Guest Coordinator

The SMASH! Guest department is looking for new Guest Coordinators who will oversee the planning and management of the VIP Guests, making sure that their needs are met prior to, outside and during the convention weekend. You will be allocated a single VIP Guest to look after which may also include accompanying guests which include family members and agency managers. You will also be involved in planning, reviewing and refining of the VIP Guest events such as stage and panel workshops and work closely with Guest Coordinator (Signings) and other staff volunteers for other guest related events. You will also be working closely to manage crew volunteers who will assist you on-the-day of the convention weekend. You are also expected to escort the VIP Guests to appropriate locations for their designated events and accompany them throughout their stay in Sydney, Australia. As a Guest Coordinator, you must comply with our code of conduct and guest-related regulations e.g. confidentiality. The ideal candidate will have excellent customer service and communication skills, event planning and management skills, problem-solving skills and works well under a high-pressure environment.

Pre-Convention - General Operations

  • Create documents for VIP Guests such as run sheets, schedules, interview briefs etc. This also includes working closely with Productions and Events team and be involved in every step of the event creation process to communicate across the proposed ideas and plans to meet the needs of all parties internally and externally. If agreed via discussions, generate ideas and core content that will be presented on stage such as, but not limited to, stage scripts and MC briefs
  • Collaborate with other departments to make sure that events run smoothly and that appropriate items are prepared before convention
  • Meet tight deadline requirements set out by management and requests from other departments
  • Attend department meetings and actively participate in the development of guest department operations
  • Communicating and arranging with guest details relating to their appearance at events and the convention
  • Contact guest in a timely manner, making sure they are informed, and their needs catered for before arrival in Sydney, Australia
  • Provide feedback on guest event schedule and any technical difficulties
  • Manage the training of the on-the-day crew volunteers such as creation of training document
  • Mentoring and training crew volunteers by providing assistance and guidelines

Pre-Convention - Guest Communications, Hospitality and Logistics

  • Maintain a professional level of communication and ensuring transparency of where communications are between SMASH! and the VIP Guests
  • Represent SMASH! and act as the interface between SMASH! and VIP Guest, making sure SMASH!’s interests are kept in mind and balanced with VIP Guest needs
  • Keep good record of commitments by SMASH! and escalate issues as necessary
  • Plan hospitality events/activities specific to the assigned VIP Guests

During Convention - Set up and Pre-event, Event Weekend

  • Coordinate and communicate with crew volunteers and other departments as necessary to obtain the correct equipment, materials items, set up, etc
  • Provide appropriate in-person briefing to VIP Guests upon arrival and carry out other pre-event arrangement in preparation for the event weekend
  • Accompany the VIP Guests during their free travel time (if required)
  • Escort VIP Guests from accommodation to convention
  • Manages and delegate tasks to crew volunteers
  • Check that VIP Guest and accompany parties are being taken care of
  • Monitors that VIP Guest events are running smoothly
  • Manage events in a timely manner and escort VIP Guest to the appropriate location according to the agreed schedule
  • Ability to stick to the budget given for guest activities outside of convention period
  • Provide regular updates to Guest Director and Guest Assistant Directors on the progress of guest management and events
  • Respond accordingly to any and all unexpected problems in a timely manner, while abiding by the code of conduct and other safety regulations
  • Escort assigned VIP Guests to hospitality events/activities, if required

Essential Skills & Knowledge, Experience, Qualifications

  • Proficient in written English
  • Proficient in speaking English
  • Available in Sydney over the Convention weekend
  • Able to attend multiple workshop sessions on Guest Management standards and SMASH! workshop and training sessions
  • Prior knowledge and/or experience of SMASH! either as an attendee or volunteer
  • Excellent coordination and customer service skills
  • Experience in hospitality or working with guests
  • Organisational and project management skills
  • Reside in Australia
  • Contactable on a regular basis online and over the phone

Desirable

  • Previous SMASH! or other convention volunteering experience is desired, but not essential
  • Proficiency in written or reading of Japanese, Chinese or Korean
  • Proficiency in speaking of Japanese, Chinese or Korean
  • Knowledge and/or interest in Japanese culture and popular cultural references
  • Experience in managing crowd control and queue planning
  • Able to explain and introduce Australia and its unique culture to Guests
  • Proficiency in written or reading of Japanese, Chinese or Korean
  • Proficiency in speaking of Japanese, Chinese or Korean
  • Reside in Sydney, Australia

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