Organization: PGA TOUR – Championship Management Division
Position Title: Executive Director, The Classic in the Palm Beaches
Reports to: Senior Vice President, Championship Management
Location: Palm Beach, FL
Search Contact: Prodigy Search
BACKGROUND
The Classic in the Palm Beaches (formerly known as the
Honda Classic) is one of the PGA Tour’s premier events and is hosted at PGA National Golf Club in Palm Beach Gardens. PGA National Golf Club has been the event’s permanent host since 2007. The club itself consists of five elegant 18-hole courses, but
The Classic in the Palm Beaches is played on the distinctive Champion Course every year. The course was redesigned in 2014 and is now famous for “The Bear Trap,” a challenging three-hole stretch designed by the Golden Bear himself, Jack Nicklaus.
The event is Palm Beach County’s premier professional sporting event and is played early in the Tour’s calendar, February 26 – March 3, 2024. The
Classic distributes a $9,000,000 purse but is most known for its charitable contributions to organizations positively impacting the youth of South Florida – with the main beneficiaries being the Children’s Healthcare Charity and the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation. The PGA Tour Championship Management Division will soon be assuming control of the event moving forward.
SUMMARY
The Executive Director is the lead executive of the tournament and has overall responsibility for delivering a world-class experience for players, fans, partners, volunteers and all tournament constituents. The Executive Director will lead a team that will develop and execute plans to increase tournament net revenue, player prize money, charity, and reserve levels through best-in-class sales and marketing strategies. The Executive Director will increase onsite hospitality sales, increase attendance and community activation, and ensure excellence in all operational aspects of the tournament.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Executive Director candidates should have the following talent characteristics – which applies to current state and required attributes of future Executive Directors within Championship Management:
- Ability to drive community buy-in, sales and attendance.
- Self-motivator who subscribes to a team-focused system that embraces a culture of “highest and best” expectation in all areas of event delivery.
- Entrepreneurial, but balances that spirit with an understanding that they are part of a system of resources that are product level experts.
- Galvanize a disparate group of interests, each having their own priorities, towards a new common goal while keeping those groups on message and while improving key stakeholder experience results and net revenue growth.
- Unwavering commitment to delivering results.
Specific skillsets necessary include:
- Become firmly entrenched in the community and viewed as ‘the face’ of the event, participating in and presenting to high-profile community events (media appearances/rotary speeches/charity events) and serving on various boards.
- Strong sales/marketing aptitude as well as the ability to effectively manage/motivate a sales team.
- Drive meaningful change across all stakeholder areas while not overly ruffling feathers.
- Efficient time management and business communication skills
- Financial acumen.
- Appreciation for operational details, “Fit and Finish”, and working with the broader team to deliver such.
- Commitment to ensure a positive CX – inclusive of players, sponsors, media and volunteers.
- Logistical coordination and while not an expert on the topic and appreciation, and recognition, that logistics inform positive experience results.
- Ability to strategically plan future growth and objectives for the event.
- Team/staff management & development.
- Adaptable problem-solver who handles unanticipated issues with collaboration, objectivity, and a positive attitude.
- Decisiveness under pressure, especially during tournament week.
- Relationship management.
- Problem solving/conflict resolution.
- Develop and execute long term strategic plans to grow revenue and evolve the event to engage a broader range of people and sponsors.
- Provide oversight of departmental operations, staffing, P&L results and both internal and external communication.
- Establish and monitor metrics that drive business strategy and performance.
- In cooperation with the sales staff, develop and implement an annual sales plan for all product and sponsorship categories; The Executive Director is responsible for generating all event revenues above the title sponsorship, including presenting sponsors and preferred suppliers.
- Build strong relationships and serve as the executive interface with the volunteers, club members, community, media, PGA TOUR, Title Sponsor, players, agents and others as needed.
- Enhance field strength and elevate image of the tournament.
- Serves as executive interface with Title Sponsor, the PGA TOUR and all other strategic partners to ensure a collaborative working relationship, fulfillment and transparency of contractual obligations and to ensure that all partners are receiving value as a result of the partnership.
- Use varied influence strategies to persuade all stakeholders and groups to grow the event.
- Become firmly engaged in the community, participating in and presenting to high-profile community events (media appearances/rotary speeches/charity events) and serving on various boards.
- Interface with community leaders to foster the overall impression of the event in the community
- Lead the team to deliver a successful event against all objectives set by the PGA TOUR.
- Motivate, coach, and hold others accountable for performance to maximize business results.
- Develop a comprehensive volunteer structure.
- Develop and implement an effective operating committee structure for planning, preparing for and executing the tournament with appropriate committee chairs, vice chairs, and other committee members.
- Develop and encourage staff to pursue new tasks and challenges related to overall departmental goals and objectives.
- Contribute to departmental operations, including staffing, budget management/ cost containment, and internal communication.
- Special projects or other duties as assigned.
QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor’s degree in business, Finance, Marketing, Sports Management or equivalent discipline is required; Master's degree preferred.
- Minimum of 10 years’ experience running a major sports event, or equivalent experience in business.
- Minimum 5 years' experience in a management level.
- Understanding, appreciation, and respect for the game of golf.
- Strong sales/marketing aptitude as well as the ability to effectively manage/motivate a sales team.
- Strong time management and business communication skills.
- Ability to safely operate a utility vehicle such as, but not limited to, golf carts, utility carts, and shuttle carts.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Founded in 2007, Prodigy Search, located in the New York City suburb of Freehold, NJ, boasts over 80 years of experience in the sports and entertainment business. As a renowned nationwide leader in senior-level executive search, Prodigy Search has honed its business principles and expertise, establishing itself as the largest boutique recruiting agency in North America. Simply, Prodigy Search is Where the Best Brands Come for the Best Talent.
No phone calls please. For any additional questions, please email info@prodigysearch.net.
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