Abby Schmidt

Experience

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  Des Moines Golf and Country Club

  May 2009 - Aug 2009

  Intern

  My internship at Des Moines Golf and Country Club was a rotational internship focused on food and beverage. Overall, I supervised and participated in all aspects of a country club including areas such as banquets, casual and formal dining restaurants, pool cabana, event planning, store room, kitchen, and housekeeping.

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  Jasper Winery

  May 2010 - Feb 2012

  Intern

  Jasper Winery is a family owned "estate style" winery located in the heart of Des Moines. At Jasper Winery, I learned in depth about the wine making process and the different varietals of grapes. I spent a lot of time in the tasting room promoting our wines to guests. I also participated in promotional tasting events outside of the winery at local retailers and events such as the Des Moines Arts Festival and 80/35 Music Festival. In addition, I helped with events at Jasper Winery. I coordinated small private tastings, wedding receptions averaging 150 people, and live music evenings with up to 400 attendants. I scheduled events and facilitated pre-event meetings to obtain agenda, floor plan, catering information, technology needs, and other details to ensure a quality experience. Show less

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  Marriott International

  Jan 2011 - Feb 2012

  Restaurant Supervisor

  - Forecasted business for the upcoming week according to hotel forecast, in-house groups, and previous capture percentages - Prepared schedules, payroll, reviews, and progressive discipline for 25 associates - Conducted pre-screening, interviews, and training for potential and new associates- Assisted in the opening of a new lobby bar and restaurant by developing training materials and designing a kids menu- Received a “Spirit to Serve” award as a result of a guest comment for providing a welcoming and memorable experience Show less

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  Indian Hills Country Club Marietta, GA

  Jun 2012 - Oct 2012

  Service Manager

  - Plan, organize, and supervise the work of service personnel in the dining room for a la carte services, in the lounge for beverage service, and during banquet events of all kinds while interacting with members and their guests to provide a memorable experience- Produce training plan and continuously train staff in areas such as sequence of service, menu knowledge, and bar knowledge including beer, wine, and liquor- Created and implemented an opening and closing duties chart and a line-up sheet to increase and ensure consistency between management and each shift - Developed a new cohesive menu design for all meal periods including lunch, brunch, dinner, dessert, and a new kids menu- Monitor inventory levels of all linen and order as necessary to assure sufficient amounts Show less

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  Millennium Harvest House Boulder

  Oct 2012 - Aug 2013

  Assistant Banquet Manager

  - Manage a department with up to 4 banquet captains, 20 banquet servers, 2 sets supervisors, and 10 sets staff members in addition to assisting with the outlets department- Achieved high MeetingScope scores of guest event satisfaction averaging between 95% to 100% for 2012 and 2013- Control costs through scheduling under labor budget percentage, monitoring linen levels, and purchasing supplies needed within budget- Organize a wine and martini festival with 20 wine and liquor vendors, all donated food product, about 200 projected attendees, and approximately $2,000 in profit- Attended multiple educational seminars through the Colorado Hotel and Lodging Association including topics such as service excellence, financials for non-financial managers, personal polish, and safety and health regulations Show less

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  The Pines at Genesee and The Pines Catering

  Aug 2013 - Jun 2014

  Office Administrator/Assistant Event Coordinator

  - Responsible for all drop-off catering orders, on-site conferences, monthly tasting events and many on-site weddings from inquiry to day of coordination - Consistently met and often exceeded monthly sales goals for weddings booked and exceeded annual sales goal for 2013- Prepared and modified contracts for clients for booking date, catering, audio visual, DJ, photographer, cake, chair covers and photo booth - Offered continual assistance throughout the wedding and event planning process including answering questions through phone calls and emails, sending payment reminders, recommending vendors and hotels, and contacting vendors- Conducted planning meetings with booked clients to create a menu, timeline, and floor plan for their event Show less

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  The Barn at Raccoon Creek & Raccoon Creek Golf Course

  Jun 2014 - Sept 2015

  Sales Director

  - Participated in a $4 million, 9 month renovation and construction project of a new event facility by meeting with the construction company and architect, assisting with design decisions, and developing marketing efforts individually as well as with a PR company- Achieved a 300% of targeted sales quota for 2015 weddings and 150% for 2016 weddings- Created and implemented all documents related to events including contract, menu, BEO, floor plan, timeline, preferred vendor list, vendor packages and policies- Assembled the website and social media outlets (Facebook, Instagram, Pintrest and Twitter) and continually maintained all areas to boost our online presence- Received a #2 ranking out of 10 top places to get married in Colorado, 1 of 100 best country wedding venues in the country, along with many positive reviews to build the new facility’s reputation Show less

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  Stonebridge Companies - Aloft Denver International Airport

  Oct 2015 - Mar 2016

  Sales Manager

  - Negotiated and closed group business by promptly responding to leads through various online networks, cold calling and visiting local businesses - Exceeded Q4 2015 booking goal by 37% and Q1 2016 goal by 128%- Earned a 97% on shop call by following Stonebridge standards and asking appropriate questions to understand client’s needs and wants- Attended SalesBridge and CateringBridge training to gain knowledge on how to properly sell the hotel to meet the client’s expectations- Produced and implemented post group/event surveys to increase service levels and guest satisfaction- Enforced frontline associate incentive to drive new business and involve staff in sales efforts Show less

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  Sage Hospitality Group

  Mar 2016 - Mar 2019

  - Performed all aspects of event management from contracting, billing, event details, amenities, resumes, rooming lists, etc. for local catering and small group business- Sales Achievements*Q1 2017: 184% of catering goal, 103% of rooms goal*Q2 2017: 105% of rooms goal*Q3 2017: 103% of catering goal, 105% of rooms goal*Q4 2017: Sales “Pioneer” at 141% or more of goal- Earned greater than 95% in applicable areas on event satisfaction surveys in 2017, including 100% for all sales areas Q1, 100% for all planning areas Q4 and 100% overall Q3- Implemented daily captain’s reports to increase communication between sales and banquets to be proactive with group matters- Participated in Sage’s quarterly Team Denver events and monthly Catering Committee Show less

  • Sales Manager - HALCYON, a hotel in Cherry Creek

    Jan 2018 - Mar 2019

  • Executive Meetings Manager - Denver Airport Marriott at Gateway Park

    Mar 2016 - Jan 2018
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  White Lodging Services

  Mar 2019 - Jun 2021

  - Market segment: corporate groups, companies beginning with letters A through L- Sales Achievements*Q2 2019: 132% of catering goal*Q3 2019: 122% of rooms goal and 152% of catering goal*Q4 2019: 150% of catering goal - Earned 100% on all Event Satisfaction Surveys from clients in 2019- Redesigned all marketing materials following brand standards, including proposals, catering menus, capacity chart and information sheets- Energized site tour standards to be consistent, unique and industry leading; resulted in sales team winning regional site tour competition- Mentored and trained Sales Coordinator and Marketing Intern in their respective areas to prepare for next role in their careers- Selected as task force Dual Senior Sales Manager at the Le Meridien and AC Hotel Denver Downtown - Attended White Lodging School of Revenue to gain knowledge in revenue management Show less

  • Market Senior Sales Manager - Marriott and Hyatt Place Denver Westminster

    Feb 2020 - Jun 2021

  • Market Sales Manager - Marriott and Hyatt Place Denver Westminster

    Mar 2019 - Feb 2020
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  Commonwealth Hotels

  Jun 2021 - Feb 2025

  - Hire, train, and manage a sales and catering team of eight associates, returning to pre-COVID staffing levels- Sales Team Achievements*2023: 105% of group, 116% of catering, 98% of BT*2024: 109% of group, 95% of catering- Secured largest hotel group booking with 1,220 room nights and $350,000 total revenue- Develop annual budgets and sales and marketing plans- Participate in monthly corporate P&L and quarterly ownership reports- Implement sales initiatives to build structure and culture, including: daily business review, booking guidelines, group pick up, monthly sales meetings and team outings- Spearhead influencer partnerships in order to boost social media presence and exposure - Increase STR ranking from historically 5/6 to hotel goal of 4/6 and group share to consistently over 100 - Partner with e-commerce team to boost production and return on ad spend- Established a local Directors of Sales group to share insights and discuss market trends with competitor hotels Show less - High achieving Group Sales Manager for all market segments- Actualization Achievements*Q3 2021: 102% of group goal*Q4 2021: 119% of group goal*Q2 2022: 116% of group goal- Outperformed historical hotel team and individual booking records in Q4 2021 and Q1 2022 with over $1.2 million booked in each quarter- Awarded Leader of the Quarter, 1st quarter 2022- Streamlined processes such as proposals, contracting, turnovers and invoicing by creating and implementing SOPs, templates and checklists Show less

  • Director of Sales and Marketing

    Feb 2023 - Feb 2025

  • Associate Director of Sales - Hyatt Regency Aurora-Denver Conference Center

    Aug 2022 - Feb 2023

  • Sales Manager - Hyatt Regency Aurora-Denver Conference Center

    Jun 2021 - Aug 2022