POSITION OVERVIEW CHICAGO CUBS SALES MANAGER CONFERENCES, MEETINGS AND SOCIAL EVENTS SALES Chicago, IL THE BRIDGE BETWEEN PROFESSIONALS SearchWide Position Overview www.searchwide.com
ABOUT THE CHICAGO CUBS From their days as a founding member of the National League to their Deadball Era dominance to the 108-year championship drought that has come to define them, the Chicago Cubs have never lacked for memorable moments. Here s a look back through the Cubs long and often tortured history, from their founding in the 19 th century to their long-awaited World Series title in 2016. After five years in the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players, the Cubs (then known as the White Stockings) left the league to join the nascent National League. The Cubs were one of the NL s early powerhouses, finishing first in the league six times in its first 11 years of existence. By the end of the 19th century, the Chicago team had dropped its White Stockings name, going as the Colts from 1890 to 1997 and then as the Orphans from 1898 to 1902. It was in that year that the Chicago Daily News first began to refer to the team as the Cubs, in reference to the roster s abundance of young players. The moniker stuck and was adopted as the franchise s official name in 1907. IT FINALLY HAPPENS: CUBS WIN FIRST WORLD SERIES IN 108 YEARS! Playing in its first Fall Classic in 71 years, Chicago dispatched the Indians in seven games, storming back from a 3 1 series deficit to claim its first title since 1908. The Cubs ripped off three straight wins to clinch the championship, including the final two in Cleveland, with Chicago taking an early Game 7 lead and holding off several Indians rallies to secure the victory. The long-awaited championship ends the longest title drought in North American professional sports history and ends the Cubs' streak of seven straight World Series losses dating back to 1910. ABOUT THE AMERICAN AIRLINES CONFERENCE CENTER The new place to do business is right next to Wrigley Field. The American Airlines Conference Center can be used in its entirety or you can have smaller meetings in the individual rooms. Our flexible spaces allow you to host guests conference-style or classroom-style, as well as full dining capability. All rooms come equipped with projectors, dropdown screens, and wireless Internet access. Spaces within the American Airlines Conference Center include the First Base Room, Second Base Room, Third Base Room, and Home Plate Club featuring the outdoor, open-air second floor terrace with a breathtaking view of Wrigley Field and the Chicago Skyline. The conference center is the latest addition to the ballpark's "campus" located in the same building as the team's offices, the new Cubs Store and the Brickhouse Tavern, among others. The center can be configured in a variety of ways to accommodate any number of uses, from corporate meetings to bar mitzvahs. The center's more conventional conference rooms can expand or contract to fit anywhere from 15 to 250 guests, with windows looking out onto Waveland. SearchWide Position Overview 2
A grander, airier "ballroom"-style space, with a capacity of 200, opens onto an outdoor patio that overlooks the Park at Wrigley and also has a view of the jumbo screen that broadcasts games. Since the center opened for business at the end of May, it's been a popular option for customers to bundle a breakfast meeting with tickets to a Cubs day game. The decor incorporates elements from both American Airlines' past, and the Cubs past and present. Images of celebrities from American Airlines' archives Nat King Cole, Audrey Hepburn, Babe Ruth, and Walt Disney with Mickey Mouse hang on the conference center's walls. The lobby recreates bits of the ballpark the video screen, pennants and the scoreboard and bits of Cubs history are on display in the conference center's secondfloor reception area. The American Airlines Training and Conference Center offers a mock-up of Chicago s O Hare Airport terminal, complete with a reverberant field, arch ceilings, and large windows making it an ideal seminar location. Click here for more information about the American Airlines Conference Center. ABOUT WRIGLEY FIELD Nicknamed the Friendly Confines, Wrigley Field is baseball s second oldest ballpark, where fans come to see the ivy covered outfield walls, the classic hand-operated scoreboard, the marquee outside the homeplate entrance and the Cubs play ball. Stepping into Wrigley Field today is like stepping back in time. Fans come out to Wrigley Field whether the Cubs are winning or losing and the ballpark has been the home to many historic moments from Babe Ruth s called shot in 1932 and the home of the 2016 World Series Champions. The biggest transformation at Wrigley Field since the opening of the bleachers in 1937 began following the 2014 season. A $575 million project, named the 1060 project, began at the ballpark that essentially overhauls the entire facility. Nearly every part of Wrigley Field will be upgraded over a five year timeframe. Before the start of the 2015 season work began in the outfield as the existing bleachers in left and right field were demolished. The Cubs pushed the exterior wall of the ballpark back onto Waveland and Sheffield Avenues in order to expand the bleachers, widen the concourse and add more concessions. Originally slated to be completed by the start of the season construction was delayed until late spring, leaving the entire outfield closed for the first two months of the 2015 season. This project added 300 seats to the bleachers. The most striking addition to the ballpark is in left field, a 95 foot x 42 foot HD videoboard. Another 2,250 square foot videoboard was added in right field. However, the traditional hand-operated scoreboard remains in centerfield. The entire renovation project at Wrigley Field will not be completed until 2019. Other parts of the project include upgrading the steel infrastructure, a new roof to replace the existing wooden one. A two-story retail and entertainment complex will be added to the right field corner of Wrigley Field at the corners of Addison Street and Sheffield Avenue. Additionally all of the concourses will be expanded and the restrooms/concession areas will be upgraded. This entire renovation project allows the Cubs to continue to play at Wrigley Field into the foreseeable future. POSITION SUMMARY SearchWide Position Overview 3
The hospitality sales arm of the Chicago Cubs and the new American Airlines Conference Center, is looking for a dynamic go-getter to design, launch, and build the meetings and events business across the Ricketts family collection of assets. The Manager-Conferences, Meetings and Social Events will be responsible for sales of the new American Airlines Conference Center as well as meetings and events that occur at the ballpark on both game days and non-game days. We are looking for a well-connected meetings and events executive who can build this team and business from scratch. The team will be responsible for sourcing opportunities as it relates to conventions, meetings, trade shows, weddings, bar and bat mitzvahs and other social events. RESPONSIBILITIES Own organizational relationships with travel, conventions, tourism and event planning segments Launch new products into the Global and Chicago Meetings and Events Business Penetrate the Chicago Convention business to uncover incremental business opportunities by attending trade shows, community events, and industry meetings Increase relevancy in the Chicago social events business including weddings, private group events and celebrations Design and build meetings and events business including sales staffing plan Achieve sales revenue target as set by Hickory Street Capital and the Chicago Cubs Manage sales team and sales strategy to optimize space utilization and revenue targets Collaborate with Corporate Partnership, Premier Sales, and Business Development teams to maximize new sales and corporate partner activation Collaborate with Levy restaurants to maximize event related food and beverage sales and profitability Research and implement "best practice" sales events and sales ideas Partner with Event Operations and Facilities teams to communicate client expectations in order to ensure successful fulfillment of event obligations REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS Four year undergraduate degree in Business, Hospitality, Marketing, or related field Minimum seven years' experience in the Chicago Meetings and Events Business Demonstrated knowledge of event industry terminology, facility capabilities, operational procedures, event coordination and event-related services Prior management experience Proven connections in the meetings, events, convention, and social events space Experience building or strong participation in building a business plan Demonstrated success in consistently exceeding sales objectives Demonstrated attention to detail and organization Demonstrated ability to multi-task, think creatively and problem solve Excellent communication skills, both written and oral Maintain knowledge of market trends, competitive set and customers Ability to work under limited supervision and to collaborate with all levels of staff including management Ability to work non-traditional hours, including nights, weekends, and holidays PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS Advanced degree Experience with Salesforce.com or other CRM software Proficiency with Delphi or other space booking software PRIORITIES FIRST SIX MONTHS 1. Understand the American Airlines Conference Center (AACC) and Wrigley Field assets that can be used for meeting, social and corporate events. SearchWide Position Overview 4
2. Investigate and know the competitive set (various venues in Chicago from hotels to unique venues that host events). 3. Evaluate current business and ask questions amongst team to know what is working and where they want to go moving forward. 4. Get to know all revenue streams and options for meeting, social and corporate event business. 5. Evaluate rate card and offerings. 6. Review how the venues are being marketed and sold to the meeting and event industry. 7. Evaluate other professional sports teams and how they sell meetings, social and corporate event business (i.e. Giants Enterprises, PETCO Events, etc.). 8. Understand the existing partnerships that exist (i.e. outsourced companies, promoters that bring talent/concert to Wrigley, etc.). If this could be a great opportunity to extend your professional reach, please respond though the SearchWide website or email your resume to the following SearchWide Executive: Mark Gnatovic, Senior Vice President SearchWide www.searchwide.com gnatovic@searchwide.com 817-251-9118 (direct) 817-789-9879 (mobile) About SearchWide SearchWide is a full service executive search firm primarily for companies in the travel, tourism and convention, and hotel and lodging industries. We specialize in C-Level, Director and Management level executive searches for companies ranging in size from Fortune 500 corporations to mid-sized public and private companies. SearchWide Position Overview 5