Optus Stadium Head of Sales & Partnerships - SRI Opportunities

CANDIDATE BRIEF                PREPARED BY
                               SRI
Optus Stadium
Head of Sales & Partnerships

Overview
Opened in 2018 and crowned ‘The Most Beautiful Stadium in the World’ in 2019, Optus Stadium
provides WA with a world class venue to host major sports and entertainment events. As the home of
the West Coast Eagles, Fremantle Football Club, International cricket in Perth and the Perth Scorchers,
the Stadium is the home ground of sport in Western Australia, having played host to more than 3.5
million attendees since opening.

In addition to its long- term content agreements, the Stadium hosts a range of one- off major sports
and entertainment events. In 2019, this included iconic sports events State of Origin, Bledisloe Cup and
a ten- day tour by Manchester United as well as concerts by Eminem and U2.

The multi-purpose Stadium and the surrounding Stadium Park is open 365 days a year and has been
designed with a fans-first focus. In 2021, the Stadium will diversify into an attractions business with
the activation of the ‘O Zone’ Roof Climb product the first step into creating an ‘always on’
entertainment precinct.

Our team is a diverse group of people with a commitment for making the greatest things happen for
our customers, partners, people and community. We work hard, have fun and enjoy the responsibility
of managing this amazing venue.

The Role
The Head of Sales & Partnerships provides leadership across the wide portfolio of commercial functions,
managing a team responsible for:
•     Identifying and activating new revenue opportunities in the entertainment precinct;
•     Achieving sales targets related to partnerships and hospitality; and
•     effective delivery of all Stadium commercial assets.

Reporting to the General Manager, Commercial, you will have extensive experience in the commerciality of
sport and entertainment, from both a sales and sponsorship perspective, with a demonstrated ability to lead
the commercial program at the ‘Most Beautiful Stadium in the World.’

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Responsibilities
Management Responsibilities
1.   Set a path for the commercial department in achieve its dual goals of sales,
     championing whole of business integration to achieve exceptional service
     delivery.
2.   Maintain an impeccable personal brand internal and external of the
     organisation, providing a key point of contact for senior business leaders in
     private and public positions;
3.   Manage a high performing sales team to exceed all departmental budget and
     ensure that commercial performance is maximised;
4.   Identify and implement new revenue opportunities in the entertainment
     precinct;
5.   Guide a commercial strategy with a focus on exceptional service delivery for a
     disparate group of stakeholders;
6.   Manage and develop employees including performance management,
     performance and development reviews, training and management of workload.
7.   Make recommendations for remuneration and succession planning as
     appropriate.

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Responsibilities
Position Responsibilities
1.   Developing commercial strategies, maximising sales opportunities and achieve sales targets, in relation to:
•    Sponsorships, including but not limited to:
       o    Stadium partnerships
       o    Naming Rights for room, gates and other assets
       o    Digital assets
       o    Signage
       o    Stadium activations
       o    VenuesLive promoted events
•    Optus Stadium Corporate Hospitality products, including but not limited to;
       o    Private Suites,
       o    OCR’s,
       o    Dining rooms,
       o    Lounges and Clubs,
       o    Desks and Terraces,
       o    Restaurants
•    New revenue opportunities in Stadium Park including:
       o    Concerts, festivals and other entertainment product for one off events;
       o    Activity based experiences to activate the Park on a daily basis.
•    Supporting the sales of hospitality products of key hirers, including; Cricket Australia, Perth Scorchers and Fremantle Football Club
•    Other Optus Stadium products including non-event day conferences and functions and Stadium Park events.

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Responsibilities
Position Responsibilities continued
1.   Take responsibility for a dynamic commercial sales team, by:
           •     Participating in regular sales meetings,
           •     Coordination of sales team activity to meet business objectives;
           •     Regular activity reporting;
           •     Implementing an end to end sales process ensuring the timely and efficient administration of the sales function;
           •     Coaching sales team members to optimise performance.
2.   Manage the ongoing operations of the Bankwest Club, including:
           •     Management of Stadium Club staff;
           •     Servicing of Stadium Club naming rights sponsor;
           •     The procurement of additional Stadium Club partners and benefits for Stadium Club members;
           •     Membership relations, retention and resale;
           •     Development of a rolling retention program to future proof the commerciality of the program.
3.   Oversee the efficient and effective delivery of the day to day Stadium Partnerships program;
4.   Work closely with key stadium users, AFL football and cricket, to maximise sponsorship and corporate hospitality options across the Stadium and the key users, with a focus
     on joint opportunities.
5.   Work as required with other Event Hirers to maximise Stadium return for sponsorship and hospitality inventory at events.
6.   Maintain reporting protocols regarding broadcast and IPTV exposure for the purposes of reporting to sales clients;
7.   On event days, supervise and oversee the management of allocated hospitality areas and work closely with catering to ensure client’s expectations are met.

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The Candidate
To be successful in this role, you will have
•     An understanding of the local and international sports and entertainment market and
     demonstrated ability in development and delivery of commercial programs to maximise
     return at sport and entertainment events;

•     A proven track record of successfully negotiating and delivering commercial
      partnerships and exceeding targets;

•     An ability, maturity and gravitas to manage negotiations at a senior level, in public and
      private sector to achieve mutually beneficial commercial outcomes;

•     Outstanding communication skills that enable you to represent the Stadium at national
      and international opportunities;

•     Extensive experience in a complex stakeholder environment with a focus on building
      the culture of ‘win win’ arrangements;

•     Demonstrated experience to develop a high performing sales team, to maximise net
      return across a broad range of products and priorities; and

•     A commitment to excellence in the post sales delivery of a commercial program that
      encompasses hospitality, sponsorship, digital signage and membership assets.

While standard hours are 8.30am to 5.00pm, the nature of the event industry means that
you will be required to work outside these hours particularly around events being staged at
Optus Stadium and Stadium Park.

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How to Apply
SRI is a boutique global executive search and consulting firm focused on media,
content, technology and sport.
We work as one partner-led team with staff based in key global markets across eleven
offices on four continents.

We offer dedicated and specific sector, function and region expertise.

Our services include executive search, board assessment, succession planning, salary
benchmarking, advising clients on their internal and external hiring strategy, new
market entry and multi-vacancy projects.

Jonathan Harris                              James Curtis
Managing Partner, ANZ                        Senior Consultant
jharris@sriexecutive.com                     jcurtis@sriexecutive.com
t: +61 (0)2 9006 1160                        m: +61 (0)451 942 070

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