Sales Director

Mission Statement

The Happy Valley Adventure Bureau (HVAB) is the official destination marketing organization for Centre County, Pennsylvania. HVAB promotes Happy Valley as a premier travel destination to drive visitation, overnight stays, and economic impact, while supporting local businesses and enhancing residents' quality of life.

The Director of Sales is responsible for developing and executing HVAB’s sales strategy, in direct support of the Bureau’s mission and to position Happy Valley, Pennsylvania, as a regional and national meeting destination. This role promotes Happy Valley as a premier meeting and convention destination through direct sales efforts, client engagement, and participation in industry trade shows and promotional events. This senior‑level position focuses on driving group, meeting, and sports tourism business, resulting in measurable overnight stays and visitor spending.

The position is based in State College, Pennsylvania.

The Sales Director position reports to the President and CEO, has frequent visibility with the board, senior ownership, and staff of constituent businesses, and is often called upon to represent the organization publicly.

• Develop and execute a comprehensive sales strategy aligned with HVAB’s mission and economic impact goals
• Lead sales efforts for meetings, conventions, sports tourism, tournaments, and special events, including lead distribution
• Identify, solicit, and secure new sports events and group business that generate overnight demand
• Build and maintain strong relationships with hotel partners, venues, community stakeholders (including Penn State), and event organizers
• Represent HVAB at trade shows, sales missions, client presentations, and site visits
• Track, analyze, and report room nights, economic impact, and performance metrics
• Accurately update and manage client information, correspondence, and activity within the CRM system
• Other duties as assigned

• Economic impact generated from events, including room nights
• Return on investment (ROI) for trade shows and sales initiatives
• Event retention and repeat bookings
• Bid and RFP conversion rates and timely lead distribution
• Partner and stakeholder satisfaction

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in Tourism, Hospitality, or a related field preferred
• Minimum of 5–7 years of destination marketing organization (DMO) experience or similar equivalent required
• Strong communication, presentation, and customer service skills
• Ability to prioritize tasks and meet deadlines efficiently
• Proficiency with presentation software and customer relationship management (CRM) systems
• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and self-motivated
• Ability to work on-site at the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau office
• Availability to work occasional evenings and weekends
• Willingness to travel for industry events and client presentations

• Competitive salary commensurate with experience
• Incentive compensation tied to goal completion
• Company-paid benefits, including health, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance
• Company-matched 401(k) plan eligibility after 90 days of employment
• 10+ paid holidays per year and paid vacation time commensurate with experience
• Ongoing professional training and career development opportunities
• Company-paid downtown parking

Please submit a resume and cover letter highlighting relevant experience and alignment with HVAB’s mission, and send to