Manager, Venue Procurement

The Venue Procurement Manager supports the strategic sourcing contracting administration and ongoing management of hotel and venue agreements across the organizations event portfolio. Working closely with the venue procurement team event operations teams third-party sourcing and housing partners hotel and venue representatives Legal Finance and other internal stakeholders this role manages the day-to-day procurement workflow from sourcing through contract execution and post-contract administration.

The position serves as a key operational extension of the venue procurement team independently managing routine procurement activities and negotiations while escalating material financial contractual operational or risk-related matters.

Key Responsibilities

Contract Review & Negotiation

Review hotel venue and room-block agreements against approved organizational contracting standards and templates.

Manage routine contract negotiations with hotels venues and third-party sourcing partners.

Review key business terms including room rates room blocks concessions commissions rebates attrition cancellation rate protection construction/renovation provisions and other commercial terms.

Identify deviations from established contract standards and escalate material exceptions to the Director of Venue Procurement and/or Legal as appropriate.

Coordinate revisions redlines and clean agreements through final approval.

Procurement & Sourcing Support

Support hotel and venue sourcing initiatives across assigned events.

Prepare and distribute RFPs and organize proposals and responses for review.

Develop comparison summaries highlighting rates concessions financial terms contractual obligations and significant areas of risk.

Conduct initial negotiations and follow-up with venues and sourcing partners.

Maintain sourcing documentation and decision history.

Contract Administration & Quality Control

Serve as the primary quality-control checkpoint before contracts are escalated for final approval.

Confirm approved commercial terms are accurately incorporated into final agreements.

Track contract status outstanding redlines approvals deadlines and next actions.

Coordinate signature routing and maintain executed contract documentation.

Manage routine amendments and room block adjustments within established approval parameters.

Third-Party & Hotel Partner Management

Serve as a day-to-day point of contact for hotel partners cvb partners sourcing agencies and housing providers.

Monitor outstanding deliverables and drive timely responses and contract turnaround.

Ensure third-party partners follow established procurement procedures templates and contracting standards.

Resolve routine issues independently and escalate significant negotiations or exceptions to the Director.

Financial & Commercial Administration

Review contracted commissions rebates and other financial concessions for accuracy.

Maintain visibility into contracted financial terms and supporting documentation.

Coordinate with housing and sourcing partners regarding commission/rebate reporting and documentation.

Support reconciliation audit and reporting initiatives as needed.

Process & Portfolio Management

Maintain contract templates negotiation playbooks SOPs and procurement tools.

Track assigned sourcing and contracting projects and proactively identify items requiring action.

Maintain standardized documentation and contract records.

Identify recurring negotiation issues and recommend improvements to templates and processes.

Support development of preferred terms and repeat-use agreements with strategic hotel partners.

Qualifications

5 years of experience in venue sourcing hotel sales hospitality operations meeting planning or procurement.

Strong understanding of hotel contracts room blocks attrition cancellation concession management and group housing practices.

Demonstrated experience utilizing Cvent technology solutions including sourcing/RFP distribution venue search and evaluation and supplier relationship management.

Experience working with hotel brands convention centers CVB/DMO partners and housing providers.

Advanced proficiency in Excel Smartsheet and data analysis/reporting tools.

Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple sourcing contracting and event support projects simultaneously.

Excellent written and verbal communication skills including experience coordinating contract negotiations and stakeholder communications.

Highly organized with strong attention to detail and the ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Experience developing and maintaining process documentation templates and operational best practices.

Preferred Qualifications

CMP CMM or similar industry designation.

Experience supporting a multi-event or large-scale tradeshow/event portfolio.

Experience with convention-center and complex citywide hotel contracting.

Familiarity with master agreements multi-year agreements and hotel term agreements.

Experience with third-party sourcing and housing providers.

About Emerald

At Emerald we strive to foster a diverse and inclusive community. We actively recruit and champion candidates who bring new perspectives from varied professional backgrounds and experiences and we are intentional about ensuring a positive hiring experience for everyone. Our job postings dont contain experience inflation and most dont require college degrees. Instead theyre crafted to focus on outcomes and transferable experiences that are assessed in a structured interview process carried out by trained hiring teams.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

Target Compensation: $80000 - $85000 plus Bonus

Please note that this range reflects a reasonable estimate of the target compensation for this position. This range may ultimately vary based on a candidates qualifications and may be higher where required by applicable law.

We offer a competitive benefits package designed to strengthen our employees physical and mental health including unlimited vacation for exempt employees flexible working locations 401(k) plan with a company match medical/dental/vision coverage with inclusive provisions including transgender services and fertility benefits parental and caregiver leave dependent commuter and FSA benefits professional development programs like Toastmasters and mental wellness tools.

If you need accommodation in our application process or have questions about our posted salary range please email our Talent Acquisition team at