Agency Account Manager - Liverpool, United Kingdom - AGM Event & Travel Solutions

Salary – £42, annual bonus + enhanced annual leave

Hours – Monday – Friday – 9 am – 4.30 pm (option of working a 4 day week – pro rata) Flexible hours based on business demands

The 'Agency Account Manager - Conference & Events Venue Finder' will report directly to the Managing Director of AGM Event & Travel Solutions. Working with the owner to develop, evaluate, and drive client engagement and to expand AGM's exposure in the marketplace. You will be working alongside the Managing Director getting involved in all aspects of the agency from day-to-day running to business development and Account Management. We are a small team at the agency and we are therefore looking for someone who can work remotely and on their own initiative. The right person will want to drive the agency forward and get involved in all areas of the business and be a part of something great where they can really make a difference. With this exciting opportunity, you will develop and grow with the everyday running of the company.

We are looking for someone with a background in events within the hospitality industry and venue knowledge across the UK is essential for this role. The successful candidate will be required to provide an effective and proactive administrative function relating to all events and to efficiently collate our client requirements in order to deliver the highest levels of customer service.

We work on the Gratis / Venue Directory platform which training will be given if required but you will ideally have worked on this system previously.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Candidate will be computer literate and be diverse in every aspect of this new role.
• Establish key relationships with association and corporate clients to ensure maximum exposure and increased revenue.
• Account Management of key clients, attending review meetings and providing a support role for organisers and venue coordinators.
• You will work closely with our key clients, developing, nurturing, and maintaining excellent relationships across all levels of the M&E business
• Contracting, negotiation and plenty of client contact
• Researching and obtaining quotations from Hotels and Venues, producing accurate and personal client proposals, sourcing event locations throughout UK.
• Rate negotiations with hotels and venues working to processes and time frames to deliver fully detailed proposals
• You will also need to be able to work across several events at the same time and prioritise your own time
• Be aware of key trends in the market and take appropriate action.
• Assist with the running of the event management system and diary. You will be responsible for taking enquires directly from our key clients whilst developing relationships within our client portfolio.
• You will be responsible for venue finding for each enquiry specific to each client's needs and requirements, bearing in mind the venues that will be proposed will be a direct contribution to our reputation.
• The role will involve an element of market research and sales calls to maintain new business enquires from sales leads and new leads. These will be done in line with marketing campaigns and direction from the Managing Director.
• Carry out annual client reviews and events. You will have a presence at conference and event trade shows and industry events throughout the year whilst constantly developing supplier relationships and raising your own profile within the events industry which in return will be extremely rewarding.
• You will engage with customers to encourage participation in trade show events whilst being involved with the hospitality and entertainment of our clients to ensure they feel valued. You will liaise with Sales Managers and Sales Directors as well as onsite venue teams to discuss all aspects of the events we are sourcing and booking.
• You will build a rep with all of our suppliers and have extensive knowledge of hotels and conference venues and what business fits into which venues.
• Manage incoming calls and manage all live enquiries in the system.
• Responsible for chase calls and follow-up calls including courtesy calls and account management of existing accounts.
• Build and maintain a good relationship with clients and customer accounts. The delivery of excellent customer relationship management is critical.
• You will be required to attend and be present on-site visits at venues across the country as required to ensure these go well and all of our clients feel looked after by an individual.
• Attend familiarisation trips to update yourself on the venues across the UK, these will be done on company expenses
• Attend bi-weekly sales strategy meetings and prepare appropriately.
• Be aware of competitors and specials offered in the marketplace.
• Be proactive in putting forward suggested actions to achieve Targets.
• Ancillary tasks include assisting in the production of weekly and monthly management reporting documents and monthly newsletters
• Generate ideas and assist with the development of future client communications.
• You will be organised and have a can-do attitude whilst being flexible to this new role. We are looking for someone who is driven and confident as well as comfortable working on their own and from home.
• Attend each event where required and support sales and organisational teams to ensure the success of each event where AGM Event & Travel are involved as a booking agent. There may be the need to work the occasional day over a weekend.
• Work closely with accounts to ensure invoices are correct and they are requested on time.
• Assist where needed on commission claims and credit control
• Use and maintain the CRM database, updating all calls, emails and information on every client. Cover holiday when taken to ensure cover is always provided.

Required Skills:

• The successful candidate will have impeccable organisational skills and the ability to communicate effectively with people both inside and outside the organisation and enjoy working as part of a small team
• You will be highly customer focused and have an excellent command of the English language both written and orally
• This is an exciting opportunity for a pro-active candidate with a can-do attitude and outstanding attention to detail
• The applicant should be able to work well under pressure, meet deadlines, and be highly motivated with excellent negotiation and communication skills along with excellent time management skills

Required Experience:

• Ideally you will be from a Hotel / Conference or Agency background
• Knowledge of Venue Directory is an advantage
• You will have excellent venue knowledge
• You will need to be able to work under pressure whilst demonstrating exceptional attention to detail

Our work ethic is to create a job and environment that you love and in return, we hope that you will love your job and the company you work for. We are a small business with 3 employees but we manage some very large clients, it is, therefore, essential that you want to get involved with every aspect of the business. We want someone who can be part of that small team and work hard to support the Managing Director at all times. As the role is home-based, we want someone that we can trust to get on with the job to the very best of their ability at all times.

We believe passion drives success and we therefore offer the below as an incentive whilst working with us:

1. Flexible working hours – option to reduce your workload into a 4 day week (day to be agreed)

2. Late 10.00 am Monday start – full-time staff

3. Early 12 pm Friday Finish – full-time staff

4. Your birthday off – (paid)

5. Paid annual leave - 30 days Inc public holidays, increasing by 1 day each full year of service to a maximum of 5 days

6. 1 Friday in every 4 off to go and see or stay overnight at a hotel – full-time staff

7. 1-2 days monthly offsite on-site visits of different hotels and venues including London to expand your venue knowledge, hosted lunches, overnight stays, etc.

8. Discounted or complimentary overnight personal hotel stays

9. Remote working from home

10. Loyalty Christmas Bonus

11. Annual Bonus

12. Additional cash incentives across specific account types

13. Competitive Salary

14. Fam, Fam, Fam's