Event Manager

About Highland Brewing: Highland is proudly independent, deeply rooted, and generating joy for our customers and our community. As the first brewery in Asheville since Prohibition, our beer and destination brewery are authentic tastes of the heart and soul of a place that continues to captivate people. Committed to quality, sustainability, and community, Highland champions a “Thirst for Good” across the Southern Appalachians.

We are proud to be absurdly people-focused. To support the physical, mental, and financial health of our team, we have a wide range of benefits offerings including health, dental, vision, company-paid life insurance, no-cost mental health and financial services, paid time off, paid holidays, free beer and so much more!

Title: Event Manager Status: Full-time, Salary, Exempt

Compensation: $70,000 - $75,000/year with bonus opportunity

The Event Manager leads Highland Brewing's Events Team and is responsible for the strategic growth, sales performance, planning, execution, and overall success of Highland's private and public events portfolio. This role ensures every event reflects Highland Brewing's commitment to exceptional hospitality, authentic community engagement, and memorable guest experiences.

The Event Manager oversees revenue-generating private events including weddings, corporate gatherings, nonprofit fundraisers, retreats, and social celebrations, while also leading the planning and execution of public events such as our Cold Mountain and Lunar New Year festivals, other seasonal celebrations, concerts, community gatherings, and brand-building experiences.

This position combines leadership, sales strategy, operational excellence, financial accountability, and cross-functional collaboration to achieve event revenue goals, strengthen Highland's position as a premier destination venue, and create experiences that delight guests while supporting business objectives.

The Event Manager reports directly to the Guest Experience Director and leads Highland's Events Team, which currently includes Weddings and Corporate Sales Managers, Venue Coordinators, Music Programming, and AV Production resources.

• Lead the vision, strategy, growth, and execution of Highland Brewing's private and public events portfolio.
• Develop and implement annual event goals aligned with company objectives and revenue targets.
• Continuously evaluate event offerings, pricing, packages, and guest experiences to maximize profitability and market competitiveness.
• Identify opportunities to expand Highland's event business through new partnerships, programming, and venue utilization strategies.
• Maintain awareness of hospitality, venue, wedding, corporate event, festival, and tourism industry trends.

• Oversee the sales, booking, planning, and successful execution of weddings, corporate events, nonprofit fundraisers, retreats, celebrations, and other private functions.
• Partner with the Events Team to achieve/exceed private event revenue goals.
• Support venue tours, client consultations, proposal development, contract negotiations, and relationship management.
• Maintain working knowledge of venue pricing, policies, contracts and event offerings.
• Ensure exceptional client service throughout the sales and planning process.
• Cultivate relationships with planners, vendors, corporate clients, nonprofit organizations, and community partners.

• Lead planning and execution of Highland's public event calendar, including signature events such as our Cold Mountain Festival and other brewery-hosted experiences.
• Collaborate with Marketing, Taproom Operations, Production, and Community Relations teams to maximize attendance, guest satisfaction, and profitability.
• Develop event concepts that strengthen Highland's brand presence and community engagement.
• Evaluate event performance using attendance, guest feedback, operational metrics, and financial results.

• Recruit, train, coach, and develop a high-performing Events Team.
• Foster a culture of accountability, inclusivity, collaboration, professional growth, and guest-focused service.
• Conduct regular one‑on‑one meetings, performance evaluations, coaching conversations, and development planning.
• Establish clear goals and performance expectations for team members.