Event Space Optimization Manager

At Hyatt, we believe our guests select Hyatt because of our caring and attentive associates.

The Event Space Optimization Manager is a key member of the hotel Sales and Events team responsible for maximizing the utilization, placement, and long-term value of meeting and event space.

The primary focus of this role is event space management and optimization rather than traditional guest room revenue management.

The position provides oversight throughout the group and event lifecycle, from inquiry and proposal through contracting, turnover, event planning, execution, and post-event review.

Working closely with Group Sales, Event Sales, Event Planning, Revenue Management, Banquets, and Hotel Operations, the Event Space Optimization Manager evaluates booking patterns, space utilization, program requirements, and operational considerations to ensure the hotel event space is deployed effectively.

The ideal candidate combines strong hotel event knowledge with analytical thinking and the ability to balance customer needs, sales opportunities, and the long-term utilization of the hotels event-space inventory.

Key Responsibilities

Event Space Management & Optimization

·    Manage and continuously review the hotels meeting and event space inventory to maximize utilization and preserve future selling opportunities.

·    Review proposed function space placements to ensure groups are using the appropriate amount and configuration of space based on guestrooms, attendance, food and beverage contribution, meeting requirements, and overall business value.

·    Partner with Sales and Events to create efficient booking patterns and minimize unnecessary or excessive space commitments.

·    Evaluate rooms-to-space relationships and identify opportunities to improve space productivity.

·    Identify opportunities to consolidate, relocate, divide, or reuse function space to create additional availability.

·    Protect high-demand and premium function space by ensuring placement is appropriate to event size, value, timing, and requirements.

·    Establish and monitor appropriate booking patterns, including arrival and departure timing, setup and teardown requirements, and use of pre-function and ancillary space.

·    Identify opportunities to layer compatible programs and events while maintaining an exceptional guest experience.

Business Review & Booking Governance

·    Participate in Daily Business Review and provide recommendations regarding function space availability, placement, conflicts, and booking exceptions.

·    Review opportunities outside established booking guidelines and provide analysis to support leadership approval.

·    Review Programs of Events and proposed space allocations before business progresses through the contracting process.

·    Identify duplicate bookings, unnecessary holds, space conflicts, excessive setup periods, and other conditions that could limit future selling opportunities.

·    Partner with Sales leadership when business requires exceptions to established booking guidelines.

·    Ensure booking comments and documentation accurately reflect space decisions, approvals, conflicts, and agreed-upon solutions.

·    Monitor tentative and definite business for changes that materially affect the hotels future ability to sell space.

Event Lifecycle & Space Management

·    Maintain active oversight of function space from initial proposal through turnover and event execution.

·    Partner with Sales Managers during the proposal and contracting process to ensure space commitments accurately reflect anticipated program needs.

·    Partner with Event Planning Managers following turnover to monitor changes in attendance, agenda, room sets, food and beverage requirements, and space utilization.

·    Establish and monitor deadlines for tentative and final program details so unused space can be identified and released for resale.

·    Review requests for additional function space and evaluate appropriate value through meeting room rental, increased guestrooms, increased food and beverage commitments, or other considerations.

·    Identify opportunities to release space when program requirements decrease.

·    Ensure material changes to contracted space are appropriately documented and communicated.

·    Partner with Event Planning and Operations to proactively identify tight turns, significant room resets, air-wall changes, production requirements, and other operational considerations created by event-space decisions.

Space Audits & Future Opportunity Management

·    Conduct regular audits of future definite and tentative bookings to identify space conflicts, inefficiencies, and opportunities to recapture inventory.

·    Complete periodic space audits across the hotels booking cycle.

·    Review lost and turned-down business to identify opportunities that may have been declined because of inefficient space placement or inventory restrictions.

·    Monitor tight-turn opportunities and work with Events and Operations to determine whether additional business can be accommodated.

·    Review annual and repeat programs against historical actual space usage.

·    Identify contracted space that was historically unused or underutilized and provide information to Sales and Events for future negotiations.

·    Maintain historical space-use information to improve future booking decisions and strengthen the hotels negotiating position with repeat customers.

Reporting & Analysis

·    Utilize Envision and applicable hotel reporting tools to evaluate function-space utilization and booking patterns.

·    Review Function Room Occupancy reports to evaluate current and projected space utilization.

·    Maintain and analyze space-management reporting, including space conflicts, booking changes, tight turns, lost and turned-down opportunities, and utilization.

·    Evaluate actual function-space usage following major and repeat programs.

·    Track space moves, additions, releases, and other significant changes to bookings.

·    Provide Sales and Events leadership with actionable information regarding upcoming need periods and available event-space opportunities.

·    Assist leadership with the development and annual review of hotel-specific function-space booking guidelines.

Sales, Events & Operational Partnership

·    Serve as a central resource for Group Sales, Event Sales, and Event Planning regarding meeting and event space.

·    Partner with Sales Managers to identify creative space solutions that allow the hotel to accommodate desirable business.

·    Support hotel tours when appropriate by helping Sales teams evaluate program requirements and identify efficient space solutions.

·    Collaborate with Event Planning Managers to ensure program evolution does not unnecessarily restrict future selling opportunities.

·    Work closely with Banquets, Engineering, Audiovisual partners, and Hotel Operations when space-management decisions create operational or labor considerations.

·