Job Description

Holland America Line has been exploring the world since 1873. Our ships offer innovative features and enriching experiences focused on destination exploration and personalized travel, inviting guests to savor the journey. 

We are looking for a Senior Manager, Event Activation & Execution. The Senior Manager, Event Activation & Execution is responsible for the strategic planning and execution of sales events and experiential initiatives across Holland America Line and Seabourn. This role owns the delivery of high‑impact sales events, industry conferences, and sales meetings that support trade engagement and commercial objectives, while providing leadership to a team responsible for execution and coordination.

Here’s a summary of what Holland America Line is looking for.  Is this you? 

Responsibilities:

• Strategic Event & Channel Planning:  Develop the multi‑year strategic roadmap for sales events, FAM trip programming, trade engagement experiences, and conference presence across HAL/SBN, ensuring alignment with commercial priorities and revenue growth objectives. Translate brand and commercial strategy into an annual events framework, prioritizing initiatives based on expected ROI, market trends, and trade partner needs.

• Portfolio Ownership & Resource Allocation:  Serve as the strategic owner of the dual‑brand sales events portfolio, determining which events to activate annually and the level of investment for each.  Make data‑informed recommendations on resource allocation, budget prioritization, and event scaling to maximize commercial outcomes.

• Enterprise Stakeholder Leadership:  Lead cross-functional steering groups (Sales, Brand, Revenue, Deployment, MarTech, Onboard Operations) to align event strategies with enterprise‑wide objectives. Influence senior stakeholders by presenting event strategies, performance insights, and investment recommendations.

• Vendor Strategy & Negotiation Authority:  Oversee vendor strategy, including selection, contract negotiation within delegated limits, performance evaluation, and optimization of service costs across the event portfolio.  Establish long-term vendor partnerships that improve consistency, reduce cost of delivery, and enhance brand impact across trade channels.

• Team Leadership & Capability Development:  Build and lead a high-performance team capable of executing large‑scale, complex events across multiple geographies and brands.  Define team structure, role expectations, and capability development plans, ensuring bandwidth and expertise align with growth ambitions.

• Governance & Standards Creation:  Create and enforce events governance frameworks, standardizing planning cycles, brand consistency, reporting expectations, and risk mitigation across all event types.  Set enterprise standards for physical sales assets, FAM trip quality, site inspections, and trade show representation.

• Performance Measurement & Optimization:  Define key performance indicators (KPIs) for events and experiential initiatives; develop reporting dashboards and deliver insights to senior leaders that influence future priorities and investment decisions. Perform ROI evaluation on major events and recommend modifications to improve commercial impact and operational efficiency.

• Sales Channel Influence & Go-to-Market Integration:  Partner with Sales and Brand leadership to embed event strategy into go‑to‑market plans, ensuring experiences directly support channel acquisition, trade loyalty, and revenue goals. Shape how HAL/SBN show up within trade and conference environments, elevating the value proposition for partners at every touchpoint.   National & Global Sales Meetings Plan and execute alternating national and global sales meetings, ensuring seamless delivery, cross functional alignment, and clear linkage to commercial objectives.

• Trade Show Merchandise & Logo ware:  Own the strategy and execution of trade show merchandise and branded logo ware, ensuring brand alignment, quality standards, and effective utilization.

Knowledge & Skills:

• This role serves as the enterprise leader for dual-brand sales experiences and is accountable for the strategic direction, planning, and execution of high‑visibility events that directly influence commercial performance. The position holds authority for multi‑year events planning, vendor selection and negotiation within defined thresholds, standards creation, and governance of all physical trade assets across HAL/SBN. The Senior Manager leads cross-functional teams and oversees a portfolio of events that represent multi‑million‑dollar commercial impact and significant trade relationship influence.

• Confident decision maker with ability to quickly identify risks and benefits 

• Demonstrated ability to act independently and provide decisive direction

• Strengthens brand presence and credibility within the travel trade by ensuring strategic, professional execution of national account conferences, industry events, and sales meetings.

• Enhances customer and partner decision making by delivering well executed FAM trips and ship site inspections that positively influence booking behavior and long term relationships.

• Improves cross functional alignment and operational efficiency by coordinating complex initiatives across sales, marketing, onboard operations, and external partners.

• Increases return on investment for events, conferences, and physical sales assets by setting clear execution standards and ensuring disciplined use of point of sale materials, trade show merchandise, and branded logo ware.

• Reduces execution risk and operational disruption through proactive planning, issue resolution, and sound day to day decision making across multiple concurrent initiatives.

• Builds a scalable and high performing events execution function by mentoring and developing team members responsible for implementation, resulting in greater consistency, accountability, and delivery quality.

• Cultivator of strong internal collaboration

• Exceptional project administrator with ability to execute simultaneously on multiple initiatives

• Analytical acumen to assess and negotiate maximum yield

• Exemplifies brand profile

• Strong communication skills (verbal and written) with ability to execute events independently

• Self-starter, team player and able to work independently and manage a small team.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Sales & Marketing, Business etc. Or Equivalent industry specific experience.

• 7–10 years of progressive experience in sales events, trade marketing, experiential activation, or commercial engagement roles, with at least 3 years in a leadership or manager‑of‑managers capacity.

• Demonstrated experience leading strategy development for large‑scale, multi‑brand, or enterprise‑level events, conferences, or trade engagement programs.

• Proven ability to translate commercial objectives into event strategies, including annual planning, prioritization, and ROI forecasting.

• Experience managing complex cross‑functional workstreams across Sales, Marketing, Revenue Management, Operations, and external vendors.

• Demonstrated success in budget ownership, financial planning, cost optimization, vendor negotiation, and contract oversight.

• Strong track record of team leadership, including mentoring, coaching, and building high‑performance teams responsible for execution.

• Experience creating and enforcing governance frameworks, operational standards, or process improvements for an events or experiential function.

• Proven ability to operate as a trusted advisor to senior leaders, providing insights, recommendations, and data‑driven decision support related to event performance and trade engagement strategy.

• Demonstrated capability navigating multiple concurrent initiatives, managing competing timelines, and delivering results in fast‑paced, high‑visibility environments.

• Prior experience in the travel, hospitality, cruise, or related experience‑driven industry preferred.

Travel:  Less than 25% non-shipboard travel likely

Work Conditions: Work primarily in a climate-controlled environment with minimal safety/health hazard potential.

Physical Demands: Remain in a stationary position at a desk and/or computer for extended periods of time, remain in a stationary position at a desk and/or computer for extended periods of time, reasonable adjustments will be offered.

This position is classified as “remote.”  As a remote role, it allows employees to work full-time from their home.  It may also require regular travel to Hollandl headquarters in Seattle, WA for in-office collaboration

Holland provides comprehensive and innovative benefits to meet your needs, including:

What You Can Expect

• Cruise and Travel Privileges for You and Your Family 
• Health Benefits 
• 401(k)  
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan  
• Training & Professional Development 
• Tuition & Professional Certification Reimbursement 
• Base Salary Range: $110,200 to $148,800. The range is applicable for the labor market where the role is intended to be hired. Final base salary is directly related to each candidates' qualifications and experience uniquely. 

Our Culture…Stronger Together

Our highest responsibility and top priority is compliance, environmental protection and the health, safety and well-being of our guests, the people in the communities we touch and serve, and our shipboard and shoreside employees.  Please visit our site to learn more about our Culture Essentials, Corporate Vision Statement and our Core Values at:https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/our-company/mission-values.html

Holland America is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances. 

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

Holland America will provide reasonable accommodations with the application process, upon your request, as required to comply with applicable laws.  If you have a disability and require assistance in this application process, please contact recruiting@hollandamericagroup.com

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