Weddings/Event Manager – Wedding Venue and Pub Restaurant.

Who we are
We are a farming family from the Isle of Sheppey, our group “Burden Bros” (BB4) has a small but diverse range of companies throughout Kent, Sussex and Surrey.
The Ferry House Inn sits proudly in our portfolio, and has been lovingly restored since we purchased it 16 years ago. Now encompassing a 4* pub restaurant and wedding venue, with accommodation for 40+ (soon to be 50+). We are currently a team 55 strong at the FHI, and over 140 at BB4 Group.

Our mission is to be a first choice provider of memorable hospitality, from a team of dedicated, talented, and passionate people.

We have a homegrown ethos; we supply our restaurant with top quality meats from our family farm, and with our own produce from our extensive kitchen gardens. We operate at a varied level throughout the seasons – averaging between 60-140 covers daily, regular events/functions, outside catering and around 90 weddings per year (100 P/A projected in the next 2-3 years). We were awarded Best Dining Pub in Kent 2014, were awarded our first AA Rosette in September 2015 and was a finalist in the 2016 Wedding Awards.

Why work for us?
We are growing steadily and sustainably, and we are not stopping yet! We are creating a quality work environment with ‘family’ at the forefront of all we do. We cherish loyalty and hard workers – and will always offer you the same as you do us, so that means making it to your children’s nativity play or helping you out when you need it most.
We are not a boring place to work – there is always something changing, improving, things to aim for and challenges to take on together. We are on an exciting journey, and we hope you will come with us. We will listen to you, care about what you think and value what you say – you will be an integral part of our growth and success.
For more about what it is like to work at the FHI, please see the jobs page on our website.

Location
We are in a beautiful countryside location overlooking the Swale estuary, on the Isle of Sheppey. It will be necessary that you have a car, as we are not accessible by public transport. We are approximately 25-30 minutes from the M2/A249 junction at Stockbury.

The role
We are looking for a highly motivated Event Manager, to take the reins on all current events and help propel us forward with our 5 year plan to achieve 150 weddings per annum across this and potentially another site.
This opening has come available due to restructuring within the company and continued growth in our main sector; Weddings. Although Weddings will be around 75% of the events you will manage, we do host other types and have plenty of scope to host more varied events.

What you will do
Managing the planning and implementation of events – overseeing every operational aspect of our Weddings department, and playing a key role in the marketing and strategic decisions for that department.

You will work as part of a team of 6 in our office and as part of an overall team of 55 at the FHI (140 at BB4 Group).
You will hold a senior position in our team directly under the General Manager, have at least 1 permanent direct report (Wedding Coordinator) and on event days manage teams of around 10 event/temp staff alongside the Front of House manager.

Typical days include [over seeing] all basic event administration, from bookings to invoicing/admin. Meetings with clients for viewings/sales as required, progress meetings and attending team/HR meetings and training. Marketing reviews, new client acquisition, organising of wedding/events fairs, and involvement in other events such as our Christmas events.
Liaising with other team members regards website editing, social media management, and reviewing our online advertising platforms.

Wedding Event days; Oversee setting up the venue, from laying tables to decorating to ensure quality standards are met in an efficient and timely manner. Ensuring all Event staff are well presented ambassadors for our team, ensuring good use of budgets inline with offering a good quality service. Manage teams of around 10 event staff, including shift changes during events – you will be responsible for ensuring quality standards are met and company policies adhered to. When required act as catering manager for food service, and see the day through to the evening hand over, always exceeding to the bride and grooms expectation in the process. Supporting our Wedding Coordinator, and providing solid leadership, in line with our core values, to the events staff on functions.

Attributes you must have

You should have a proactive outlook, preferably with sales experience/focus, alongside exemplary organisation skills, and people/event management experience.

• Sales skills - self motivated seller, natural desire to up sell and increase revenue without using hard sales techniques. Must be confident and savvy in this area and intuitive enough to quickly adapt to meet the varying clients we cater for.
• People management - be able to organise and lead, inspiring teams to achieve consistently high standards. Maintain a supportive relationship with direct reports, leading towards our continued success as a team.
• Logistics - to enjoy, and excel at organising, be able to plan for and react to many 'moving parts'.
• Be sharp - must be forward thinking and proactive, have a good memory, learn things first time and ‘keep up’ with fast paced situations.
• Collaboration - must be able to work with peers and forge positive relationships.
• Peripheral focus - maintaining control of the job in hand whilst still having their finger on the pulse with what is going on around them.
• Good communication skills – be personable, have competent written skills including good punctuation and spelling.
• Be able to identify with, and embrace, our core values – Family, Commitment, Pride, Consistency and Quality.

What this job is…
The Event Manager role is extremely rewarding if you enjoy being highly organised and working hard towards a common goal. The positive feedback gained from a client having delivered beyond expectation is thoroughly satisfying, and being an integral part of the biggest day of someone’s life makes the long hours worthwhile. The opportunity for sales growth in this department is high, so there is plenty of opportunity for our new member to make an impact. Working directly with the General Manager provides plenty of opportunity to be involved in strategic based decisions and therefore grow with the company. We are extremely excited to be recruiting for this role, and welcoming a new member to our senior management team at what is an exciting time for our business.

What this job is not…
Pinteresting, arranging flowers and designing decorations with clients all day whilst fanning through wedding magazines, going home at 5pm on a Friday and taking a 2 week holiday in August.

Job Specifications
• Days / hours - to be discussed. We are flexible with days as long as your meetings diary and duties are fulfilled, and you are on site for the majority of the events that require it, which realistically is at least 30-40 Saturdays a year, and up to 5 Sundays a year.
• 28 days holiday per year inclusive of bank holidays. We close for a week at Christmas annually.
• Lunch provided by our chefs and all drinks provided
• Staff discount up to 20% off food, drinks, and accommodation.

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