Chicago Cubs
Senior Coordinator
Events and Space Optimization
Chicago, IL
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ABOUT THE CHICAGO CUBS
From their days as a founding member of the National League to their Deadball Era dominance to the 108-year championship drought that has come to define them, the Chicago Cubs have never lacked for memorable moments. Here’s a look back through the Cubs’ long and often tortured history, from their founding in the 19th century to their long- awaited World Series title in 2016.
After five years in the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players, the Cubs (then known as the White Stockings) left the league to join the nascent National League. The Cubs were one of the NL’s early powerhouses, finishing first in the league six times in its first 11 years of existence.
By the end of the 19th century, the Chicago team had dropped its White Stockings name, going as the Colts from 1890 to 1997 and then as the Orphans from 1898 to 1902. It was in that year that the Chicago Daily News first began to refer to the team as the “Cubs,” in reference to the roster’s abundance of young players. The moniker stuck and was adopted as the franchise’s official name in 1907.
IT FINALLY HAPPENS IN 2016: CUBS WIN FIRST WORLD SERIES IN 108 YEARS! Playing in its first Fall Classic in 71 years, Chicago dispatched the Indians in seven games, storming back from a 3–1 series deficit to claim its first title since 1908. The Cubs ripped off three straight wins to clinch the championship, including the final two in Cleveland, with Chicago taking an early Game 7 lead and holding off several Indians rallies to secure the victory. The long-awaited championship ends the longest title drought in North American professional sports history and ends the Cubs' streak of seven straight World Series losses dating back to 1910.
ABOUT THE AMERICAN AIRLINES CONFERENCE CENTER
The American Airlines Conference Center can be used in its en�rety or you can have smaller mee�ngs in the individual rooms. Our flexible spaces allow you to host guests conference-style or classroom-style, as well as full dining capability. All rooms come equipped with projectors, dropdown screens, and wireless Internet access. Spaces within the American Airlines Conference Center include the First Base Room, Second Base Room, Third Base Room, and Home Plate Club featuring the outdoor, open-air second floor terrace with a breathtaking view of Wrigley Field and the Chicago Skyline.
The conference center is the latest addi�on to the ballpark's "campus" — located in the same building as the team's offices, the new Cubs Store and the Brickhouse Tavern, among others. The center can be configured in a variety of ways to accommodate any number of uses, from corporate mee�ngs to bar mitzvahs.
YOUR PARTNER IN GROWTH | Position Overview | www.searchwideglobal.com 2 A grander, airier "ballroom"-style space, with a capacity of 200, opens onto an outdoor patio that overlooks the Park at Wrigley — and also has a view of the jumbo screen that broadcasts games.
Since the center opened for business at the end of May, it's been a popular option for customers to bundle a breakfast meeting with tickets to a Cubs day game.
The decor incorporates elements from both American Airlines' past, and the Cubs past and present. Images of celebrities from American Airlines' archives — Nat King Cole, Audrey Hepburn, Babe Ruth, and Walt Disney with Mickey Mouse — hang on the conference center's walls. The lobby recreates bits of the ballpark — the video screen, pennants and the scoreboard — and bits of Cubs history are on display in the conference center's second-floor reception area.
The American Airlines Training and Conference Center offers a mock-up of Chicago’s O’Hare Airport terminal, complete with a reverberant field, arch ceilings, and large windows making it an ideal seminar loca�on.
Click here for more informa�on about the American Airlines Conference Center.
ABOUT WRIGLEY FIELD
Nicknamed the Friendly Confines, Wrigley Field is baseball’s second oldest ballpark, where fans come to see the ivy covered ou�ield walls, the classic hand-operated scoreboard, the marquee outside the homeplate entrance and the Cubs play ball. Stepping into Wrigley Field today is like stepping back in �me. Fans come out to Wrigley Field whether the Cubs are winning or losing and the ballpark has been the home to many historic moments from Babe Ruth’s called shot in 1932 and the home of the 2016 World Series Champions.
The biggest transforma�on at Wrigley Field since the opening of the bleachers in 1937 began following the 2014 season. A $575 million project, named the 1060 project, began at the ballpark that essen�ally overhauls the en�re facility. Nearly every part of Wrigley Field will be upgraded over a five year �meframe. Before the 2015 season, work began in the ou�ield as the exis�ng bleachers were demolished. The Cubs pushed the exterior wall of the ballpark back onto Waveland and Sheffield Avenues, widen the concourse and add more concessions. This project added 300 seats to the bleachers. The most striking addi�on to the ballpark is in le� field, a 95’ x 42’ HD videoboard. Another 2,250 square foot videoboard was added in right field. However, the tradi�onal hand-operated scoreboard remains in centerfield.
The en�re renova�on project at Wrigley Field will not be completed un�l 2019. Other parts of the project include upgrading the steel infrastructure, a new roof to replace the exis�ng wooden one. A two-story retail and entertainment complex will be added to the right field corner of Wrigley Field at the corners of Addison Street and Sheffield Avenue. Addi�onally, all of the concourses will be expanded and the restrooms/concession areas will be upgraded. This en�re renova�on project allows the Cubs to con�nue to play at Wrigley Field into the foreseeable future.
YOUR PARTNER IN GROWTH | Position Overview | www.searchwideglobal.com 3 POSITION SUMMARY
In this newly created role, the Senior Coordinator, Events and Space Op�miza�on will have a primary focus on event calendar management (posi�on will evaluate event revenue associated with event space needed and approve or decline or advise op�ons to increase revenue op�miza�on), with a secondary responsibility of suppor�ng event planning and execu�on (plan events sold by sales and prepare logis�cs and act as liaison with client and opera�ng departments). This person will liaise between all booking stakeholders to ensure all campus loca�ons are u�lized in a way that op�mizes revenue and costs. In addi�on to the primary responsibility for campus scheduling, this person will support and plan private events in the American Airlines Conference Center, Chicago Cubs Front Office, and Wrigley Field. The Senior Coordinator, Events and Space Op�miza�on should be a self-starter and team player with the ability to mul�-task and a willingness to embrace change and think cri�cally about ways to enhance exis�ng processes.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Space U�liza�on • Oversee daily u�liza�on of booking so�ware and calendar with responsibility for correct booking and u�liza�on of campus spaces • Review and ensure adherence to booking processes and standards to help drive maximum revenue and opera�onal efficiency • Create, manage, and communicate calendar of events to ensure all stakeholders have full knowledge of events taking place on campus • Par�cipate in weekly space op�miza�on mee�ngs in conjunc�on with Manager, Campus Planning and Private Events • Evaluate bookings for accuracy and completeness and approve all func�on space requests prior to confirmed space hold • Iden�fy and recommend opportuni�es to reallocate space to create ideal booking windows and enable opportuni�es to pursue new business
Event Support • Support the Manager, Campus Planning & Private Events, as requested in the planning and execu�on of private events (conferences, mee�ngs, trade shows, charity events, weddings, birthdays) in primarily the American Airline Conference Center, Cubs Front Office, and Wrigley Field • Serve as manager on duty, as requested, to support private events • Act as onsite liaison between client, preferred vendors and all internal event support func�ons • Review all writen communica�on, diagrams and staffing plans to determine group informa�on, proper set-up, �meline, staffing assignments, and ensure special arrangements are set accurately • Meet customers prior to func�ons, make introduc�ons and ensure that all client expecta�ons have been met; facilitate post-event debrief and client surveys
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
• Four year undergraduate degree at an accredited university or college, or an equivalent combina�on of educa�on and experience • 3-4 years of experience working in an event venue or facility • Understanding of P&L repor�ng, budge�ng and revenue forecas�ng • Willingness to work non-tradi�onal hours including, evenings, weekends and holidays • Demonstrated passion and ability to deliver a high level of service to a diverse set of internal and external clients • Ability to work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment with an approach to problem solving that is both open- minded and collabora�ve • Skilled in project management • Experienced in Microso� Office applica�ons
YOUR PARTNER IN GROWTH | Position Overview | www.searchwideglobal.com 4 PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
• Experience with event venue or facility booking so�ware and systems • Understanding of Chicago event market, or equivalent experience in a large Metro market
TOP PRIORITY
• Develop revenue guidelines and booking paterns (Sunday out Wednesday and then Wednesday out Saturday) to beter communica�on and awareness of expecta�ons to op�mize event space.
If this could be a great opportunity to extend your professional reach, please respond through the SearchWide Global website or email your resume to the following SearchWide Global Executive:
Elizabeth McHeffey, Recruiting and Research Manager | SearchWide Global www.searchwideglobal.com | [email protected]
732-598-5766 (mobile)
About SearchWide Global SearchWide Global is a full service executive search firm primarily for companies in the travel, tourism and convention, and hotel and lodging industries. We specialize in C-Level, Director and Management level executive searches for companies ranging in size from Fortune 500 corporations to mid-sized public and private companies.
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