Sales Management Director

The Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau (VCB) is seeking a strategic, team-oriented, and results-driven leader to serve as Director of Sales. This position will lead the VCB’s group (meetings, weddings, and SMERF), travel trade (travel advisors, motorcoach, and tour operators), and leisure sales efforts, positioning Lee County as a premier destination for business and leisure travelers.

The ideal candidate is a visionary leader with experience in destination, convention, or hotel sales strategy, market development, and stakeholder collaboration. The individual will inspire a talented team of eight, establish strong partnerships with hospitality partners, and adapt to an evolving marketplace to achieve organizational goals.

This individual is also responsible for providing their expertise to the group and travel trade audiences to benefit the VCB in partnership with the VCB marketing team. The Director of Sales serves as a visible community steward for Fort Myers – Islands, Beaches, and Neighborhoods’ hospitality industry.

This role reports to the Deputy Director and manages the performance of the group sales team, along with international and domestic travel trade and contractors.

Strategic Leadership 

• Develop and implement a comprehensive sales strategy to attract meetings, conferences, group travel, and leisure visitors to Lee County.
• Collaborate with industry partners and stakeholders to advance the VCB’s objectives.
• Leverage market research and data analytics to identify and capitalize on new domestic and international opportunities.

 Sales Strategy Development 

• Build and strengthen strategic partnerships with accommodations, venues, and other industry partners to maximize revenue and address need periods. 
• Identify new business opportunities to increase visitation and economic impact. 
• Actively engage with key committees, boards, and organizations to enhance Lee County’s visibility and sales potential. 

Destination Representation 

• Represent Lee County at trade shows, sales missions, and conferences, reinforcing the destination as the premier location for meetings, groups, and leisure travel.
• Serve as the VCB’s expert on meetings, groups, domestic and international travel, providing insights to the Tourist Development Council (TDC), VCB staff, contractors, and executive leadership.
• Create and deliver sales team updates and activities recap at TDC meetings, partner communications and tourism events, and community organization education opportunities.
• Must be available to work a variety of work schedules, including compulsory work periods in special, emergency, and/or disaster situations.

 Team Leadership 

• Provide leadership for the VCB sales team and contractors, driving consistent excellence in sales, new business development, and lead generation.
• Inspire and guide the sales team to attain targets, deliver exceptional results, and align with the organization’s mission.
• Conduct sales staff recruitment, training, and performance evaluations.
• Set, track, and achieve sales goals while fostering collaboration across sales, marketing, PR, and visitor services.
• Manage budgets, measure ROI, and ensure efficient resource allocation for optimal results.
• Manage team activities in trade and appointment shows, sales calls and missions, client events, destination educations, familiarization tours, and site visits.
• Determine and manage sales activities offered in the annual coop program.
• Provide resources and develop sales staff through internal and external professional development opportunities (i.e., professional certifications/licenses, continuing education courses, community service, Lee County training programs).

 Marketing

• Share expertise of the group and travel trade audiences to benefit the integrated marketing efforts, including work by the VCB’s agency of record and internal teams directly related to creative, content, production, and media strategies.
• Collaborate with the marketing and PR teams, along with the advertising agency of record, to develop promotional content, social media engagement, and industry storytelling.
• Ensure consistent brand messaging for group and travel trade marketing, including website content and sales collateral development.

• Requires any combination of education and experience equivalent to a Bachelor's Degree in marketing, business, communications or a closely related field and two years of marketing, business, communications, or closely related experience.
• Possession of a valid driver’s license and an acceptable driving record is required.

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, business, communications, or a related field from an accredited institution
• Proven experience leading a team, preferably in a destination marketing organization, hotel, or hospitality/travel-related sales environment
• Advanced ability to communicate effectively in verbal, written, and presentation formats with customers, stakeholders, and other audiences
• Strong proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook
• Proficiency in Simpleview or other CRM databases

Salary : $93,000 - $116,000