Sports Marketing Senior Sales Director

About Visit Panama City Beach

Visit Panama City Beach serves as the official destination marketing organization for Panama City Beach, Florida, actively promoting the region as a top-tier travel and sports destination. Drawing around 4.5 million visitors annually, the area is recognized nationally as a leading sports tourism hub. Featuring over 120 sporting events yearly—including baseball, soccer, lacrosse, football, endurance sports, and emerging competitions—the destination offers award-winning venues such as Publix Sports Park and Frank Brown Park. Panama City Beach boasts 27 miles of pristine white sand beaches and is branded as "The Real. Fun. Beach." Through strategic sports marketing efforts and business development, the organization generates upwards of $150 million in annual economic impact.

Role Overview

This full-time senior sales position, based on-site in Panama City Beach, FL, focuses on attracting sports tournaments, competitions, and events to the destination. Reporting to the VP of Sports Marketing, the Director will identify and secure sports events, maintain relationships with partners and rights holders, and oversee calendar management for sports tourism. Responsibilities include lead generation, event vetting, competitive bid preparation, and coordination with marketing and venue operations teams. The role involves conducting venue tours and local site visits, as well as representing the destination at trade shows and industry gatherings.

Key Responsibilities

• Identify, prospect, and secure sports tournaments and competitions for Panama City Beach.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with event rights holders, partners, and sports organizations.
• Generate leads and assess events for suitability to the destination.
• Develop persuasive bids and proposals to attract sports events.
• Collaborate internally with marketing and venue teams to ensure smooth event execution and post-event review.
• Conduct venue tours and site visits for potential clients.
• Sell sponsorships related to owned facilities and events.
• Represent Panama City Beach at industry trade shows, meetings, and client engagements locally and beyond.
• Maintain accurate sales records, CRM data, and sales reports.
• Provide market insights to guide sports marketing strategies and manage event inventory.

Required Qualifications

• At least 5 years of proven experience in sports tourism, destination marketing, hospitality sales, or event management.
• Strong skills in prospecting, lead generation, and relationship management.
• Experience negotiating contracts with event rights holders, sports organizations, and stakeholders.
• Excellent organizational abilities with the capacity to manage multiple projects and deadlines effectively.
• Adept at crafting persuasive sales presentations, proposals, and bids tailored to sports event decision-makers.
• Event planning expertise, coordinating with both internal teams and external partners.
• Proficient in CRM systems, sales reporting, budgeting, and forecasting related to events or accounts.
• Willingness and ability to travel for trade shows, sales missions, client meetings, and site assessments, including occasionally on evenings and weekends.
• In-depth knowledge of the sports events tourism industry, including event trends, rights holders, sales processes, and competitive factors influencing destination selection.
• Bachelor's degree in sports administration, business, marketing, sports management, hospitality, or equivalent professional experience.

Benefits

• Comprehensive health insurance with 90% of premiums covered by the employer for employees and dependents.
• Employer-covered dental and life insurance plans.
• Participation in a 401(k) retirement program with employer contributions after 12 months.
• Paid holidays along with a generous annual leave allowance.
• Opportunities for education assistance and certification reimbursement.

Compensation

The salary range for this role is between $75,000 and $85,000 annually.

Additional Information

This is an exceptional chance to influence sports tourism development in a leading beach destination while enjoying Florida's Gulf Coast lifestyle and the renowned World’s Most Beautiful Beaches.