Business Development and Events Manager

Description

Job Overview: We're looking for a creative, community-minded Guest Engagement Manager to grow our local guest base and turn first-time visitors into regulars. This role serves as the connective tissue between our restaurant, nightlife operation, and the surrounding community—building relationships, driving repeat visits, creating memorable experiences, and keeping the brand visible and buzzing both online and off.

The Guest Engagement Manager is responsible for promoting and developing a positive culture in accordance with IMCMV's mission, values, and vision. The position oversees guest engagement, events, nightlife programming, local marketing, social media, partnerships, and the guest referral program while supporting the financial performance, service standards, and long-term sustainability of the venues.

The Guest Engagement Manager develops and implements business plans for all assigned outlets, assists with annual budgets and operating plans, and contributes to policies, procedures, and strategies that support profitability, sustainability, guest satisfaction, and brand growth. The position also acts as the duty manager when required, including during high-profile events.

Position Description:

• Develop and execute sales, marketing, guest engagement, and nightlife strategies aligned with the overall brand and business strategy. 

• Develop business plans and programming strategies for rooftop bars, nightlife, and guest engagement initiatives. 

• Create and execute strategies to increase awareness, qualified traffic, sales, and repeat visits among local residents, tourists, workers, businesses, and other target audiences. 

• Develop and manage seasonal, recurring, and limited-time promotional campaigns, including specials, themed experiences, loyalty initiatives, and other guest-driving programs. 

• Plan, coordinate, and execute in-house and off-site events, including happy hours, themed nights, live music, holiday events, chef's table dinners, community events, markets, and networking opportunities. 

• Manage all event logistics, including entertainment, vendors, budgets, timelines, signage, setup, breakdown, and operational coordination. 

• Source and book entertainment, including DJs, bands, and live performers, while evaluating programming opportunities based on brand fit, guest appeal, and financial performance. 

• Build and maintain strategic relationships with nearby businesses, schools, community organizations, industry partners, promoters, event planners, agencies, vendors, and other key stakeholders to create cross-promotional and business-development opportunities. 

• Represent the restaurant and venues at local community events, markets, networking functions, and industry gatherings. 

• Develop and maintain the guest referral program, including day-to-day administration, tracking referral activity, fulfilling rewards and incentives, communicating program details, and identifying opportunities to increase participation. 

• Manage day-to-day social media activities across platforms including Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and other relevant channels. 

• Develop and maintain a content calendar aligned with events, promotions, seasonal menu changes, nightlife programming, and broader marketing objectives. 

• Capture and coordinate photo and video content showcasing food, beverages, events, entertainment, and the overall guest experience. 

• Administrate the creation and publishing of relevant, original, high-quality content across digital channels in accordance with each brand's guidelines. 

• Develop engaging website and blog content designed to attract, engage, and convert target audiences. 

• Respond to social media comments, direct messages, online reviews, and other guest communications in a timely and on-brand manner. 

• Develop, execute, and evaluate social media and digital marketing campaigns from ideation through implementation. 

• Monitor engagement, audience behavior, local market conditions, and emerging trends; use insights to adjust marketing, programming, and guest engagement strategies. 

• Track and report event attendance, revenue impact, referral activity, social engagement, campaign performance, and overall ROI. 

• Develop and manage financial and guest satisfaction plans for rooftop bars, nightlife, and guest engagement initiatives. 

• Work closely with the food and beverage leadership team to identify opportunities and implement strategies that improve departmental financial performance. 

• Monitor sales, costs, and profitability, including maintaining a positive cost-management index for beverage operations. 

• Assess the market position of the venues and recommend product, service, programming, and experience enhancements necessary to achieve sales, marketing, and brand objectives. 

• Develop and execute comprehensive bar and nightlife programs that leverage knowledge of mixology, entertainment, and hospitality concepts to create memorable and differentiated guest experiences. 

• Monitor guest and employee satisfaction, service standards, and operational performance while working to meet or exceed financial goals. 

• Demonstrate knowledge and proficiency of applicable beverage and food standards and ensure those standards are consistently maintained. 

• Utilize strong interpersonal and communication skills to lead, influence, motivate, and encourage team members while advocating sound financial and business decisions and leading by example. 

• Evaluate current and future programming, partnerships, marketing opportunities, and guest engagement initiatives and provide recommendations to leadership. 

• Develop and manage cross-functional initiatives and projects in collaboration with food and beverage, operations, marketing, and other departments. 

• Understand, promote, and reinforce the brand's service culture. 

• Ensure employees, team leaders, and managers understand and consistently execute the brand's service expectations. 

• Set clear service expectations for internal and external guests and ensure those expectations are consistently met. 

• Take ownership of guest complaints and problems through resolution or appropriate escalation, ensuring guests feel heard and supported. 

• Support departmental orientation and onboarding programs to ensure new hires receive the training necessary to successfully perform their roles. 

• Maintain full knowledge and understanding of the company's handbook, SOPs, policies, and processes, and enforce them fairly and consistently. 

• Act as the manager or duty manager when required, including during high-profile events, while ensuring operational, service, and brand standards are maintained.

Requirements

SKILLS/EXPERIENCE:

• 3 or more years of experience in event planning, marketing, promotions, or social media management (restaurant/hospitality experience preferred)
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Comfortable managing multiple projects and deadlines simultaneously
• Experience with social media platforms and basic content creation (photo/video a plus)
• Outgoing, personable, and comfortable representing the brand in the community
• Builds relationships within local nightlife community, F&B, promoters, and other industry leader
• Basic budgeting and reporting skills
• Flexible schedule, including evenings/weekends for events as needed
• Familiarity with email marketing or CRM/loyalty platforms
• Experience with graphic design tools (Canva, Adobe Express, etc.)
• Existing local network or community connections
• Photography/videography skills
• Excellent telephone, social media and email etiquette. 
• Creative thinker, specialized operator with the ability to implement action plans that grow business.  
• Detail oriented   
• Solid understanding of the nightlife business. 
• Solid financial skills and the ability to analyze financial statements and modify operations to meet financial goals
• Strong professional network and relationships within local nightlife community, F&B, promoters, and other industry leaders 
• Enjoy interacting with people in a fast-paced environment. 
• Excellent organizational and time management skills. 
• Strong knowledge of MS Office, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook. 

Other: 

• Some local travel required to network and meet with local connections. 

The characteristics described here are representative of these that must be met by a staff member to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Physical Requirements:

• Must be able to work in a fast-paced, high energy, and physically demanding environment.
• Must be able to spend 60% of working time standing, walking, and reaching and 30% of working time sitting.
• Pushing, pulling and lifting objects from a lower to higher position or moving objects horizontally, from position to position.
• Feeling or grasping objects of different size and shape.
• Maintaining body equilibrium to prevent falling while walking, standing or crouching in narrow, slippery, or  erratically moving surfaces.
• Will be required to use physical capabilities including climbing and ascending or descending ladders, stairs, and ramps.
• Must be able to carry loads greater than 35 pounds and exert up to 50 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up  to 30 pounds of force frequently.
• Must be able to communicate clearly with our guests in the primary language of the restaurant, specific to location. (Primarily English)
• Hearing sounds at normal speaking levels with or without correction.
• Specific vision abilities include close, distance, color, peripheral, depth perception and the ability to adjust focus.

Work Environment: 

• Exposed to weather conditions and prevalent temperature changes.
• Subject to moderate to high ambient noise levels.
• Frequently required to function in narrow aisles or passageways.
• Hazards include, but are not limited to, cuts from broken glass and metal cans, burns, slipping and tripping.

Language Skills:

• Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals.
• Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, and guests.
• Expressing or exchanging ideas or instructions by the spoken word.

Mathematical Skills:

• Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals.