About Applejack Hospitality
Applejack Hospitality is one of Sydney's most iconic multi-venue hospitality groups, home to Opera Bar, Forrester's, The Butler, Bopp & Tone, and RAFI. From harbourside landmarks to neighbourhood favourites, our venues span some of the city's most loved dining, drinking, and event experiences. We're growing, and we're looking for a commercially driven leader to take our events and reservations function to the next level.
The Role
We're seeking a commercially driven, well-connected
Group Business Development Manager to lead and unify our events and reservations teams across all Applejack venues. This is a head-of-department role, reporting directly into the company Directors, with full accountability for developing and executing a group-wide sales strategy that drives revenue across every venue in our portfolio.
This role is part business development manager, part brand ambassador. We need someone who already moves in corporate and events circles‚ with a black book of contacts who can bring corporate functions, social celebrations, and private events to our venues‚ and who equally understands how to build our public profile so everyday Sydneysiders choose Applejack venues for their next dinner, celebration, or night out. You'll bring commercial rigour, strong people leadership, and a genuine passion for hospitality to a role that sits at the intersection of sales, marketing, and guest experience. This is a rare opportunity to build and shape a department across a multi-venue group rather than run a single site.
Key Responsibilities
Business Development & Corporate Networking
- Proactively build and manage a pipeline of corporate clients, event agencies, PR contacts, and industry connections to drive private and corporate event bookings across all venues
- Represent Applejack at industry events, networking functions, and business/corporate circles to generate new leads and build the group's profile
- Develop tailored corporate event packages and pitch directly to businesses, agencies, and event planners
- Build long-term relationships with key accounts to drive repeat bookings and referral business
Brand Awareness & Public-Facing Promotion
- Develop strategies to raise the public profile of each venue and drive walk-in and online reservations from the general public
- Identify opportunities to promote our restaurants through social events, partnerships, sponsorships, and community engagement
- Work closely with marketing to ensure event and reservation promotions are reflected across social media, PR, and digital channels
- Bring a strong understanding of social and lifestyle events trends and how to translate them into commercial opportunities for our venues
Sales Strategy & Leadership
- Develop and own the overarching sales strategy for events and reservations across all Applejack venues, aligned to group commercial targets
- Lead, mentor, and grow the events and reservations teams, setting standards, KPIs, and ways of working across venues
- Set and monitor pricing, packaging, and yield strategies across venues to maximise revenue and profitability
- Own reporting and forecasting for events and reservations performance, presenting insights and recommendations to senior leadership
Operational Partnership
- Partner with operations teams to ensure seamless execution from sale through to delivery
- Drive a consistent, high-quality sales and guest experience across all venues while allowing for each venue's individual character
- Stay ahead of market trends, competitor activity, and emerging opportunities in the Sydney events and hospitality landscape
About You
- Proven experience in a senior event, sales, business development, or reservations leadership role, ideally across multiple venues or sites
- An existing network of corporate contacts, event planners, or agencies you can activate to bring new business to our venues
- A natural networker who's comfortable representing a brand in rooms full of new people, and turning conversations into bookings
- A strong understanding of the social and lifestyle events landscape, and how to package and promote venues to both corporate and public audiences
- A strong commercial mindset with a track record of developing and delivering sales strategies that grow revenue
- Demonstrated success leading, developing, and motivating teams
- Excellent stakeholder management skills, with the confidence to partner with GMs, executive leadership, marketing, and external clients alike
- Strong analytical skills, comfortable owning forecasting, reporting, and performance metrics
- A genuine passion for hospitality and an understanding of what drives exceptional guest experiences
- Experience in high-volume, fast-paced, multi-venue hospitality environments highly regarded
Why Join Applejack?
- Lead a function across some of Sydney's most recognised and loved venues
- A genuine head-of-department role with autonomy to build and shape the strategy
- Work alongside a passionate, experienced leadership team
- Competitive salary package commensurate with experience
How to Apply?
Click apply now with your resume and a short cover note outlining your experience leading events and sales functions across multiple venues or sites.
