COORDINATOR, CLIENT SUCCESS (EVENTS AND RESERVATIO

Housing and Conference Services (HCS) directly supports the University’s Mission & Vision of Impact, Ambition and Transformation through Excellence, Inclusion and Community: Advancing Human and Societal Health and Well-being. We currently provide a distinctive living and learning experience for 3900 students focused on key educational priorities including self-discovery and learning; sustainability and wellness and inclusive excellence.

HCS concurrently drives a positive McMaster experience for guests, alumni, staff, faculty and students by providing accommodation and event coordination, which meet the highest standards of service excellence. HCS is a proud and significant ancillary contributor to the financial health of the University, and the core academic and research mission of McMaster.

HCS is currently in a time of significant expansion as capacity is expanding by 54% over the next 5 years, moving from 3900 to 6000 bed spaces across 15 buildings. This expansion will diversify the housing operation dramatically, from a traditional focus on the housing needs of first year undergraduate students, to the introduction of graduate, and family housing, in addition to a constantly diversifying internal and external client base.

The annual budget for HCS is currently (pre-expansion) approximately $31 million and we employ 100+ full-time and 250 part-time staff. HCS reports directly to the divisions of Student Affairs, as well as Operations & Finance.
 

Job Summary:

The Coordinator, Client Success (Events and Reservations) ensures operational efficiency in the end to end booking processes for event space and hotel style guestroom reservations. Optimizing occupancy and ensuring service excellence for internal and external stakeholders through events planning and delivery, online registration, payment platforms, and seasonal conference execution are key areas of responsibility in supporting the Business Development team in Conference & Event Services. 

Duties and Responsibilities: 

• Create and adjust the accommodation reservations and occupancy in relation to; Hotel McMaster, Signature Suites, summer group blocks & rooming lists, Student Summer Accommodation (SSA), Online Travel Agencies (OTA), in a timely and efficient manner.
•  Receive and process reservation requests via phone, email, and online booking platforms.
• Maintain an organized reservation system, ensuring accuracy and timeliness.
• Assign tables, sections, or event spaces based on availability and customer preferences.
• Confirm reservations and communicate special requests or requirements to the appropriate teams.
• Process deposits, payments, internal journal entries, and expenses with HCS Finance.
• Responsible for the end-to-end planning, logistics and execution of conferences, events, and experiences.
• Respond promptly to inquiries with a thorough and professional understanding of CES services, pricing, policies, and procedures.
• Promote the use of university facilities and supports by providing venue recommendations, set-up and rentals based on client needs and budget.
• Prepare and maintain Client Accounts, Quotes, Work Orders, Action Memo,  and Invoices..
•  Prepares a briefing report after each event which includes reporting event revenues and expenses for discussion with various stakeholders.
• Monitors and reconciles event costs and verifies accuracy of all expenses incurred.
• Compiles and prepares information to be used for the annual event planning schedule.
• Create, confirm, and adjust client reservations such as classroom, AV, rentals, accommodation etc.
• Determine and coordinate additional resources, vendors, Service Orders, required for the event. Liaise with internal operating partners & contracted suppliers on pricing and services agreement, ensuring a high standard of guest service is achieved.
• Oversee event production, ensuring that venues are booked, audio visual, food and beverage, accommodation, parking, 3rd party supplier rentals are professionally set up to the client’s agreed upon contract and CES quality standards and procedures.
• Calmly, problem solve issues that arise through standard procedures and/ or creative approaches where appropriate.
• Provide excellent customer service by addressing inquiries, resolving issues, and accommodating special requests.
• Negotiate pricing using an equitable sliding scale volume approach.
• Writes and disseminates announcements and promotional information through website and emails.
• Post event, distribute evaluation surveys to event planners for feedback to assess and enhance future CES events and activities.
• Compile and prepare information for the CES annual event planning schedule.
• Regularly share feedback, recommendations, enhancements, and innovative ideas with supervisor and team
• Support CES team projects and initiatives by remaining current and up to date on ongoing events and conferences.
• Train & supervise 1-2 Guest Experience Assistant (GEA) student staff for workload support and student growth and development opportunity.
• Order and maintain inventory of materials and supplies.

Requirements: 

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field of study
• Experience: More than 4 years of relevant experience 

Supervision:

• Has ongoing responsibility for supervising 1-9 casual employees (at any one time).