Sales Manager - Events and Experience

Location: Chessington World of Adventures, KT9 2NE

Contract Type: Permanent, salaried       

Ready to create extraordinary experiences that bring people together through play? Join the team behind one of the UK's most iconic family destinations and help shape the moments guests remember long after they've gone home!

As our Sales Manager: Events & Experiences at Chessington World of Adventures, you will lead the delivery and growth of a diverse portfolio of unforgettable experiences, from VIP adventures and animal encounters to corporate events, celebrations, hotel packages and seasonal activations.

Working closely with teams across the resort, you will build strong partnerships that bring ideas to life. You will lead on complex enquiries, transform opportunities into successful events, and create seamless journeys for guests and clients from first contact through to delivery. With a focus on innovation, you'll identify and launch new experiences that create memorable moments while driving revenue and guest satisfaction.

You will inspire, coach and develop a talented Events & Experiences team, creating an environment where collaboration, creativity and exceptional service thrive. By translating strategy into action, you'll empower your team to achieve ambitious commercial goals while delivering experiences that guests can't wait to recommend and revisit.

As a leader within the wider resort operation, you'll use insight, feedback and performance data to continuously improve our offer, strengthen guest experiences and identify new opportunities for growth. You'll also champion health, safety and compliance, ensuring every event and experience is delivered with care, confidence and attention to detail.

• Proven experience in a sales, events, hospitality, attractions or experiences management role.
• Strong commercial awareness with the ability to balance guest experience, revenue growth and profitability.
• Experience leading, coaching and developing high-performing teams.
• Influence and stakeholder management skills with the ability to build trusted relationships across multiple departments and external partners.
• Strong operational planning and organisational skills, with experience managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to identify opportunities, develop new concepts and bring innovative ideas to life.
• Exceptional communication skills, with confidence engaging a wide range of internal and external audiences.
• Customer-focused mindset with a passion for creating memorable guest experiences.
• Experience analysing feedback, performance metrics and commercial data to drive continuous improvement.
• Understanding of health, safety and compliance requirements within a guest-facing environment.
• Proactive, energetic and collaborative approach, with a commitment to delivering excellence and inspiring others to do the same.

• 40% discount off LEGO® sets and products on the online LEGO Store!

• Merlin Magic Pass: 20 free tickets for you, your family and friends to enjoy all of our Merlin Attractions across the world!
• 25% discount in Merlin retail shops and restaurants (a brilliant extra treat when you’re using your Magic Pass to visit!)
• Staff discount codes for Merlin Annual Passes to gift to loved ones!

• Private pension scheme
• Life assurance scheme
• Employee assistance programme
• Access to Perks at Work which 30,000+ national & local employee discounts
• Ongoing training & development

About Merlin

A job with Merlin isn’t like a job anywhere else. With attractions around the world, from rollercoasters to wax figures, we don’t trade in suits, handshakes or briefcases. We trade in fun. In smiles, shrieks and spine-tingles. In Memories. In magic. But there are no tricks behind our magic. Instead, there are people like you. Passionate, dedicated people who are committed to making sure our worldwide attractions and guests’ experiences are the best they can be.

If you have any questions or if you require any reasonable adjustments, because of a disability or medical condition, please contact us by email at recruitment@merlinentertainments.biz and one of the team will get back to you as soon as possible.