Sales & Experience Manager

Sales & Experience Manager

Position Overview

Outlier Events is seeking a high-energy, ambitious Sales & Experience Manager to join our team full-time. This role is ideal for an early-career professional or sharp entry-level candidate looking to build a high-impact career in sports management, live event production, and B2B sales.

In this position, you will own the end-to-end vendor lifecycle across our growing portfolio of regional festivals. You will drive vendor sales, oversee partner onboarding, and manage on-site vendor experiences across Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Indiana, and beyond. This position requires travel to 100% of scheduled festivals, with all travel, lodging, and event expenses fully paid by the company.

Key Responsibilities

Vendor Outreach & Sales Generation

• Actively prospect, cold-call, and pitch local, regional, and national vendors (food trucks, craft vendors, commercial partners) to secure commitments across all Outlier Events festivals.
• Build and manage lead pipelines, monitor vendor applications, and perform consistent outreach to hit vendor occupancy and revenue targets for every event. Collaborate with leadership to test creative sales outreach strategies and targeted market entry campaigns.

Vendor Onboarding & Experience Management

• Serve as the dedicated, primary point of contact for vendor partners from initial outreach through event day and post-event follow-up.
• Guide vendors through registration, collect required health permits and insurance documentation, track invoice payments, and distribute key event logistics details. Maintain organized vendor databases and address inquiries with a professional, personable, and solution-oriented approach.

Marketing & Administrative Collaboration

• Work alongside the marketing team to design vendor-focused outreach collateral, web forms (e.g., Wix), and registration pipelines.
• Support social media messaging (Facebook, Instagram) and web updates focused on vendor promotion.
• Assist with broader organization initiatives, including Kalamazoo Growlers cross-promotions, community guerrilla marketing campaigns, and promotional events.

On-Site Event Operations & Tour Travel

• Travel to 100% of Outlier Events festival locations across Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Indiana, and new expansion markets according to the event schedule.
• Lead on-site vendor operations during festival days—managing vendor arrival, check-in, booth placement, electrical/logistical needs, and load-out.
• Deliver an exceptional partner experience on event days, quickly resolving real-time vendor issues. Assist the broader team with general festival execution, including setup/teardown, guest engagement, and venue logistics as needed.

Qualifications

• Education & Experience: Bachelor’s degree in Sport Management, Event Management, Hospitality, Business, Marketing, or a related field (or equivalent entry-level event/sales experience).
• Travel Requirement: Must travel to 100% of scheduled festivals across the Midwest footprint throughout the event season.
• Communication Skills: Confident telephone manner with strong written and verbal communication skills. Comfortable conducting cold outreach and pitching business owners.
• Work Ethic & Mindset: High energy, coachable, resilient, and eager to take ownership in a fast-paced environment.
• Organization: Excellent organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple vendor timelines and document workflows simultaneously.
• Technical Skills: Proficiency with social media platforms and web/form management tools (e.g., Wix, Google Workspace, Excel/Spreadsheets).
• Schedule Availability: Ability to work non-traditional hours, including peak-season weekends, nights, and event travel days.

PHYSICAL AND SCHEDULE REQUIREMENTS

• Willingness to work flexible hours, including early mornings, evenings, extended days (12-14 hour days on event day), consecutive days in a row, weekends, and holidays.
• Ability to lift 25-50 pounds and stand for long periods of time.
• Ability to travel to all out of market events on the weekends from the months of May-October.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

• Competitive salary with annual bonus potential
• Health, dental, and vision benefits
• 401(k) matching program
• Unlimited PTO Policy* (time off requests must be approved in advance by management)
• Free gym membership Monthly social and group outings with front office staff

About Outlier Events

Outlier Events is a special events company and parent organization behind the champion Kalamazoo Growlers baseball team (Northwoods League). On a mission to "make people happy, one crazy event at a time," we produce high-profile touring festivals—including the Taco & Tequila Festival, Mac & Cheese Festival, Donut & Beer Festival, and Tots & Taps Festival—across the Midwest.

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, gender identity, marital or veteran status, or any other protected class.

If you have any questions about the role, please email [email protected]