Venue Hire Officer

Watts Gallery; Compton; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Part time

Job summary

A cultural venue in the UK is seeking a part-time Event Manager to coordinate and deliver hire services for weddings, receptions, and other events. Key responsibilities include converting enquiries into bookings, managing financial aspects, and ensuring compliance with venue policies. The ideal candidate will have experience in event management, strong organizational skills, and excellent customer service. This fixed-term position offers a competitive hourly rate of £13.50 for 22.5 hours per week, with applications encouraged from diverse candidates.

Qualifications

• Experience in event management and venue hire.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Excellent communication and customer service skills.

Responsibilities

• Convert venue hire enquiries into bookings.
• Manage financial aspects including invoicing.
• Coordinate services with external suppliers.

Job description

To coordinate, operate and deliver the venue hire offer at Watts Gallery, including weddings, receptions, dinners, wakes and filming, bringing in revenue to support the Trust. To proactively convert enquiries into bookings. Ensuring high standards of client service and supplier management. To plan, organise and deliver hires and events, ensuring effective communication collaborative working across the organisation, and compliance throughout.

Responsibilities

• Convert venue hire enquiries into bookings through proactive communication, show rounds, follow-ups and upselling to meet sales targets.
• Complete all bookings administration fully. Maintain records of enquiries and confirmed bookings to track all events.
• Manage the bookings diary, coordinating with programming across the estate to ensure bookings are visible to all relevant teams.
• Be responsible for managing all financial aspects of the Venue Hire business, including record keeping and accurate and timely invoicing.
• Ensure costs are controlled and within budget.

Event Delivery

• Effectively manage a wide variety of events including weddings, receptions and dinners, wakes, celebrations of life and commercial filming opportunities.
• Take responsibility for day-to-day planning and delivery of hires, keeping stakeholders and clients informed at every stage – and seeking support and guidance if required.
• Produce function sheets for every event to aid all staff in event delivery.
• Coordinate services by external suppliers.
• Act as the Event Manager for all venue hires ensuring effective coordination, booking and allocating staff resources, ensuring they are briefed and trained.
• Work with Operations and Collections & Exhibitions teams to successfully deliver events in a safe and secure way that meets documented venue hire standards and operating guidelines.
• Evaluate each event and seek client feedback for continual improvement.

Compliance

• Responsibility for contracts with third party suppliers, ensuring that they comply with venue hire restrictions, policies, and statutory obligations.
• Take responsibility for the contracts with clients, ensuring all documentation is completed prior to events taking place.
• Ensure all events are compliant with the organisation’s policies, license conditions and current legislation, and that clients are fully aware of the venues operational and logistical polices.
• Complete Risk Assessments (including those required from suppliers) for each event ensuring sign off by the Head of Operations.Following GDPR legislation ensure client’s data is appropriately stored, used, and protected.

Other

• Attend programming, operations, and safety meetings.

How to apply

Please send your CV (including two referees) to [e-mail]

Please note references will not be taken up until after an offer of employment has been made.

Equality and Diversity

Watts Gallery Trust is committed to providing equality of opportunity for all staff and welcomes applications from all individuals for advertised jobs that match their skills and interests. We welcome applications from all sections of the community. We particularly encourage applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates, and from disabled candidates, as these groups are under-represented within the Arts field and at Watts Gallery Trust.

Status Part-time 22.5 hours/week, fixed term contract Salary £13.50 per hour Closing date Friday 9 January 2026, 12:00am