Catering & Event Sales Specialist

Job Title: Catering & Event Sales Specialist

Department: Sales

Reports To: Director of Sales

Position Type : Full-Time / Salaried / Exempt

Position Overview

The Catering & Event Sales Specialist is responsible for guiding clients from initial inquiry through signed contracts by delivering a personalized sales experience focused on hospitality, trust, and relationship building. This role combines consultative selling, creativity, and operational awareness to help clients confidently choose The JDK Group for meaningful celebrations and events. The ideal candidate can understand client vision, priorities, and budget while translating ideas into polished, realistic, and valuable proposals.

This role owns the pre-booking client journey by preparing proposals, preliminary layouts, rental recommendations, and initial logistics before transitioning the event to the sales production team after booking. The role also manages an active book of business, works toward booking and revenue goals, builds venue and vendor relationships, and contributes to company growth through networking and hospitality-driven sales.

Key Responsibilities

Client Relationships & Business Development

Serve as the first impression of The JDK Group with professionalism, warmth, and hospitality

Build genuine relationships and understand client priorities, vision, budget, and guest experience goals to create a sales process that feels organized, exciting, and trustworthy

Develop and maintain relationships with venues, planners, corporate clients, nonprofit organizations, and vendor partners to support referrals, repeat business, and future sales opportunities

Inquiry Management & Conversion

Respond to and manage inquiries across CRM, email, website, referral, and venue partner channels

Qualify leads based on event scope, timing, budget, guest count, and overall fit for The JDK Group

Lead discovery calls, client meetings, presentations, and site visits throughout the sales process

Manage active opportunities with consistent follow-up and pipeline organization, maintaining CRM records to support individual and company revenue goals.

Proposal & Event Vision

Translate client conversations into detailed, customized proposals that reflect the client's vision through thoughtful layouts, rental recommendations, and event enhancements that confidently guide clients toward booking decisions

Revise proposals strategically based on feedback while protecting profitability

Sales to Production Handoff

Prepare a complete and organized handoff once the event is booked

Clearly communicate client priorities, personalities, expectations, and important nuances

Ensure rentals, preliminary logistics, and sold promises are accurately documented

Pipeline & Performance

Track inquiries, proposals, tours, bookings, close ratio, and revenue performance, and participate in pipeline meetings and sales strategy discussions

Maintain professional responsiveness and communication standards throughout the sales process

Contribute ideas that improve conversion, efficiency, and client experience

Continuously develop sales, hospitality, communication, and relationship-building skills while staying current on industry and market trends

Perform additional responsibilities and operational support as needed based on business demands.

Qualifications

3+ years of experience in sales, preferably in weddings, catering, hospitality, corporate, nonprofit, or event management

Proven ability to build relationships, manage client communication, and close business

Strong communication, organization, time management, and follow-through skills

Confident and polished in leading client meetings, presentations, tours, and venue walkthroughs in both virtual and in-person settings

Comfortable using CRM systems, Google Workspace, Canva, Caterease, Goodshuffle, and AI-assisted productivity tools

Working knowledge of catering logistics, rentals, and event flow strongly preferred

Physical & Work Environment Requirements

Ability to stand, walk, and move through office, venue, and event environments for extended periods

Ability to lift and carry items up to 25 lbs as needed during site visits or onsite event support

Ability to travel locally between venues, client meetings, networking events, and company locations

Flexibility to work evenings, weekends, and extended hours during peak seasons or as business needs require

What Success Looks Like

Achieves annual booked revenue goals while maintaining strong inquiry-to-close conversion performance.

Maintains a healthy, well-managed pipeline with consistent follow-up across all active opportunities

Produces proposals and contracts that are accurate, compelling, and protect margin

Transitions booked events to sale production with organized documentation that supports a successful planning phase

Grows JDK’s venue, vendor, and referral network through professional representation in the community