Aka Rooftop is an Asian kitchen and bar above Auckland city, hosting corporate functions, private celebrations, brand launches and venue events.
Role purpose
Grow profitable bookings for Aka Rooftop by finding customers, developing relationships and converting enquiries into confirmed corporate functions, private celebrations and venue events. The role owns the sales process from first contact through to booking confirmation and a clear handover to the events and operations team.
Core responsibilities
- Win new business through targeted outreach to corporate clients, event planners and relevant partners, and build repeat business through active account management and follow-up.
- Qualify enquiries, lead venue tours and prepare tailored proposals. Follow up consistently, negotiate within agreed pricing and delegated authority, and close bookings.
- Maintain an accurate CRM and a qualified sales pipeline, recording client needs, value, stage, next action and expected decision date. Report progress and forecast bookings weekly.
- Protect commercial value by using approved packages and pricing, checking capacity with operations, and seeking approval for discounts or non-standard terms.
- Work with accounts on deposits and payment milestones. Document agreed event requirements and hand confirmed bookings to the events and operations teams.
- Work with the Marketing Manager to identify target audiences, improve enquiry quality and track which activity produces confirmed bookings.
- Follow Aka Rooftop health and safety and host responsibility requirements when running tours and events.
- At least 3 years of relevant sales experience, ideally 5 years, with demonstrated success winning and converting business. Venue, hotel, hospitality or event sales experience is desirable. You can explain your personal contribution and measurable results.
- Confidence in prospecting, client meetings, venue tours, proposals and negotiation, with strong judgement about client fit, value and follow-up priorities.
- Accurate CRM use, pipeline management and forecasting, and the ability to act on conversion data and lost-booking reasons.
- Clear communication and reliable coordination with marketing, accounts, food and beverage, and event delivery colleagues.
- Sound understanding of event requirements and hospitality service, balancing client expectations, venue capacity and profitability.
- Right to work in New Zealand.
- Sales is the main priority. The Marketing Manager owns marketing, brand and campaigns; this role owns sales conversations, proposals, relationship development and booking conversion, and works with marketing to improve lead generation.
- The Events Coordinator and operations team support event delivery and logistics. This role provides a complete handover and resolves sales-related client questions; delivery responsibilities are agreed with operations.
- The role does not approve unbudgeted expenditure, exceptional discounts or non-standard commercial terms beyond its delegated authority. Accounts retains its financial controls and payment processing.
- First 30 days: review enquiries, bookings, repeat accounts, CRM quality and upcoming events; establish baselines for conversion, revenue and margin; agree target clients, sales authority and monthly targets with the owners and operations.
- By 60 days: run a consistent prospecting and account follow-up routine, maintain a qualified pipeline, report weekly and use a documented booking handover process.
- By 90 days: review confirmed bookings, profitability, conversion and new and repeat business against the agreed baseline and refine priorities using actual results.
- Commercial results are the primary measure. The measures below are reviewed with the role holder as part of regular performance conversations. Targets are agreed with the role holder after the first-month baseline review, and the pipeline is reviewed weekly.
Measure - What is tracked - Expectation
Commercial results
Confirmed booking revenue and event contribution or margin against agreed monthly targets.
Targets agreed in the first 30 days.
Enquiry conversion
Eligible enquiries that become confirmed bookings, with lost-booking reasons recorded.
Baseline set, then improvement target agreed.
New and repeat business
Proactively sourced new accounts and repeat bookings, with source recorded in the CRM.
Targets agreed after baseline review.
Qualified pipeline
Value and number of viable opportunities by stage, with next action and expected decision date.
Weekly pipeline and forecast report.
Response and sales discipline
Time to a meaningful first response, completed follow-ups and CRM completeness.
Aim to respond to enquiries within one business day.
Handover quality
Confirmed bookings with documented requirements, agreed pricing, deposit status and timing.
Complete handover before each event, by the lead time agreed with operations.
