Conference & Events Co-ordinator (Maternity Cover)

Department: Conference and Events

Employment Type: Fixed Term - Full Time

Location: Brasenose College

Reporting To: Conference & Events Manager

Compensation: £28,607 - £32,278 / year

Description

Duties and Responsibilities

• To act as a key point of contact for conference and event enquiries, providing excellent customer service in a professional, helpful and responsive manner.
• To welcome clients and visitors to the College, which may include greeting prospective clients at weekends from time to time.
• To support the administration of event bookings from initial contact through to final arrangements and delivery.
• To input all conference and events enquiries promptly and accurately into the Kinetics software system for planning and record-keeping purposes.
• To assist with conference and further events planning, event logistics and operational arrangements, liaising as necessary with other College departments.
• To take responsibility for the smooth running of allocated events, resolving issues where they arise, including but not limited to at conferences, internal events, weddings, and other assigned functions.
• To ensure all accommodation, catering, dietary, and technical delivery requirements are met across the range of events run within College.
• To liaise professionally and efficiently with the departments involved event delivery, including but not limited to the Buttery, Housekeeping, Kitchen, Lodge, Finance, IT and HR teams.
• To assist with Conference Oxford enquiries, including responding to requests and preparing proposals.
• To assist with room set ups where required, including furniture set ups and flip charts.

• To assist with preparing proposals, quotations, invoices, contracts and event paperwork for conferences and commercial events.
• To support activity to maximise income from the College’s conference, events and bed and breakfast business.
• To support invoicing, internal costing and recharging processes in accordance with agreed procedures, liaising with the Finance Department to ensure all charges are accurate and raised in a timely manner.
• To assist with compiling and producing reports relating to conference and events activity, occupancy, sales and event operations, both written and financial.
• To identify and raise any issues, risks or concerns with the appropriate colleague in a timely way.
• To assist with general Domestic Bursary administrative tasks, including data entry, room allocation, diary management, website updating and minutes, where required.

• To help maintain a consistent and professional presentation of the College’s conference and events offer across marketing materials and online platforms.
• To assist with the creation and distribution of marketing literature and promotional materials for conferences, events, seasonal accommodation and other commercial activity. This includes but is not limited to promotional copy, work on digital and print channels, case studies, and social media.
• To assist with maintaining the intranet and website, ensuring information is accurate and engaging, contributing suggestions for website updates and improvements.
• To assist in monitoring enquiries generated through marketing activity and help track campaign effectiveness.
• To contribute ideas for promoting the College’s facilities to new and returning clients, including seasonal campaigns and targeted promotions.
• To assist with post-event communications, including follow-up correspondence, feedback requests and related materials.
• To prepare relevant internal and external communications and ensure these are circulated in a timely and effective manner.

• To work alongside colleagues responsible for accommodation to anticipate and plan for conference and vacation accommodation requirements, ensuring relevant departments are kept informed of changes and developments affecting accommodation provision.
• To liaise with relevant departments on room allocations and related arrangements.
• To support the co-ordination of the College’s bed and breakfast and vacation accommodation activity as required.

• To take a proactive approach to the planning, running and delivery of events.
• To communicate effectively with a wide range of people at different levels, maintaining effective working relationships across the College, demonstrating professionalism, tact, discretion and a friendly approach.
• To deal calmly and effectively with unforeseen situations, using sound judgement and escalating where appropriate.
• To monitor client and guest feedback and identify opportunities for service improvement.
• To develop and maintain systems to ensure that information is shared with key contacts across the College in a timely manner.
• To provide cover for other members of the Conference & Events team when they are absent, as required.
• To participate in project work relating to new facilities, training and other developments as required.
• To attend training as required, including mandatory training and team development activity.
• To ensure all personal data is handled confidentially and in accordance with college policies and data protection regulations.
• To be familiar with and work in accordance with all College policies and procedures.
• To represent the College professionally in all dealings with clients, visitors and external contacts.
• To undertake any other reasonable duties in support of the Conference and Events operation.

Person Specification

• Experience of working in conferences, events, hospitality, or similar environment
• Strong customer service skills and ability to build relationships
• Experience coordinating events or bookings from enquiry to delivery
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and maintain attention to detail
• Ability to remain calm and professional under pressure
• Clear written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to work proactively and solve problems
• Flexible and adaptable approach to work
• Confidence using IT systems, including Microsoft Office

• Experience supporting marketing or promotional activity
• Experience in an educational, hospitality, or institutional setting
• Experience with financial or administrative processes
• Awareness of current trends in the events or hospitality sector

Terms & Conditions of Appointment

• Pension - Eligibility to Brasenose College's pension scheme, OSPS (Oxford Staff Pension Scheme). The successful candidate will be entered into this scheme automatically on joining, but on-going membership of the scheme is optional.
• Salary Exchange Scheme - Staff who are eligible for OSPS, and who join our pension scheme will be enrolled into the Salary Exchange Pension Contributions Scheme on or around three months after joining Brasenose. This scheme is financially advantageous both to the employee, and the College as the employer.
• Annual leave - The paid holiday entitlement for an equivalent full-time contract for a year is six working weeks (30 days) of annual leave (5 days to be taken over Christmas break when College is closed) plus 8 Statutory Bank Holidays. Annual leave shall be taken at mutually convenient times agreed in advance with the Department Manager. The holiday year begins on 1 January and ends 31 December. For part years of service, the entitlement will be calculated as 1/12th of the annual entitlement for each completed month.
• Meals - Employees are entitled to take lunch free of charge in Hall when the kitchen is open.
• Welfare Support - Employee Assistance Programme; a free confidential telephone helpline and online medical guidance.
• Free annual flu jab.
• Travel Pass Loan - a discounted travel scheme is available with monthly deductions from salary.
• Cycle to Work Scheme/Bike Loan - monthly deductions from salary.
• Sports Facilities - access to the University Sports club.
• University Card - for discounts in shops, cafes and restaurants and University leisure facilities.