About the role:
The Events & Experience Specialist supports Sun Life’s hospitality service program, with a range of in-person meetings and hybrid events and employee experience services. The specialist provides expert knowledge to meet our corporate objectives, quality standards and business goals for our employee experience program. A creative solutions expert with strong customer service skills, the specialist ensures the superb delivery of food and beverage programs, employee experience services and event logistics, including the support of the operational and administrative coordination of the site activities. The specialist is an onsite role at two locations: at our Canadian headquarters at Waterloo King as well as at our office at Waterloo North supporting seamless experiences across both sites.
The specialist takes a hands-on role coordinating key onsite meetings and events for a range of business partners, and collaborating with stakeholders, team members and vendors. The specialist works directly with business partners to reserve space, confirms event orders, liaises with vendors and is onsite to ensure the smooth delivery of key activities at this site, ready to support last minute and special requests. The specialist provides direction for catering partners and other vendor services as well as makes recommendations for service improvements.
Reporting to the onsite Lead, Event & Experience the specialist collaborates with partners in Broadcast & Event Services, Workplace Solutions, Workplace Strategy and other departments of the company.
What will you do?
· Thoughtfully providing a smooth experience for all employees and guests.
· Ensuring seamless event delivery, directing teams and vendors to ensure the completion of the event agenda and responds to last minute adjustments. Responsible for event/meeting coordination for range of on-site meetings, town halls and receptions including advising on space booking, detailing event agendas, communicating with vendors, food and beverage management, set-ups, wayfinding, staffing, safety planning and post-event reporting.
· Collaborating with Workplace Strategy & Design, coordinating hospitality experiences, support amenity & usage monitoring sharing insights and making recommendations for improvements.
· Educate employees on Activity Based Working and Future of Work Principles that form behavioral expectations and functional operation within Future of Work Spaces.
· Lead tours of Future of Work spaces with businesses and visitors to the space.
· Scheduled guest services duties at key FOW and high-traffic locations. Assisting employees with impromptu FOW support, questions & coaching. Assisting employees with occasional temporary access pass requests, room or desk bookings, and coordinating last minute onsite arrangements. Receiving and assisting with the distribution of deliveries and other services through the office environment.
· Ensuring assigned meeting spaces are neat and tidy, including the reset of furniture and equipment, and making custodial arraignments as required. Ensure workspaces in Future of Work renovated spaces are neat and tidy, including the placement of furniture and equipment to designated standards. Collaborating with the Workplace Solutions team to ensure high levels of cleanliness, safety, and hygiene are maintained as well as identifying hazards and addressing problems if they arise. Helping to ensure the security and organization of the office environment.
· Ongoing collaboration with the audio-visual services and technology teams, helping partners troubleshoot self-serve systems and escalating support requests as required.
· Onsite coordination of food and beverage programs, working closely with onsite vendors and stakeholders, processing invoices, reconciliations and making recommendations for service improvements.
· Administrative coordination of meeting and expenses including coordinating credit card reconciliations, purchase orders, approvals, chargebacks and ensuring any financial processing is completed. Support of site inventory management, maintaining organization and operational resource systems and participating in verification processes. Working closely with team members to ensure site equipment plans, logs and maintenance are properly coordinated.
· Ensuring that the venue is run in a safe, orderly and professional manner in accordance with the conditions of all employment, health and safety, fire, and building regulations, as well as company procedures that include, but are not limited to: security, fire code/fire lane policy and health & safety requirements. Health and Safety representative, Fire Warden and able to provide onsite First Aid
· Adhering to professional dress standards and supervising other uniform requirements
· Commitment to continuous improvement with the aim of making processes as efficient as possible, while delivering quality results
· Other duties as required.
What you need to succeed?
· A passion for corporate events and hospitality services. You’re an accomplished event professional, with an inspiring track record of using a wide range of venues and virtual event platforms, working in close collaboration with production, technical and multimedia teams.
· You have 2+ years of customer service experience in hospitality environments, contributing to events and meeting operations.
· You have an outstanding attention to detail and enjoy creating and maintaining administrative and operational systems with an exceptional degree of accuracy. You regularly show initiative and drive, as a self-starter you’re confident in your ability to get the job done.
· You have an excellent track record in fast paced, deadline driven and high-volume environments.
· You build strong business relationships with stakeholders, vendors, staff, and team members; you’ve got the ability to negotiate and resolve issues smoothly and effectively.
· You have strong technology abilities including strong Excel, Word, Outlook and other programs in the MS Office Suite, and the ability to adapt to learn a wide range of databases/CRM systems and web/virtual event platforms.
· You have experience tracking expenses and reconciling receipts.
· You are able to lift up to 50 lbs. as required, and comfortable with equipment set up/ and tear down duties.
· You have key hospitality industry certifications such as SmartServe certification; Food Handling Certification and familiarity with hotel/food/beverage industry best practices; First Aid: CPR-C; or willingness to complete certifications.
· You have willingness to work flexible hours, with shifting schedule to accommodate early morning or early evening events.
Preferred skills:
· Knowledge of AV industry-related equipment and terminology
· Involvement in industry-related associations
Unique requirements for Waterloo
· Must be able to obtain Reliability Status through the Government of Canada before a start date can be confirmed (includes a background check with fingerprinting by the RCMP)
Job Types: Full-time, Permanent
Pay: $53,000.00-$58,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Dental care
- Extended health care
- Paid time off
Ability to commute/relocate:
- Waterloo, ON: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)
Work Location: In person
