Business Events Specialist

BUSINESS EVENTS SPECIALIST

Job Description | Tourism Kingston

Department: Business Events / Destination Sales

Reports To: Director, Business Events

Status: Full-Time

Salary Band: $58,000 – $68,000 annually

Position Summary

Reporting to the Director of Sales, the Business Events Specialist plays a key role in growing Kingston's visitor economy by attracting meetings, conferences, conventions, corporate events, and incentive travel programs to the destination.

Acting as a destination ambassador and connector, this role builds relationships with meeting planners, event organizers, association leaders, and industry stakeholders to generate qualified leads and increase economic impact for Kingston. Unlike a meeting planner role, the Business Events Specialist promotes and sells the destination, identifying opportunities, coordinating customized proposals, and connecting clients with the hotels, venues, suppliers, and experiences that make Kingston exceptional.

This role requires a high level of relationship management, sales acumen, CRM proficiency, and strategic thinking, along with regular travel throughout Canada.

Key Responsibilities

Destination Sales & Business Development

• Prospect, qualify, and develop business opportunities across association, corporate, sports, and incentive travel markets.


• Build and maintain strong relationships with meeting planners, third-party planners, association executives, and event decision-makers.


• Conduct outbound sales activities including calls, emails, virtual meetings, sales missions, and networking events.


• Generate qualified leads and assist in securing conferences, meetings, conventions, and business events for Kingston.


• Coordinate and develop customized destination proposals, bid responses, and presentation materials.


• Promote Kingston's venues, accommodations, experiences, and services to prospective clients.


• Represent Tourism Kingston at industry trade shows, conferences, sales missions, client events, and business development activities.


• Conduct destination site inspections and familiarization (FAM) tours for prospective clients.

Industry & Partner Engagement

• Serve as the primary liaison between meeting planners and local tourism industry partners.


• Facilitate introductions and connections between planners and hotels, venues, convention centres, attractions, transportation providers, and other suppliers.


• Maintain strong working relationships with industry stakeholders to ensure a collaborative approach to destination sales.


• Gather destination information, rates, and availability from partners to support bid submissions and client requests.


• Participate in partner and stakeholder meetings to identify new opportunities and track industry trends.

CRM & Sales Administration

• Maintain accurate and up-to-date records within the organization's customer relationship management (CRM) system.


• Track sales activities, lead status, client communications, opportunities, and outcomes.


• Monitor and manage the sales pipeline to ensure timely follow-up and lead conversion.


• Generate regular reports on sales activity, lead production, conversion performance, and market segment trends.


• Maintain databases of clients, prospects, and industry contacts.


• Ensure compliance with organizational data management standards and reporting requirements.

Strategic Planning & Market Development

• Contribute to the annual Business Events sales plan and destination sales strategy.


• Support market research to identify emerging sectors, trends, and target markets.


• Assist in establishing annual goals, key performance indicators (KPIs), and revenue targets.


• Participate in budget planning related to sales activities, travel, and industry events.


• Monitor competitive destinations and identify opportunities to strengthen Kingston's positioning.

Marketing Collaboration

• Collaborate with the marketing and communications team on business events campaigns and promotional initiatives.


• Provide market intelligence and client feedback to support destination marketing efforts.


• Assist with content development for sales presentations, promotional materials, newsletters, and digital campaigns.

Qualifications

Education

• Post-secondary education in Tourism, Hospitality, Business, Marketing, Event Management, Communications, or a related field.

Experience

• 2–5 years of experience in destination marketing, convention sales, hospitality sales, tourism, business development, or a related field.


• Experience working with CRM systems; proficiency with platforms such as Simpleview, Salesforce, or HubSpot is an asset.


• Experience in B2B sales, account management, or stakeholder relations is preferred.


• Experience within a destination marketing organization (DMO), convention bureau, hotel sales environment, or tourism organization is considered an asset.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Strong relationship-building and networking skills.


• Excellent verbal, written, and presentation communication abilities.


• Proven sales and prospecting capabilities.


• High level of professionalism and customer service orientation.


• Strong organizational and project management skills.


• Ability to analyze sales data and generate meaningful reports.


• Knowledge of the meetings, conventions, and tourism industry.


• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.


• Self-motivated with strong attention to detail.


• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, and Excel).


• Proficiency in a second language (French preferred) is considered an asset.

Working Conditions

This role involves flexible hours to support the demands of destination sales. Sales activities are frequently scheduled outside standard business hours, including early mornings, evenings, and weekends. Regular travel throughout Canada and the United States is required. A valid driver's licence and the ability to travel independently are essential.

Success Measures

The Business Events Specialist will be evaluated on:

• Qualified leads generated.


• Business event opportunities secured for Kingston.


• Economic impact generated for the destination.


• CRM accuracy and pipeline management.


• Industry partner engagement and satisfaction.


• Sales activity targets achieved.


• Site inspections and client visits conducted.


• Contribution to annual departmental goals and strategic objectives.

Tourism Kingston is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We welcome applications from all qualified individuals.

This job description outlines the general nature of the work performed and is not a comprehensive listing of all duties and responsibilities. Additional duties may be assigned as required.