Job Description

Description

We are looking for people to join our fantastic team at Somerset House Trust. As the home of cultural innovators, the Trust connects creativity and the arts with the broader society.

Somerset House pursues a 'Step Inside, Think Outside' spirit and is born from the creative community we nurture - the experience and perspectives we host across background, age, race, and stage, and the intersections and crossovers we encourage.

We are seeking an Event Sales Coordinator to join the Venue Hire team, where the primary focus of the role will be departmental administration and the management of commercial hire enquiries.

Somerset House offers 12 blank-canvas event spaces, including indoor and outdoor spaces, suitable for staging events of all styles and sizes - ranging in capacity from 10 to 3,000. The Venue Hire team is responsible for managing all commercial hires at Somerset House, from drinks receptions and Christmas parties to fashion shows and film sets.

We are looking for an enthusiastic individual with strong organisational and coordination skills, exceptional attention to detail, and a desire to begin their career in the events industry. The successful candidate will be a quick learner who thrives in a fast-paced, commercially driven environment, is highly motivated and commercially aware, and can work effectively both independently and as part of a collaborative team.

What we are looking for:

EVENT SALES

Act as the first point of contact for all initial event enquiries, professionally managing a high volume of enquiries via email and telephone in a timely and efficient manner. Think creatively to maximise opportunities by thinking outside the box to accommodate different types of events, when responding to enquiries. Always deliver an excellent level of customer service. Qualify initial event enquiries before handing over to the Event Sales Managers to conduct site visits. Ensuring a smooth handover for clients. And to support the department where needed. Build a strong rapport with key agencies and accredited suppliers, as part of the enquiry process. Where necessary, support the Sales team by taking site visits. Support the Sales team in securing business, whilst respecting and adhering to the limitations of a Grade-I listed venue. Ensure post-event follow-up with all relevant parties to maximise future opportunities and to encourage repeat business. Work closely with other departments to ensure effective diary management and to maximise sales opportunities through effective space planning. Maintain and ensure all sales documentation and templates (including packages, proposals, venue information and external website listings) are accurate and up to date. Where required, support the Sales team with administrative tasks associated with sales tradeshows and cultivation events, including follow up sales emails.

ADMINISTRATION

Overall responsibility for administration within the Sales team. This includes security deposit refunds, invoice requests, managing supplier commissions and any relevant purchase orders. Proactively liaise with clients and suppliers to ensure all paperwork is in place for sold events and that payments are received on schedule. Work closely with the Finance department to manage and minimise debtors. Ensure the event and venue management systems are updated for all events, generating reports from the system as required from the Head of Commercial Sales for analysis. Maintain and implement tracker documents and spreadsheets as required. Prepare and share weekly sales reports. Prepare and share monthly enquiry and commission reports with the Head of Commercial Sales. Coordinate all administrative tasks related to the Venue Hire accredited supplier tenders, including handling email correspondence, tracking applications, and providing support for any related tasks as required. Manage and maintain the venue hire section of the Somerset House website, ensuring content is accurate, up-to-date, and aligned with brand standards. Provide comprehensive administrative support for venue hire marketing activities, including creating and distributing newsletters, coordinating promotional materials, and managing the booking and scheduling of photographers and videographers to capture event content. Maintain and update client databases, ensuring accuracy, completeness, and compliance with data protection standards. Ensure that all audit and systems-based requirements for events are undertaken both accurately and in a timely manner. Support the team by conducting regular industry research where required. Minute both team and wider departmental meetings.

OTHER

When required, organise, plan and deliver internal events, working with departments across the Trust. This will range from small cultivation events to exhibition openings and events for a range of Somerset House's partners and stakeholders. Carry out any other reasonable duties in line with the post as may be required from time to time, including covering other coordinator roles when required. Work closely with other departments in the Trust to ensure smooth and effective communication, maximising opportunities where possible.

Skills, knowledge & expertise required for the role:

EXPERIENCE

Experience delivering excellent customer service in a public/client facing role Experience of general administrative tasks and/or diary management Experience of information management, including producing, distributing and presenting information to a wide variety of audiences Experience with financial tracking and chasing payments Experience of working with a range of event suppliers desirable Experience delivering events preferable, within a unique cultural/heritage venue with public spaces

SKILLS

Exceptional communication skills, both verbal and written, with the ability to adapt communication styles accordingly Excellent prioritisation and time management skills, with ability to work under pressure Strong attention to detail with an ability to multitask and adapt to change Continuous improvement mindset, willing to question processes and make suggestions Excellent interpersonal skills, able to build and maintain effective working relationships with clients and colleagues at all levels Ability to work both independently and as part of a team

Benefits to working at Somerset House

Mental Health & Wellbeing

Access to our external Employee Assistance Programme (CiC) for free 24/7 confidential advice and support, including up to 6 free counselling sessions per year where needed Mental health support and guidance from our in-house trained Mental Health First Aiders Hybrid working based on having 3 days in the office per week (pro rata if part-time)
Contribution towards eye tests and glasses Trust life insurance scheme We offer winter flu vaccination vouchers


dependent on the needs of the role

Holiday

Enhanced annual leave - 25 days plus bank holidays (pro rata)

- Birthday leave - additional day leave
- Celebration day - to celebrate anything of your choice

Other Leave

Sick leave - 20 days full pay, followed by 20 days half pay (pro rata & following 3 months service) Emergency dependent care - option to use 25% of paid sick leave for emergency care of a dependent (pro rata & following 3 months of service) Enhanced maternity pay

Benefits

8% employer pension contributions, no employee contribution required
Option for salary sacrifice Season ticket loan Cycle to Work scheme

Discounts, offers and free stuff

The list is endless and includes tickets to Somerset House events and entrance to other London Heritage sites Discounts in Somerset House cafes and restaurants Discounts with various high street retailers and restaurants Discounts to local leisure centres


following 3 months of employment

About Somerset House Trust

Somerset House hosts the UK's largest and most exciting creative community right in the heart of London, and are always looking for new talent to join our team. We welcome 3 million annual visitors to share our unique combination of cultural events, the creative industries and history. This mix informs and powers our programme and organisational culture, making us a singular, compelling and inclusive place to visit and work.



Somerset House is actively anti-racist and you can read about our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion & belonging here. We are working hard to ensure our people, our onsite community and our sector reflect, represent and include all of society.

Our Commitment to Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging:

Somerset House is open to all, and we value everyone's unique skills. Somerset House Trust is an equal opportunities employer and is committed to championing equality, diversity, and inclusion in our workplace. We are committed to equal opportunity and encourage applications from all qualified individuals. We do not discriminate on the basis of age, disability, gender identity, race, religion, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic background.

Where candidates are equally qualified, we will seek to prioritise diversity to help us increase representation across the creative economy and the Trust.

We anonymise all job applications to help avoiddiscriminationin the initial screening stage of our recruitment process. This reinforces our commitment to focusing on the skills and qualifications of all applications from the start.



We're committed to creating an inclusive recruitment process. Please let us know if there's anything we can do to help you perform at your best. We're open to adjusting our process to accommodate your needs please email people.team@somersethouse.org.uk.




The Trust reserves the right to close a job before its application deadline.



Please only apply if you have the right to work in the UK; the Trust cannot currently offer sponsorships.

Somerset House Trust operates a hybrid working model which does not allow employees from working outside the United Kingdom