What are the responsibilities and job description for the Communications Manager position at Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau?
About Visit Dallas:
At Visit Dallas, we do things bigger, bolder and with just the right amount of swagger. We believe that our powerful can-do energy and warm hospitality set us apart, while empowering others to be their best, boldest and most fearless selves. Our team is made up of dedicated, dynamic professionals who collectively commit to living out our Brand, Vision, Mission and Values.
Our Brand Dallas is more than a city, it’s a state of mind – a maverick, can-do spirit expressed through a thriving arts scene, iconic sports culture, creative culinary influence and warm hospitality.
Our Vision To elevate Dallas as a welcoming, must-visit destination.
Our Mission To promote Dallas globally to benefit our community and visitors.
We Value Trust, Respect, Accountability, Community, and Empowerment.
Commitment to Our Culture
Visit Dallas is committed to fostering a culture that values trust, respect, accountability, community and empowerment. We will demonstrate leadership that promotes inclusion and equal employment opportunities, and provide a work environment that is safe, healthy, harmonious, positive, professional and productive. This includes promoting collaboration where all team members are encouraged to participate and contribute to the achievement of our goals in service of our customers and community.
We are committed to ensuring that our team members feel welcome and have an equal opportunity to connect, belong, and grow within the Visit Dallas Team. We encourage team members to make a positive contribution to the organization, our community and the hospitality industry, to elevate their skills and to be comfortable and confident as their authentic selves within the framework of professional guidelines that we have established as a team.
Position Summary:
The Communications Manager will oversee Visit Dallas’ leisure and meetings trade media relations outreach. This position reports to the Director of Communications. This position is tasked with publicizing Dallas as one of the country’s top travel destinations and encouraging media to cover the city in both trade and consumer outlets.
Role and responsibilities overview:
- Responsible for day-to-day management of the domestic public relations agency of record. Works with PR AOR to create and execute annual PR plans throughout the year.
- Works closely with the Tourism department on international earned media strategy.
- Develops social media influencer plan that reflects Visit Dallas’ initiatives and goals and keeps Dallas top of mind to potential visitors. Executes contracts with social influencers to ensure appropriate deliverables and coverage.
- Proactively pitches Dallas on the road through media missions. Maintains effective follow-up with media and builds lasting relationships for coverage and potential future press trips.
- Plans and successfully executes media FAMs, working closely with sponsoring partners, area attractions and venues to create creative and hand-tailored positive experiences for visiting journalists. Maintains and keeps updated media FAM recap reports.
- Hosts journalists and influencers on media familiarization trips (FAMs), showcasing Dallas as a diverse and unique travel destination.
- Develops tailored itineraries and coordinates travel – flights, accommodations, ground transport –for journalists on FAM trips.
- Develops and maintains a robust online press kit containing key assets, messaging and information for the destination and Visit Dallas.
- Oversees and maintains content that can be used in pitching and overall media strategy, including development highlights, itineraries, press releases and creative collateral that can be used for FAMs, media inquiries and missions.
- Keeps up-to-date media lists.
- Tracks agreed-upon PR metrics that align with broader organizational goals and reports monthly.
- Measures and evaluates leisure, consumer, and trade media coverage. Reports leisure and trade PR wins to the organization quarterly.
- Leverage AI-powered media monitoring tools to track coverage, identify trends, and surface insights that inform proactive PR strategy.
- Strengthens and grows existing and new relationships with local PR contacts at venues, hotels and attractions through newsletter outreach and networking events. Implements and maintains a PR community online group or forum.
ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Domestic PR agency of record.
- Media hosting budget.
- Contribute to the organization’s safe, healthy, harmonious, positive, professional and productive work environment and culture.
- Other tasks as assigned.
Expected Competencies, performance attributes and characteristics:
- Solid administrative, interpersonal, organizational, written and computer skills
- Very strong writing skills
- Strategic mind with the ability to manage many different projects, and people at once
- Proficiency with AI-powered media monitoring and PR analytics platforms
- Exceptional communication skills
- Efficient in coordinating multiple projects and tasks simultaneously, often under tight deadlines.
- High level of professional maturity
- Works well with multiple internal and external teams and diverse personalities.
- Ability to pivot priorities based on real-time feedback or changing needs with patience and poise.
- Capacity to identify challenges and create effective solutions.
- Ability to foster and nurture professional relationships, ensuring positive interactions.
- Team player mentality, demonstrating dependability and accountability in contributing to the success of shared goals.
- Enthusiastic and eager to learn, with a growth mindset toward acquiring new skills.
desired education and experience:
- Bachelor’s degree in public relations, journalism, marketing or related field
- 4-6 years of experience in public relations/communications field
- Hospitality industry background preferred
- Working knowledge of Dallas and venues
work environment and physical demands:
The person in this role will operate in an office environment with frequent and consistent use of a laptop computer, monitor, keyboard, mouse, cell phone and other related equipment. It is partly a sedentary role with extended working time sitting. There may be occasions working at off-site locations where the environment will vary.
Expected hours of work:
This is a full-time position with an expectation of 40 hours of work each week. The regular office hours are Monday through Friday 8:30am to 5pm. Evening and weekend work and participation in events that occur outside of the regular office hours is expected occasionally. Visit Dallas offers an optional hybrid work schedule where most team members may work from home on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Expected travel:
The person in this role can expect up to 30% local travel (within the Dallas area) and may be required to travel on occasion outside of Dallas and the immediate driving area to attend industry meetings, conferences, and other events or activities by plane.