Title: Exhibition Hall Director of Event Services
Reports to: Senior Vice President of Marketing and Sales
Location: Charleston, South Carolina
Type: Full-time, salary, exempt. Evening and weekend hours will be required.
Organization Background
A leader in the performing arts in the Southeast, the Charleston Gaillard Center commissions, supports, and presents ambitious, multidisciplinary cultural programming and provides access to the best local, national, and global artists and companies on its stage. Through programming on its public campus and extensive arts education initiatives, the Gaillard Center serves as a platform for community building and essential dialogue.
The Gaillard Center was established as a non-profit in 2015. Its campus includes the world-class 1,818-seat Martha and John M. Rivers Performance Hall, a 26,000-square-foot Exhibition Hall featuring the Grand Ballroom and Salons, and a Terrace Lawn.
For more information about the Charleston Gaillard Center, please visit https://www.gaillardcenter.org.
Position Summary
The Exhibition Hall Director of Event Services (EXDES) supervises, schedules, and trains full-time event management and administrative staff, part-time venue managers, event setup teams, and contract staff. This position oversees the planning, execution, control, and evaluation of events in the Gaillard Center Exhibition Hall, Terrace Lawn, and full-facility rental events. The EXDES works closely with the executive team, senior management teams, and the City of Charleston to enhance and support the organization’s overall mission, provide an exceptional experience for our clients, and ensure high-quality event execution while maintaining the safety and maintenance of the facility.
Responsibilities
- Work with the Performance Hall Director of Event Services, the Performance Hall Technical Director, and the Exhibition Hall Technical Director to manage the annual department budgets.
- Meet regularly with the Performance Hall Director of Event Services, Performance Hall Technical Director, and Exhibition Hall Technical Director to review the teams’ overall workflow, event calendar, and upcoming projects, ensuring operational efficiency and balanced work schedules.
- Manage a full-time team of Exhibition Hall event services staff to ensure successful event support and execution. Communicate and resolve problems effectively and promptly.
- Demonstrate experience in event cycles, venue management, production coordination, third-party vendor management, site inspections, and creative design and implementation.
- Communicate effectively and professionally with all staff levels, vendors, industry partners, and clients.
- The Facility User Guide will be maintained and updated in partnership with the Director of Sales, the Exhibition Hall Technical Director, the catering partner’s General Manager, and the Director of Facilities.
- Manage City of Charleston Event requests. Collaborate with the Sales team to confirm dates, prepare contract estimates, and promptly provide all necessary information to facilitate contract signatures.
- Supervise financial reports, deposits, and final invoicing for rental events, and event profit and loss statements (P&Ls).
- Attend BEO, pre-conference client meetings, and internal team meetings.
- Schedule and conduct post-conference calls with clients to get clear feedback on team performance. Conduct regular team meetings to review client feedback. Provide the team with reports on individual and team excellence, along with suggestions and ideas for process improvements.
- Ensure schedules are properly balanced teamwide.
- Create accurate estimates for future events. Ensure clients review and approve estimates and provide solutions for any potential issues.
- Collaborate with the sales team, Exhibition Hall event services team, and Exhibition Hall Technical Director to ensure client satisfaction and maximize revenue.
- Serve as a liaison to the City of Charleston in acquiring necessary permits and additional support for events.
- Ensure the Senior Leadership team is informed of any incidents or potential issues arising from user or vendor interactions in a timely and professional manner.
- Continue refining processes and policies to improve the client experience by leveraging team and client feedback, as well as best practices from similar organizations and competitors.
- Regularly participate in weekly production meetings to ensure user and vendor needs are met, events are implemented according to venue specifications, and contracts are fulfilled and implemented in compliance with the Gaillard Center’s policies and procedures.
- Manage third-party service vendors for the Exhibition Hall and properly execute service contracts. Collaborate with the Performance Hall Event Services Director on parking, security, and other comprehensive facility services contracts.
- Collaborate with the Director of Event Service for the Performance Hall on the execution of full-facility rental events. Work in partnership with the Exhibition Hall Technical Director, the Performance Hall Technical Director, and the Catering partner General Manager to execute full-facility events.
- Review and approve all event staff time sheets.
- Promote and drive professional development and training efforts to enhance overall business acumen, professional skills, and knowledge, and client services.
- Manage human resource-related issues, including performance management, salary administration, training, and development.
- Effectively utilizes applicable computer systems and software programs, ensuring team members are appropriately trained.
- Provides outstanding customer service by establishing excellent working relationships with internal and external clients and cross-department team members.
- Collaborate with other Directors to support special project events as needed.
- Serve as Director on duty in rotation as needed.
Required Qualifications
The successful candidate will have a proven, measurable track record of at least 10 years of experience planning, executing, and managing exhibitions and events in ballroom and conference settings. This position requires a strong understanding of customer and client support, administrative processes, business communication, and the creation and management of facility policies. Candidates should have experience in budget administration, particularly in event execution and settlement.
Candidates should be proficient in Microsoft Office suite, Adobe PDF, and Google Workspace, and have superior organizational skills and written and verbal communication skills. Demonstrated leadership of full-time, part-time, and volunteer teams, and the ability to think strategically, work well under pressure, and manage details of several concurrent projects are required. The successful candidate will have a professional business demeanor and the ability to work a flexible, event-driven schedule. Good communication and relationship-building skills with internal staff and external partners are a priority.
Preferred Qualifications
Knowledge of the Charleston area is a plus. Experience with specific facility management, event execution, and task management software, including, but not limited to, Momentus Elite, Social Tables, and Vector Works, is desirable.
Physical Requirements
- Ability to move, transport, and/or position up to 35 lbs of various equipment and materials.
- Using tools of the trade and accessing remote locations of the building.
- Activities may require sustained movement, traversing, and periods of positioning to meet facility and event demands.
- Work may include prolonged periods of sitting, typing, or looking at a computer screen.
Benefits
The Gaillard Center provides a competitive benefits package that includes:
- Fully paid medical, vision, dental, life, and disability insurance at the employee level
- 4 weeks of paid time off, accrued annually
- 6 weeks of paid family and medical leave
- 403(b) with up to a 4% company match
- Free and/or discounted tickets to performances
- Employer-paid parking
The Charleston Gaillard Center is an equal-opportunity employer. Advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion within the Gaillard is critical to our mission. To be a leading performing arts center in the Southeast, we need to have a highly diverse staff and a workplace where individuals are encouraged to retain their uniqueness and can feel a sense of belonging. For us, equity means that our staff, patrons, and clients can experience the transformative power of the arts, no matter their starting place.
