Visit Seattle is hiring: Public Relations Manager - Meetings in Seattle

What's Extraordinary about this job

Are you ready to bring your public relations expertise to a role where you can help shape the story of an incredible destination? As our Public Relations Manager - Meetings, you'll play a pivotal role in amplifying Seattle's reputation as a premier destination for conventions and events.

In this position, you'll be responsible for creating and maximizing positive editorial media coverage for both the destination and the Seattle Convention Center.

You'll also collaborate closely with the Senior Director of Communications and Public Relations in creating and executing media relations program outreach and strategic communications planning for the organization.

What You'll Do

• Collaborates closely with Visit Seattle Sales Team and Seattle Convention Center to write and distribute press releases and pitches. Generates and regularly updates all meetings & conventions press kit materials.
• Supports department's editorial/pitch calendar across all segments (national, trade, local and industry), works closely with Senior Director of Communications and Public Relations to evaluate success and maximize opportunities.
• Builds and maintains excellent local, regional and national editorial media relationships.
• Conducts outbound media calls in key markets; up to 10 percent of time may involve travel.
• Serves as organizational media spokesperson in conjunction with Senior Director of Communications and Public Relations.
• Proactively contacts and responds to reporters, editors and related media associates.
• Manage individual and group media visits in Seattle.
• Oversees creation and maintenance of media materials, miscellaneous copy and releases according to departmental deadlines/editorial calendar.
• Manages Award applications for Visit Seattle and the Convention Center.
• Tracks all media coverage and reports out regularly.
• Champion Simpleview (CRM) for the PR team, providing support to the team to ensure media databases are consistently updated and tools available to PR are being used, including itinerary building, traces, articles and more.
• Focus PR efforts to reflect the organization's commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Other duties as required.

What We're Looking For

• Bachelor's degree in public relations, communications, journalism or marketing preferred, or equivalent relevant work experience in hotels, convention center or destination marketing organization.
• Strong media relations background, experience and orientation required.
• Must possess excellent writing ability across multiple disciplines and a wide range of topics.

• Thorough familiarity with AP Style.

• Agency experience preferred.
• Embraces Visit Seattle's commitment towards building a fully inclusive, multicultural, anti-racist culture.
• Hospitality industry experience and familiarity with Seattle area preferred.
• Skilled at fostering relationships and is always responsive, helpful and friendly to every inquirer.
• Easily adapts, handle unexpected events, solve problems, and manage projects without direction.
• Able to work under pressure while maintaining a consistently positive and can-do perspective and professional demeanor.
• Excellent work ethic: does the homework, checks their facts and tells the truth - while maintaining tight deadlines.
• Strong ability to juggle multiple tasks while maintaining strong attention to detail.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite required.
• Must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

What Your Benefits Are

Your experience is our most important asset, so we created an environment for you to thrive. We designed the following benefits package with you in mind.

Our benefits are always evolving, though here's a peek into your perks:

• You'll have 15 days of Paid Time Off to start, with 12 paid office holidays and 1 Personal Holiday.
• You'll have 100% of medical, dental, and vision coverage paid by Visit Seattle. In addition, Visit Seattle will cover 75% of premium for family coverage.
• You'll be eligible for Paid Parental, Bereavement and Jury leave.
• You'll receive a company-provided ORCA card and subsidized parking in the Tower parking garage (restrictions apply).
• You will be reimbursed for monthly cell phone expenses.
• You'll receive a 401k with up to a 5% company match.
• Starting annual salary range is $86,500 - $95,000 USD with up to an 8% annual incentive.

Physical demands/Work environment:

The physical demands and work environment described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, feel objects, tools or controls; reach with hands and arms; climb stairs; balance; stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl; talk or hear; taste or smell.
• Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.
• Employee must be able to sit or stand at a desk for up to 8 hours per day.

Who We Are:

The Visit Seattle team knows and loves Seattle. By promoting our city for travel and tourism, we helped bring 38 million annual visitors in 2023 who spent$8.2 billionin Seattle and King County. The economic power of travel and tourism supported nearly 65,000 Seattle area jobs and contributed $790 million in annual state and local tax revenue. Visit visitseattle.org.

Beyond our sales and marketing vision, you'll appreciate our culture. Visit Seattle has a fun, inclusive culture where everyone is welcome and encouraged to be their authentic selves. We aspire to be as diverse as the city we represent and to honor the unique perspectives of the communities we serve, intertwining them in everything we do. Kindness, respect, and accountability serve as guiding principles for our team at every level. Here, your voice will be heard, and opinions respected as we move toward a more inclusive world together.

We are grounded and guided in our work together by our Values:

• INCLUSION: We value a safe environment where diversity and lived experiences are embraced, authentic vulnerability is encouraged, and active empathy is practiced.
• IMPACT: We value the idea of building a legacy that starts today, by committing to being mindful, helpful, and dedicated to a positive ripple effect that we create.
• COMMITMENT: We value a community where growing, celebrating and embracing each other for a greater future is encouraged, and an appreciation for sacrifice, grit, integrity, and the passion for conquering the unknown is well recognized.
• EXCELLENCE: We value having pride and passion in the work that we do by committing to always giving it our all and celebrating success in both the big and small tasks.

Equal Opportunity Employment

Visit Seattle is an Equal Opportunity Employer that does not discriminate on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, creed, religion, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, sex or gender (including pregnancy, childbirth and pregnancy-related conditions), gender identity or expression (including transgender status), sexual orientation, marital status, military service and veteran status, physical or mental disability, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local laws and ordinances. Visit Seattle's leadership team is dedicated to this policy with respect to recruitment, hiring, placement, promotion, transfer, training, compensation, benefits, employee activities, access to facilities and programs and general treatment during employment.