Visitor Experience Manager

Discover Durham is Durham, North Carolina’s marketing and sales agency, generating economic impact by drawing 12+ million leisure, business, and sports visitors to our vibrant community. Discover Durham also operates the Durham Sports Commission (DSC), a 501(c)3 whose mission is to create economic and social impact by leading the community’s efforts to attract, support and promote sporting events at every level.

And Durham Next, a 501(c)3 created to lead the research, planning and implementation of initiatives put forth in the Destination Master Plan that advance Durham as the best place to live, work and visit.

The Visitor Experience Manager oversees the daily operations of Discover Durham's visitor experience programs, ensuring visitors receive exceptional service and meaningful connections to Durham. This role manages the Visitor Information Center, Mobile Visitor Information Center, volunteer program, and visitor-facing resources while supervising the Visitor Experience Coordinator and supporting the implementation of strategic visitor experience initiatives. Working closely with the Associate Director of Visitor Experience, the Manager translates strategy into action by leading daily operations, coordinating visitor engagement programs, and fostering a welcoming, hospitable environment that inspires visitors to explore Durham and strengthens the destination's reputation for exceptional visitor experiences.

Primary responsibilities:

Visitor Information Center Operations & Volunteer Management Manage the day-to-day operations of the Visitor Information Center (VIC), ensuring a welcoming, hospitable, and visitor-centered environment during regular business hours (Tuesday-Saturday, 10am-5pm), and special events.

Coordinate and execute VIC programming, activations, exhibits, and ongoing visitor engagement opportunities.

Supervise, schedule, and support the part-time Visitor Experience Coordinator, ensuring there is adequate VIC coverage, that visitor requests and admin duties are fulfilled.

Recruit, onboard, train, schedule, and support VIC volunteers, fostering a culture of exceptional customer service and destination knowledge.

Provide exceptional customer service by assisting visitors and residents through walk-in, phone, and email inquiries, offering comprehensive information about Durham's attractions, events, dining, shopping, lodging, transportation, and other visitor resources.

Develop and maintain a high level of destination knowledge, including top attractions, annual festivals and events, and Durham’s unique cultural assets.

Manage visitor publication fulfillment, including online, phone, group, and in-market requests, while monitoring inventory levels and coordinating publication and collateral reorders with Marketing and Operations to ensure visitor resources remain current and well stocked.

Plan and participate in volunteer appreciation dinners and other programming.

Monitor visitor interactions, collect walk-in data, identify trends, and prepare reports to inform visitor experience strategies.

Mobile Visitor Information Center & Other Visitor Information Touchpoints Coordinate staffing, logistics, setup, execution, and breakdown for Mobile Visitor Information Center (MVIC) activations at attractions, festivals, conventions, and sporting events.

Ensure consistent delivery of Discover Durham's visitor experience standards across mobile and off-site visitor engagement efforts.

Manage inventory and distribution of publications, promotional items, giveaways and event supplies used in the VIC, MVIC, and in support of the Strategic Initiatives team’s work.

Coordinate with regional visitor information centers and tourism partners to strengthen visitor service collaboration and resource sharing.

Strategic Initiatives Department & Administrative Support Provide project management support for the Strategic Initiatives team by coordinating project timelines, meetings, deliverables, and cross-functional collaboration. Schedule and facilitate project kickoff, alignment, and post-mortem meetings, document action items, and ensure project teams remain informed of upcoming milestones and responsibilities.

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