

As a sales and marketing organization, the main objective of SDTA is to promote and market San Diego County as a vacation destination and meetings and convention site. SDTA also represents and supports the interests of the visitor industry as a whole.

The National Sales Director will market and sell meeting space for the non-citywide conventions and meetings in San Diego. The sales market is the Southeast region with particular focus on developing in-person relationships to drive sales. Assist TMD hotels in contracting room blocks to drive San Diego’s Hotel Occupancy Tax and Tourism Marketing District fees. This is a work from home position in Southeastern United States.

General Responsibilities:

• Meet in person and build relationships with customers to promote and sell San Diego for non-citywide convention and meetings to the corporate, incentive and association market.
• Generate leads, solicitations and meet sales goals through active sales efforts in the Southeast to prospect for new customers while working with hotel sales teams to secure business for San Diego.
• Achieve monthly and annual booking room night goals established by the Chief Sales Officer (CSO).
• Prepare and execute a sales plan to achieve the desired business outcomes established by the CSO. The plan would include customer retention, new customer acquisition, closing business techniques, sales activities for that year, customer facing events, attend recommended tradeshows, and deploy other tactics to achieve the sales goal.
• Serve as a strategic collaborator with fellow SDTA team members and the hotel community to achieve the destination’s desired business results.
• Serve as a strategic advisor to clients to understand – in addition to their meeting space needs (room block, space, etc.) - the organization’s structure, goals & objectives with a focus to understand how it can impact San Diego.
• Be as knowledgeable and up to date on San Diego happenings as would a resident of San Diego. That includes being knowledgeable of current events and all things impacting meetings & conventions.
• Be knowledgeable and up to date on competitive cities across the country. Items relating to their Convention Center, hotel package, new development, airlift, crime & homelessness, advantages & disadvantages compared to San Diego, etc.
• Participate in site familiarization programs, attend key national and local industry related functions and event, participate in sales trips, conduct in-market client events and attend relevant trade shows as determined by CSO.
• Communicate and connect with the SDTA team to keep consistent messaging and high standard of service in the marketplace.

Requirements:

• Must have a BS/BA and 5 years sales experience in sales management within a hotel and/or destination marketing organization. Or, have equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Must be able to travel on commercial airlines and have exceptional sales skills.
• Must have strong communication skills both verbal and written.
• Ability to work weekends, evenings and holidays.
• Ability to work evenings, weekends and holidays as needed in addition to standard office hours. Must be flexible to San Diego headquarters office hour needs.
• Having contacts in the Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Carolinas is preferred.
• Ability to develop relationships with customers in the Southeast region.
• Ability to travel out of town on commercial airlines as needed.

Benefits Include:

• Dental
• Vision
• Life Insurance
• Short-Term and Long-Term Disability
• Accidental Death and Dismemberment
• Flex Spending and Dependent Care plans
• Matching 401k

Annualized salary range is $105K to $125K DOE plus incentive.

Check us out: https://youtu.be/KYyQpJEA8Ao

Offer of employment will be contingent upon satisfactorily clearing background checks.

San Diego Tourism Authority is an equal opportunity employer. We believe in hiring a diverse workforce and sustaining an inclusive culture. We are committed to non-discrimination on any protected basis, such as race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity and expression, marital status, age, disability, pregnancy, medical condition, veteran status or any other basis covered under applicable law.