Private Events & Guest Experience Manager SPARK Social San José - 5.0 San Jose, CA Job Details Full-time $90,000 - $95,000 a year 15 hours ago Benefits Commuter assistance Health insurance 401(k) Paid time off Paid sick time Qualifications Spanish Customer communication Staff supervision Team supervision Event planning English Managing events in a senior hospitality management role Full Job Description Private Events & Guest Experience ManagerHi! We're SPARK Social We activate outdoor spaces through food, events, and vibrant shared experiences. Our parks bring communities together through food trucks, beer and wine, putt-putt, reservations, private events, public programming, and live entertainment. Private events and group gatherings are a major part of what we do. From birthday parties and corporate outings to weddings and large-scale celebrations, these experiences bring people together in our unique outdoor venue. The Private Events & Guest Experience Manager is the venue's in-house private event planner and the leader of the Guest Experience team. This team transforms inquiries into sales and sales into successful gatherings of all sizes, shepherding customers from the first inquiry through post-event follow-up. The Role Private Event Planning & Execution Personally own the planning and guest-facing execution of large-scale or complex private events, regardless of whether they originated through inbound or outbound sales.

Responsibilities include:

Serving as the primary client contact for large-scale or complex inbound opportunities Taking over as the primary client contact for outbound opportunities once they enter planning Reviewing all sales commitments and confirming that budgets, timelines, guest counts, space usage, and service requirements are feasible Developing event plans and coordinating food and beverage, rentals, entertainment, décor, add-ons, and vendors Identifying upsell and cross-sell opportunities Maintaining complete and accurate event records Communicating plans, timelines, and responsibilities to clients, vendors, and internal teams Personally leading events on-site when necessary and ensuring everything promised is delivered successfully Guest Experience Team Leadership Lead the Guest Experience Hosts, who manage general guest inquiries and customer service, inbound sales and bookings, the putt-putt course, and on-the-ground venue support. This team staffs customer service kiosks, prepares reservation spaces, welcomes and monitors gatherings, resolves guest concerns, and supports daily park activity with consistency, reliability, and professionalism.

Responsibilities include:

Hiring, training, scheduling, coaching, and supervising Guest Experience Hosts and Coordinators as they host the venue, respond to guest inquiries, sell products, and coordinate the day's happenings in the park Establishing standards for response times, sales strategy and procedures, documentation, customer service, and hospitality, to ensure every inquiry receives timely, accurate, professional, and advantageous follow-up Building and enforcing clear procedures, communication resources, and handoffs with all other departments Personally handling work when appropriate, and otherwise delegating, directing, and reviewing your team's work Performance, Product Development & Growth Consistently gather quantitative performance data and qualitative insights from customers, employees, and the industry to improve how the team works and what the venue sells.

Responsibilities include:

Tracking inquiry volume, response times, sales conversion, venue utilization, add-on sales, labor, expenses, profitability, and guest feedback Identifying patterns in customer needs, purchasing behavior, sales friction, and unmet demand Launching, testing, evaluating, and refining products, packages, add-ons, sales strategies, workflows, staffing models, and hospitality practices Developing distinct offerings, messaging, and value propositions for different products and customer audiences Training the Guest Experience team to position and sell new or revised offerings effectively Measuring results and partnering with leadership to make changes and secure the resources needed for meaningful departmental growth

Success Metrics Private Event Execution:

Events are profitable, thoroughly planned, accurately documented, and successfully delivered, with stellar customer satisfaction scores and frequent repeat customers

Inbound Sales Performance:

Guest inquiries receive stellar responses, reservable spaces are highly utilized, and appropriate add-ons are consistently offered.

Guest Satisfaction:

Guests experience responsive communication, welcoming service, and smooth visits from inquiry through departure. Your team actively partners with every customer to understand needs they can't articulate, imagine possibilities beyond their initial vision, and unlock an even greater value than they expected to receive from us.

Team Readiness:

Hosts are well-trained, appropriately scheduled, and fully prepared to confidently and consistently take on daily operations, reservations, and events.

Cross-Team Reliability:

Sales commitments, event plans, staffing assignments, and departmental handoffs are clear and consistently executed. The rest of the company sees you and your team as reliable allies who are eager to solve problems and are invested in the organization's greater success.

About You Experienced Event Planner:

You can turn a client's vision into a detailed, realistic plan and personally bring it to life. Working with you feels easier than they imagined event planning could be. Your behavior instills confidence and builds trust.

Strong People Manager:

You can direct, coach, and hold an hourly team accountable. You inspire them to be exceptional, and lift them up when they struggle to meet your expectations.

Sales-Oriented:

You maximize your revenue potential by deeply understanding your customers and presenting them with the most compelling products and services for their needs.

Hospitality-Driven:

You care deeply about responsive service and how guests experience the venue. You take responsibility for how every guest feels in our space.

Highly Organized:

You can manage many events, inquiries, timelines, and responsibilities simultaneously.

Calm Under Pressure:

You make sound decisions and communicate clearly when plans change. Background & Experience Experience personally selling, planning, and executing private events Experience training and supervising hourly or entry-level employees Experience managing vendors Strong scheduling, project management, and organizational skills Experience with CRM, reservation, scheduling, or event-planning systems Fluent English required Conversational Spanish preferred Real Talk This role combines hands-on event planning with department leadership. You may spend the morning building an event plan, the afternoon coaching your team, and the evening executing a celebration. Events happen when people have leisure time, so you are often working while others are celebrating. Evening and weekend flexibility is required. Benefits After 90 days of employment, benefits include Health Insurance, Sick Pay, 401(k), Pre-Tax Transit Benefits, and Paid Time Off. Fair Chance We are an equal opportunity employer and consider all qualified applicants equally without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, or disability status. Pursuant to applicable Fair Chance laws, we will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Pay:

$90,000.00 - $95,000.00 per year

Benefits:

401(k) Health insurance Paid time off People with a criminal record are encouraged to apply

Experience:

Event planning: 2 years (Required)

Management:

2 years (Required)

Sales:

2 years (Required)

Language:

Spanish (Required)

Work Location:

In person