Sales Manager - Leisure & Entertainment

Sales Manager – Leisure & Entertainment Industry only   Join the Adventure with X Distrikt, Xstrike, woo-hoo!, DARE & multiVRse!   We are looking for an ambitious, commercially driven Sales Manager to lead outbound sales, develop new business opportunities, and accelerate group revenue across our portfolio of homegrown UAE entertainment brands.   X Distrikt, Xstrike, woo-hoo!, DARE, and multiVRse are more than just entertainment brands - they are unique concepts developed in the UAE to bring people together through excitement, discovery, adventure, and unforgettable experiences.   X Distrikt is Dubai's multi-experience entertainment destination, bringing four exciting worlds together under one roof. Xstrike delivers immersive, adrenaline-fueled laser tag adventures; woo-hoo! combines interactive play with hands-on learning and discovery; DARE challenges visitors through physical adventures and obstacles; and multiVRse transports players into extraordinary virtual reality experiences.   Together, our brands cater to school trips, corporate team-building, birthday celebrations, private events, and group experiences, offering exciting opportunities to build long-term partnerships and drive business growth.       Job Summary We are seeking a proactive, target-driven Sales Manager with a strong background in outbound sales, business development, and group revenue generation within the leisure, entertainment, hospitality, or events industry.   This is a hands-on sales leadership role, with a primary focus on actively acquiring new business, particularly from schools, educational institutions, corporate clients, event agencies, and organized groups.   The successful candidate will be responsible for building a strong outbound sales pipeline, identifying and approaching potential clients, securing meetings, developing commercial proposals, negotiating agreements, and converting opportunities into confirmed bookings. Alongside direct business development, the Sales Manager will lead the Sales Executives and Reservations team, ensuring strong sales productivity, effective lead management, and consistent achievement of revenue targets.     Key Responsibilities   1. Outbound Sales & New Business Acquisition • Lead and execute a structured outbound sales strategy to generate new business across all entertainment brands and locations. • Proactively identify, prospect, and approach potential clients through outbound calls, emails, LinkedIn outreach, networking, referrals, and face-to-face meetings. • Develop and maintain a qualified pipeline of schools, corporate organizations, event agencies, community groups, and other potential partners. • Establish clear prospecting targets for the sales team, including outbound calls, meetings, proposals, follow-ups, and confirmed bookings. • Personally manage high-value prospects and strategic accounts, from initial outreach through negotiation and closing. • Conduct regular client visits, venue tours, sales presentations, and off-site meetings to secure new business. • Identify opportunities for repeat bookings, cross-selling, and upselling across the brand portfolio. • Continuously explore new customer segments, partnerships, and sales channels to expand market reach. 2. School Sales & Educational Group Development • Develop and execute a dedicated school sales strategy to increase weekday bookings, educational visits, and group revenue. • Actively prospect and establish relationships with schools, nurseries, educational institutions, school groups, and relevant decision-makers across the UAE. • Manage school group enquiries, proposals, negotiations, and booking conversions. • Build a structured school database and maintain consistent follow-up to secure repeat visits and long-term partnerships. • Work closely with approved school trip agencies and partners to maximize sales opportunities and avoid duplication of leads. • Identify opportunities for school partnerships, exclusive programs, and recurring educational experiences. 3. Corporate Sales, Group Bookings & Partnerships • Drive outbound sales to corporate organizations, HR departments, employee engagement teams, event planners, and corporate travel and event agencies. • Generate new business for corporate team-building, staff engagement activities, company celebrations, private events, and group experiences. • Develop customized proposals and packages tailored to corporate and group requirements. • Actively build relationships with event management companies, destination management companies, travel agencies, and relevant business networks. • Conduct corporate presentations, venue walkthroughs, and client meetings to convert prospects into confirmed bookings. • Identify opportunities for annual corporate agreements, recurring events, and preferred supplier partnerships. • Maximize group revenue through effective package development, cross-selling, and account management. 4. Sales Team Leadership & Performance Management • Lead, coach, and manage the Sales Executives and Reservations team to achieve individual and departmental revenue targets. • Establish measurable outbound sales KPIs, including prospecting activity, qualified leads, meetings, proposals, conversion rates, and revenue generated. • Ensure the team maintains a proactive sales approach rather than relying solely on incoming enquiries. • Monitor team productivity and identify opportunities to improve sales effectiveness. • Support the team in handling complex negotiations, high-value opportunities, and strategic client relationships. • Create a culture of accountability, ownership, consistent follow-up, and results-driven performance. 5. Sales Pipeline, CRM & Reservations Management • Maintain a structured and accurate sales pipeline through effective use of CRM and sales management platforms. • Ensure all outbound activities, client interactions, proposals, follow-ups, and booking opportunities are recorded and tracked. • Monitor lead progression from initial prospecting through quotation, negotiation, and confirmed booking. • Oversee reservations operations to ensure efficient handling of inbound enquiries and high conversion standards. • Implement clear follow-up processes to minimize lost opportunities and improve conversion rates. • Leverage CRM automation, digital communication tools, AI solutions, and reporting dashboards to improve sales productivity. • Ensure timely and accurate communication between Sales, Reservations, and Operations teams. 6. Revenue Growth, Sales Strategy & Reporting • Take ownership of achieving monthly, quarterly, and annual sales targets, with particular emphasis on school and group revenue. • Develop sales forecasts, revenue projections, and action plans based on pipeline performance. • Monitor key sales metrics, including outbound activity, new accounts acquired, qualified opportunities, conversion rates, average booking value, and repeat business. • Prepare weekly sales activity reports and monthly performance reviews for senior management. • Analyze sales trends, booking patterns, and market opportunities to identify areas for growth. • Evaluate the effectiveness of outbound initiatives and recommend improvements to maximize commercial results. • Work closely with Marketing to develop targeted sales campaigns, promotional packages, and lead-generation initiatives. 7. Cross-Functional Collaboration • Coordinate with Operations and Events teams to ensure seamless delivery of confirmed school trips, corporate bookings, and group events. • Collaborate with Marketing on promotional campaigns, seasonal offers, lead-generation activities, and sales collateral. • Work with Finance to ensure accurate quotations, invoicing, payment follow-ups, and revenue reporting. Qualifications & Requirements • Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Sales, Marketing, Hospitality, Tourism, or a related field. • Minimum 6 years of relevant sales experience, preferably within leisure, entertainment, hospitality, events, attractions, or tourism. • Minimum 2 years of sales leadership or team management experience. • Demonstrated success in outbound B2B sales, new business acquisition, and achieving revenue targets. • Proven experience in school group sales, corporate sales, event bookings, or group business development. • Strong understanding of the UAE market, particularly the education, corporate, and events sectors. • Confident in cold calling, prospecting, client meetings, presentations, negotiations, and closing sales. • Experience managing sales pipelines, CRM platforms, and sales performance reporting. • Strong leadership, communication, relationship-building, and organizational skills. • Excellent command of English; Arabic is an advantage. • Valid UAE driving licence and ability to conduct regular client visits are strongly preferred. Preferred Experience • Existing relationships with UAE schools, educational groups, school trip organizers, or educational institutions. • Established corporate network, including HR departments, event planners, and employee engagement teams. • Experience selling school excursions, entertainment packages, corporate team-building, birthday parties, or group experiences. • Previous experience managing both outbound sales executives and inbound reservations teams. • Experience developing and implementing structured outbound prospecting campaigns. • Familiarity with CRM platforms and other sales automation tools. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) Performance will be measured against clearly defined commercial objectives, including: • Achievement of monthly and quarterly revenue targets. • Revenue generated from school trips, corporate clients, and group bookings. • Number of new school and corporate accounts acquired. • Outbound sales activity, including calls, emails, client visits, and meetings. • Number and value of qualified sales opportunities and proposals generated. • Lead-to-booking conversion rates and pipeline development. • Repeat bookings and revenue growth from existing accounts. • Sales team productivity, CRM compliance, and forecast accuracy