Centre In The Square - Commercial Talent Booking Manager

DATE :

Arts opportunity All disciplines Jobs

DEADLINE: March 19, 2025 - 5:59 am

CENTRE IN THE SQUARE (CITS) is seeking a creative and energetic individual to serve as its Commercial Talent Booking Manager. Reporting to the Executive Director, the Commercial Talent Booking Manager will be responsible for commercial programming at the Centre In The Square by connecting, budgeting, booking, and overseeing a dynamic variety of live events that includes theatrical, music, comedy, theatre, family, dance, and variety for the rental business, and the presenting season, in a multi-venue, not-for-profit environment.

The ideal candidate will have a well-established network in the commercial sector and performing arts with accumulated experience in negotiating artists' contracts and will be able to demonstrate a broad knowledge of commercial and multi-disciplinary performing arts/live entertainment disciplines. The successful candidate will have a clear understanding of the CITS brand and overall artist strategy and will work to grow audiences through excellence in programming. The Commercial Talent Booking Manager will want to invest themselves in the success and growth of Centre In The Square and will find personal fulfillment in being part of an exciting future for the organization.

Position Summary

The Commercial Booking Manager actively seeks opportunities for commercial programming at the Centre In The Square by budgeting, booking, and overseeing a dynamic variety of live events that includes theatrical, music, comedy, theatre, family, dance, variety for the rental business, and the presenting season, in a multi-venue, not-for-profit environment. The manager works in collaboration with the Executive Director and the programming team to grow the rental business for the current and future calendar of events. The manager also works to support the quality, quantity, and diversity of Centre In The Square programming to plan the 2025-26 Season to further the Centre’s position as the leading venue for live experiences in the Greater Kitchener-Waterloo Area, and to achieve annual objectives (attendance and revenue).

Key Responsibilities

Reporting to the Executive Director, the Commercial Talent Booking Manager will be responsible to:

  • Research and identify opportunities for future presentations
  • Cultivate and foster relationships with local, national, and international commercial promoters, artists, and agents.
  • Ensure the efficient in-take process of commercial presentations for the Centre.
  • Evaluate and recommend presentations/artists to the Executive Director and Programming leadership for review and approval.
  • Create commercial budgets, offers, and/or rental estimates according to established tools and guidelines.
  • Collaborate with internal and external colleagues to ensure smooth and successful planning and execution of all shows, ensuring clear, collaborative, and effective interface with the Production team.
  • Work with the Contract Administrator with commercial performance rentals and presenting series contracts.
  • Settle commercial performances as assigned, including the collection of all proper expense documentation and backup for the performance settlement, ensuring all financials on the settlement are accurate and in compliance with Finance guidelines.
  • Function successfully in a very challenging environment that requires tact, discipline, and a balanced perspective.
  • Administer and follow best practices for systems and workflow processes.
  • Follow and support all operational policies and procedures and understand, support, and demonstrate the core values of CITS.
  • Maintain a professional and friendly relationship with other departments, colleagues, and partners.
  • Possess the ability to remain calm under pressure and have the ability to work effectively with internal and external customers, some of whom will require high levels of patience, tact, and diplomacy.
  • Maintain Centre In The Square standards of customer service at all times.
  • Able to effectively communicate in English in both written and oral forms.
  • Other duties as assigned.

Knowledge & Experience

  • Bachelor’s degree preferred. The successful Candidate should have 5+ years of booking experience in a multi-use, multi-venue facility with a broad knowledge of commercial and multidisciplinary performing arts/live entertainment disciplines and a genuine interest in expanding that knowledge.
  • Must have proven experience in negotiating artist contracts and robust relationships with commercial promoters, agents, and managers.
  • Excellent verbal, written, and presentation communication skills, as well as analytical and interpersonal skills. Have an excellent understanding of industry-standard terms and concepts.
  • Strong fiscal management skills, including budgeting and event settlements. Must be able to complete moderately complex mathematical calculations.
  • Experience with Microsoft Office Suite required (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams) and must be able to navigate a venue management system, with knowledge of Artifax is a plus.
  • Excellent relationship, consensus, and team-building skills. Ability to maintain a high level of poise and professionalism in all circumstances.
  • Experience working in a non-profit, mission-based arts environment is preferred. Understand, support, and possess the ability to articulate the Center’s mission and vision to others.
  • Ability to plan, organize, and prioritize duties and schedules with diligence.
  • Must exercise significant judgment and confidentiality.

Traits and Characteristics

  • Collaborative, proactive, dynamic, self-motivated, detailed, and people-oriented, the Commercial Talent Booking Manager will be goal-oriented and will possess exceptional time management, social and verbal communication skills, attention to detail, and value frequent interaction and collaboration with others. The Commercial Talent Booking Manager will be an experienced professional with the vision to actively pursue the Centre in the Square’s goals with creativity and determination and will have a high degree of personal accountability - with a commitment to exceeding expectations. This individual will balance tasks and projects with a sense of urgency and possess superlative interpersonal and communication skills. A self-sufficient and self-managed professional with a highly organized strategic approach, the Commercial Talent Booking Manager will have the ability to create lasting and positive relationships with artists, promoters, agents, and other industry associates.
  • They will bring a passion for the Centre in the Square’s vision, mission, and values, the ability to make those visions and values a reality through strong networking and programmatic development, and a commitment to positively impacting the organization’s long-term success.

Special Conditions of Employment

  • This position requires the ability to work a variable schedule, including evenings, weekends, and holidays, to meet operational needs.
  • This position will start as a full-time contract with a view to becoming a permanent position.
  • CITS is open to discussing a hybrid working model during the full-time contract period, with the expectation that once the position becomes permanent, the Commercial Talent Booking Manager will be full-time in Kitchener.

Compensation

  • The Centre In the Square offers a competitive annual salary of $90,0000 - $110,000, commensurate with experience. Additional benefits in the full-time position will include annual vacation, participation in an extended health plan, and retirement benefits.

Application Instructions

The Centre In The Square Commercial Talent Booking Manager Search is led by Martin Bragg, Nicola Dawes, and Nancy Webster of Martin Bragg & Associates. To apply in confidence, please email your letter of interest and resume in Word or PDF format to Martin Bragg & Associates at citsbookingmanager@mbassociates.ca

The deadline for application is March 17, 2025. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply and will receive an acknowledgment of their application. Please review the full position profile prior to applying. Preliminary interviews will begin immediately, and candidates are encouraged to apply early. No phone calls, please. 

The Centre in the Square is committed to Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Access, and Reconciliation. We recognize that the Kitchener/Waterloo communities have changing demographics, and we are committed to reflecting those changing demographics and our different cultural communities. 

Centre In The Square and Martin Bragg & Associates are committed to an open and transparent hiring process and we welcome all applications from women and gender non-conforming people, people of colour, Indigenous peoples, people with disabilities, people of all sexual orientations, and all others who may contribute to the further diversification of the Centre In the Square. We encourage all candidates who are legally able to work in Canada to apply.