Tourism Development & Sales Executive

POSITION TYPE: Salary, Exempt

JOB SUMMARY: The Tourism Development & Sales Executive develops and secures tourism business that generates overnight visitation and visitor spending for Cape Girardeau. The position manages assigned markets and prospects through the full sales cycle, builds strategic industry relationships, develops business opportunities, and represents Visit Cape in regional, state, and national tourism markets. The position exercises independent judgment in identifying opportunities, developing sales strategies, and evaluating business based on destination fit and economic impact. This is a non-supervisory, individual-contributor sales position; it does not set overall destination strategy or direct the work or priorities of the Visit Cape division.

MAJOR DUTIES:

- Develops and executes an annual sales action plan that carries out the sales goals and priorities established by the Visit Cape Manager, consistent with destination capacity and the approved budget.

- Develops and executes targeted business-development strategies for assigned tourism market segments, including meetings and conventions, sports tourism, group travel, motor coach, reunions, weddings, and other visitor-generating markets.

- Conducts ongoing market research to identify emerging tourism trends, competitive destinations, potential client markets, and opportunities for increased visitation, overnight stays, and visitor spending.

- Maintains an active prospecting program and develops a strategic prospect pipeline to identify and cultivate organizations, groups, events, and travel markets based on market potential, destination fit, anticipated room nights, visitor spending, and likelihood of conversion.

- Identifies and cultivates new sources of tourism business through independent research, industry intelligence, referrals, professional networks, strategic outreach, and established industry relationships.

- Owns and manages the full business-development lifecycle for assigned tourism opportunities, from market identification and prospecting through solicitation, proposal development, negotiation, booking, partner coordination, post-event evaluation, and identification of repeat or expanded business opportunities.

- Conducts proactive sales outreach through telephone calls, email, sales appointments, networking, sales missions, industry events, and other appropriate business-development activities.

- Responds to qualified requests for proposals and develops bids, proposals, presentations, destination materials, group packages, itineraries, and other customized sales materials in collaboration with hotels, venues, attractions, restaurants, City departments, and tourism partners.

- Coordinates partner availability, pricing, capacity, destination information, and facility connections necessary to develop competitive proposals and connect prospective clients with local suppliers.

- Coordinates and conducts client site inspections, familiarization tours, sales presentations, destination visits, and other activities designed to showcase Cape Girardeau's tourism assets and secure business.

- Develops an annual conference and trade-show attendance plan based on anticipated business-development value; represents Visit Cape at appropriate tourism, travel-trade, group-tour, meetings, conventions, sports, and destination-marketing conferences and trade shows; and secures advance appointments with qualified prospects whenever practical.

- Represents Visit Cape professionally in regional, state, and national business-development settings and develops relationships that strengthen the City's competitive position within targeted tourism markets.

- Develops and maintains relationships with regional, state, and national tourism and industry organizations and shares relevant market intelligence, emerging trends, and business opportunities with the Visit Cape Manager.

- Completes timely post-conference and post-sales follow-up; evaluates sales missions, conferences, trade shows, and other business-development activities based on qualified leads, relationships developed, opportunities generated, room nights, visitor spending, and measurable business potential.

- Develops strategies to increase the value and economic impact of recruited tourism business, including evaluating opportunities based on anticipated room nights, visitor spending, destination fit, economic impact, business potential, and likelihood of conversion. Develops proposals and presentations promoting Cape Girardeau as a destination.

- Shares client and market feedback gathered through the sales process with the Visit Cape Manager and assists tourism partners in understanding and responding to group, meeting, event, and visitor needs.

- Maintains consistent communication with tourism partners regarding sales opportunities, destination developments, client needs, market conditions, and opportunities to strengthen the destination's ability to compete for business. Provides assistance to organizations considering Cape Girardeau as a destination.

- Provides guidance and recommendations to the Visit Cape Manager regarding market opportunities, sales priorities, destination competitiveness, business-development strategies, and opportunities to increase tourism visitation and economic impact.

- Maintains accurate and current sales records, including prospect and contact information, lead source, business type, estimated attendance, estimated room nights, estimated visitor spending, proposal and booking status, event date, and follow-up requirements.

- Monitors and reports on sales key performance indicators (KPIs) and booking targets, providing regular activity and performance reports to the Visit Cape Manager, including qualified leads, sales contacts, appointments, site visits, proposals, bookings, estimated visitor spending, conversion rates, and follow-up completion.

- Serves as a member of the department’s leadership team.

- Coordinates a clear handoff of booked business to the appropriate Visit Cape staff member, City department, facility, or community partner and maintains appropriate communication through the transition. This position focuses on selling and booking tourism business; it does not plan, coordinate, or produce community events or visitor experiences, which remain the responsibility of other staff.

- Perform other duties as assigned.

KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED BY THE POSITION:

- Knowledge of destination sales, tourism, hospitality, group travel, meetings and conventions, sports tourism, and visitor-economy practices.

- Knowledge of proactive prospecting, relationship-based sales, proposal development, and sales-cycle management.

- Knowledge of Cape Girardeau’s lodging, venues, attractions, restaurants, facilities, visitor experiences, and regional tourism market.

- Skill in professional communication, public speaking, sales presentations, negotiation, and relationship building.

- Skill in organizing work, managing multiple priorities, meeting deadlines, and completing consistent follow-up with minimal direction.

- Skill in preparing clear proposals, presentations, itineraries, correspondence, and performance reports.

- Skill in the use of customer relationship management or sales-tracking systems, office software, virtual meeting platforms, and standard office equipment.

- Ability to analyze destination fit, business potential, room-night generation, visitor spending, and return on travel or sales activity.

- Ability to establish productive working relationships with clients, tourism partners, City staff, community organizations, and industry representatives.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

- Must possess a valid Driver’s License.

- Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in tourism, hospitality management, business administration, marketing, sales, communications, recreation, public administration, or a closely related field; or an equivalent combination of education, training, and progressively responsible experience that provides the required knowledge and skills.

- Equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered. Sufficient experience in the field of tourism and travel may be considered in lieu of a degree.

- Experience in tourism sales, hospitality sales, destination marketing, group travel, meetings and conventions, sports tourism, event sales, business development, or a related field.

- Ability and willingness to travel regularly and work outside standard business hours as required.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

- Three to five years of progressively responsible experience in tourism sales, hospitality sales, destination marketing, group travel, meetings and conventions, sports tourism, event recruitment, or development.

- Experience working with a convention and visitors bureau, destination marketing organization, tourism office, hotel, venue, chamber of commerce, sports commission, or municipal government.

- Established relationships within relevant tourism, meetings, sports, or group-travel markets.

- Knowledge of Cape Girardeau and the regional visitor market.

Salary per year $59,042 plus a generous benefit package.

- Bi-weekly pay periods.

- Thirteen paid holidays per year.

- 96 hours of vacation – accrued throughout the year.

- 96 hours of sick leave – accrued throughout the year.

- 2 days of personal leave per fiscal year. Must be employed on July 1 of the fiscal year to receive.

- City paid monthly premiums for health and dental insurance – Employee only.

- City paid monthly life insurance for employee only (1 times annual salary up to $50,000).

- Optional group term life insurance purchased at employee’s expense.

- Optional vision insurance purchased at employee’s expense.

- Voluntary deferred compensation plan – not matched by the City.

- Retirement (LAGERS) paid by the City. Missouri LAGERS – A Secure Retirement for All (molagers.org).

- Total compensation value for this position is $80,625 yearly, which consists of starting salary rate plus the benefit package.

Before final appointment, successful applicant will be required to successfully complete a drug test and background investigation.

The City of Cape Girardeau reserves the right to notify only those individuals selected for an interview as to the status of their application for employment. EOE/ADA/M/F/V