Location: Chessington World of Adventures or Thorpe Park Resort
Hours: 37.5 hours per week
Contract Type: Permanent, salaried
We are looking for a commercially driven Event Sales Manager with a passion for events and client relationships to lead sales across our Merlin Venues UK portfolio.
In this senior role, you will be responsible for driving revenue growth, delivering against ambitious targets, and developing strong relationships with agencies, corporate clients and key partners. You will lead the creation and execution of proactive sales strategies, manage and grow key accounts, and maximise cross-selling and upselling opportunities across a diverse and unique venue portfolio.
You will take ownership of the UK sales pipeline, leading campaigns, activity planning, and performance tracking, while providing clear reporting, insights, and forecasting. Alongside this, you will play a key role in coaching and developing Sales Executives, ensuring a high-performing, commercially focused team with strong conversion and best-practice sales approaches.
With a strong focus on operational excellence, you will champion effective CRM usage, maintain accurate data, and support seamless collaboration with operational teams to ensure outstanding event delivery. You will also stay close to market trends and competitor activity, aligning client needs with the most suitable venue solutions, while representing Merlin Venues UK at key industry events and networking opportunities.
Qualifications & Experience
Minimum 5+ years’ experience in a sales role within the events, hospitality, or venue sector
Proven track record of delivering and exceeding revenue targets in an event sales environment
Experience managing and selling across multiple venues or a diverse portfolio
Demonstrated line management experience, with the ability to lead, coach, and develop high-performing sales teams
Strong key account management experience with corporate clients and agencies
Excellent commercial awareness with the ability to identify and maximise revenue opportunities
Confident in leading client pitches, negotiations, and high-value conversations
Strong organisational skills with experience managing pipelines, forecasts, and CRM systems
Effective communicator with strong relationship-building and stakeholder management skills
Benefits
A competitive annual salary
33 days holiday (including bank holidays)
‘Enjoy the Ride’ Merlin Annual Passes - 6 in total per year, 1 for you, plus 5 to gift to loved ones!
Merlin Magic Pass - 20 free tickets for you, your family and friends to enjoy all of our Merlin Attractions across the world rising to 40 after a year’s service
Company bonus
Private pension scheme
40% discount online off LEGO
25% discount in our on-site retail shops and restaurants
Sorry the Share function is not working properly at this moment. Please refresh the page and try again later.
Share on your newsfeed
At Merlin we welcome the world to our magical attractions and resorts every day and we want to reflect that same multicultural mix inside our business too. We strive to create an inclusive and diverse workplace where people can be themselves, have the same opportunities and thrive together. Because at Merlin, everyone matters!
Together, we work to create a workplace where everyone feels valued, no matter their age, race, gender, disability or sexual orientation. Although we understand that we'll always be learning and growing, we aim to be the most inclusive and flexible employer in our industry.