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