Venue Hire Officer

AANT Centre is looking for a proactive, relationship-driven Venue Hire Officer to grow our commercial venue hire business.

Summary

AANT Centre is a Not for Profit Company Limited by Guarantee. Located in Darwin, it is known as the premier performing arts centre within the Northern Territory. Performances range from local school and small productions to international touring entertainment performances.

We also manage the George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens Amphitheatre on behalf of the City of Darwin. This involves liaising with promoters, stakeholders and safely delivering performances at the venue.

Primary Objective

The Venue Hire Officer plays a key role in growing AANT Centre’s commercial venue hire activity across The Playhouse, the Studio Theatre and the George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens Amphitheatre. The role proactively builds and manages relationships with the promoters, companies, schools and community organisations who hire the Centre’s venues, converting those relationships into confirmed bookings that fill dates across all three spaces.

This is a relationship-led, proactive role rather than a reactive booking-enquiry function. Rather than waiting for enquiries to arrive, the Venue Hire Officer actively cultivates relationships with touring promoters and producers of live music and theatrical events, schools and community groups, identifying opportunities to fill empty dates alongside responding to and converting inbound enquiries.

The Venue Hire Officer reports to the Chief Executive Officer, with a sub-reporting line to the Senior Producer – Programming to ensure hire activity is closely coordinated with the Centre’s presented season calendar. The role works closely with the Senior Producer – Programming, Ticketing Manager, Front of House, Technical/production and finance to ensure hire bookings are secured, scheduled and delivered smoothly, safely and profitably.

Key Accountabilities of the Role

Relationship Management & Proactive Business Development

• Proactively build and maintain relationships with touring promoters and producers of live music and theatrical events, schools, and community organisations, as well as corporate and conference hirers.

• Regularly and strategically reach out to key national and local promoters, companies and community/education contacts to generate interest in the Centre’s venues and dates, rather than relying solely on inbound enquiries.

• Monitor the venue hire calendar to identify empty or under-utilised dates and actively target suitable hirers to fill them.

• Represent AANT Centre at relevant industry events, festivals and networking functions to build the Centre’s profile with promoters and hirers.

• Maintain a pipeline/CRM of prospective and past hirers, tracking relationship status and follow-up activity.

Venue Hire Sales & Booking Management

• Respond promptly and professionally to venue hire enquiries received via the website hire forms, phone and email.

• Conduct venue tours and site inspections with prospective hirers.

• Prepare quotes, hire agreements and run sheets tailored to each client’s event.

• Convert enquiries and prospecting activity into confirmed bookings and maintain an accurate, up-to-date hire calendar and CRM/booking system.

Event Coordination & Handover

• Act as the hirer’s primary commercial and relationship contact from first enquiry through to final invoice, resolving contractual, account and scheduling matters throughout.

• Capture each hirer’s technical, staffing, front of house and catering requirements, and translate these into run sheets and internal briefings.

• Ensure hire agreements and pre-event briefings clearly set out hirer obligations in relation to venue policies, WHS requirements, liquor licensing conditions and emergency/fire procedures.

• Coordinate with Front of House, technical/production, security and catering suppliers so that each booking’s requirements are scheduled and resourced ahead of bump-in.

• Hand over confirmed bookings to Front of House and technical/production, who assume operational responsibility for delivery from bump-in through to bump-out.

Contracts, Compliance & Risk

• Issue hire agreements, invoices, and manage bonds and certificates of currency (public liability insurance) from hirers.

• Ensure hired events involving music comply with OneMusic/APRA licensing requirements.

• Manage cancellations, rescheduling and any hirer disputes in line with the Centre’s policies.

Revenue & Reporting

• Work towards agreed venue hire revenue and occupancy targets, including dates generated through proactive outreach.

• Maintain accurate records of bookings, revenue and enquiry/prospect conversion, and provide regular reporting to the Chief Executive Officer.

• Identify and pursue opportunities to grow the hire business, including repeat and referral bookings.

Collaboration & Administration

• Maintain the venue hire calendar alongside the presented season calendar, liaising closely with the Senior Producer – Programming and Ticketing Manager to avoid clashes and align on venue availability.

• Contribute hire-related content and updates to the Centre’s website and marketing collateral.

• Other duties as required.

Selection Criteria

Essential Criteria

• Demonstrated experience in venue hire, event sales, promoter/presenter liaison, conference/event coordination, or a similar relationship-led sales and coordination role.

• A proactive, self-starting approach to business development – proven ability to generate business through outreach and relationship management, not just respond to inbound enquiries.

• Excellent interpersonal and relationship-building skills with a diverse range of clients and stakeholders, from touring promoters to schools and community groups.

• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple concurrent bookings, prospects and competing deadlines.

• Sound commercial acumen, including experience working towards sales or revenue targets.

• Working knowledge of event logistics, including WHS, licensing and risk management considerations.

• High-level written and verbal communication skills, including preparing quotes, contracts and client correspondence.

• Proficiency with Office 365 suite, including Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint, and booking/CRM systems.

• Flexibility to accommodate some evening or weekend work, managed within core hours.

Desirable Criteria

• Pre-existing relationships with important national and local promoters, touring companies, schools or community hirers will be highly regarded.

What we can offer you

• Year round access to the best arts and entertainment in town!

• Five weeks annual leave

• 12% supperannuation and salary packaging

• A supportive structure, including access to Employee Assistance Programs and Profesional Development opportunities.

• A lovely bunch of skilled and enthusiastic team members for you to work alongside.

Applications must be limited to a two-page cover letter addressing the selection criteria and a resume no longer than four pages.

We strongly encourage applications from people who identify as First Nations, from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and people with disability. We strive to accommodate people with disability by making reasonable workplace adjustments when required. If you require an adjustment for the recruitment process or job, please discuss this with the contact person nominated above.

Only applications received via Seek will be considered.

Applications close Monday 26 October, 11.59pm.