Location
Santa Barbara, CA | United States
Job description
Title: Events Associate
Classification: Full Time 25-30 Hours/week – non-exempt
Department: Marketing and Communications Department
Reports To: Events Manager
Compensation: $21- $23/Hour
About Lotusland:
Ganna Walska Lotusland is a 37-acre non-profit botanical garden and historic estate located in Montecito featuring a collection of over 3,700 plant species from around the world as well as historically significant Spanish Colonial Revival architecture. Since opening to the public in 1993, Ganna Walska Lotusland has grown to become one of the world’s premier botanical gardens and a center for sustainable garden practices, horticultural education, and plant conservation.
Mission Statement:
Our mission is to preserve and enhance the distinctive botanical gardens of Madame Ganna Walska. Lotusland educates and inspires visitors with its collections, sustainable horticulture practices and plant conservation.
Position Description:
Will work with the Director of Marketing and Communications and the Events Manager to support and produce donor cultivation and recognition events, private events, meetings, luncheons and/or dinner’s, internal organizational and membership events as well as lectures, workshops, and volunteer appreciation events
Responsible for inventory and purchasing (including driving for local errands), and/or soliciting donations for food & beverage needs and event supplies.
Orients vendors, permits access and supervises vendors and their staff, as well as hospitality volunteers on-site during events and will facilitate Food & Beverage needs for small events without vendor support.
Interfaces with Lotusland guests (donors, members, guests, and event attendees) with a friendly welcoming demeanor and exemplary customer service.
Provides administrative support for the Events Department.
Schedule will vary and is based on events schedule, primarily 30 hours per week within the hours of Monday-Saturday 9AM – 5PM but will vary by season with evening and weekend work required as needed. Lotusland’s annual signature events are mandatory work days.
Key Responsibilities:
- Works as part of a team to implement and staff various meetings and events.
- Performs light administrative duties related to events including printing and mailing invitations, compilation of guest/attendance lists, creation of nametags, permit applications, vendor communications, attendee tracking and follow-up, calendar management, and project management.
- Assists with educating vendors, volunteers, donors, and event guests about the organization’s policies and restrictions and helps to ensure the delicate nature of the Lotusland property is not compromised.
- Coordinates the setup of chairs, tables, decorations or other equipment and ensures it is in accordance with the event requirements and organization policies, as well as with safety standards and fire and health codes.
- Ensures that the strike and clean-up after events is completed timely and efficiently.
- Assists with logistical duties related to events including team communication, cross-departmental communication, and meeting minutes as well as agendas, timelines, and task lists for event production and coordination.
- Supervises volunteers in hospitality and administrative tasks.
- Plans and implements the Food & Beverage portions of Lotusland events, including collaborating with outside catering when applicable.
- Maintains inventory of event supplies as well as hospitality and kitchen supplies.
- Purchases supplies needed for events and general organizational needs including groceries, beverages, décor items, and general supplies.
- Interfaces with Lotusland members, donors, and event attendees before, during, and after events with attention and care.
- Drives Lotusland electric carts as needed for vendor support, event set-up and strike, and transporting guests through the garden.
- Performs general administrative support for the development and events teams
Knowledge and Abilities:
- Minimum of two years food & beverage, hospitality, or event experience is required.
- Superior organization and coordination skills and the ability to handle unexpected situations calmly and rationally.
- Ability to problem-solve and self-initiate performance of tasks as needed or as may arise.
- Excellent communication (verbal & written) and interpersonal skills.
- Ability to clearly communicate in the English language by phone and two-way radio.
- Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite (particularly Outlook, Word, Excel). Experience with databases and/or scheduling software is a plus.
- Ability to interact in a cooperative manner with staff, volunteers, vendors, and the general public.
- Ability to multi-task with concurrent projects, occasionally with critical deadlines, and to work accurately with attention to detail.
- Ability to stand/walk for up to 6 hours at a time and work long physically demanding hours during events and lift approximately 50 lbs.
- Must have a valid driver’s license and reliable transportation. Lotusland is not easily accessible by public transportation and running errands in a personal vehicle is a critical job responsibility. A valid driver’s license is required for driving Lotusland’s electric carts, also a critical job responsibility.
Qualifications and Experience:
Work Environment:
- Lotusland’s administrative offices are on a historic 2-story estate in a 37-acre garden.
- General office environment within the garden setting of Lotusland.
- Requires working outside during events and the ability to comfortably move around the garden.
- Frequent work on the telephone and computer (repetitive movement – typing)
- Frequent standing, sitting, walking, climbing stairs and bending with occasional lifting of light to moderate loads (25 lbs.)
- Occasional driving of company electric golf carts.
The responsibilities and deliverables listed above are intended to describe the general nature and level of work to be performed by the individual in the position. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities and/or skills. Other tasks will be assigned as needed.
Benefits
- Health, dental, vision and life insurance.
- 403(b) Retirement plans.
- Paid vacation and sick leave.
- Paid company holidays.
Additional Information
Lotusland Core Values: Our internal and external practices are shaped by the following beliefs and behaviors.
People-first: By creating meaningful connections between individuals and our organization, we strive to foster a sense of belonging and ensure that everyone can engage in our work in a way that is meaningful to them.
Collaboration : We believe that by working together we can produce exponentially greater results.
Inspired: We believe in the transformative power of nature and the Garden, and its capacity to move us in positive ways.
Courageous: By embracing a brave mindset, we foster an environment that encourages innovation, growth, and continuous learning.
Strategic Priorities: The Garden is a place of growth.
Nature : Amplify the Garden’s social impact by fostering a greater understanding and appreciation of the natural world.
Community: Connect to a broad and diverse public by creating an institution rooted in impactful, respectful, and enduring relationships.
Inclusion: Practice diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and belonging in all aspects of our work, both organizationally and through programming.
Operational Excellence: Create a healthy and sustainable institution equipped to fulfill its mission and public mandate.
Lotusland is an equal opportunity employer. We acknowledge that equal employment opportunity for all persons is a fundamental human value. Each employee will be considered based on individual ability and merit, without regard to race, color, age, religion, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, sex, or marital status.
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