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Premium Sales Manager - Tennessee Athletics - UTK

Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation at University of Tennessee

Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation at University of Tennessee

Sales & Business Development
Knoxville, TN, USA
Posted on Nov 11, 2025

The Premium Services Manager will focus on recruiting new customers/organizations, selling available product, identifying opportunities for upsells, and developing and executing pricing models. On event days, the manager will be the face of Food City Center Premium - visiting with clients, ensuring outstanding experiences, deepening relationships, and always selling future opportunities. The manager will further be responsible for creating and tracking an annual budget to be approved by the Senior Director, outlining targets and new revenue growth strategies. Concert VIP functions will also be coordinated by the Manager. The Manager will prioritize coordination, collaboration, and teamwork among the arena management staff. Other duties will be assigned as necessary to accomplish overall organizational goals or unanticipated event day needs.


The Premium Services Manager will focus on recruiting new customers/organizations, selling available product, identifying opportunities for upsells, and developing and executing pricing models. On event days, the manager will be the face of Food City Center Premium - visiting with clients, ensuring outstanding experiences, deepening relationships, and always selling future opportunities. The manager will further be responsible for creating and tracking an annual budget to be approved by the Senior Director, outlining targets and new revenue growth strategies. Concert VIP functions will also be coordinated by the Manager. The Manager will prioritize coordination, collaboration, and teamwork among the arena management staff. Other duties will be assigned as necessary to accomplish overall organizational goals or unanticipated event day needs.

Required Qualifications

  • Education/Experience: Bachelor’s degree and 2–3 years of professional experience, including 1–2 years in live entertainment and experience selling or servicing high-end/premium products.

    OR

    Equivalent combination of education and experience; and 5–7 years of professional experience, including experience in live entertainment and selling or servicing high-end/premium products.

  • Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:
    • Highly effective interpersonal skills; must enjoy meeting new people and building relationships

    • Strong writing/communication skills; ability to convey messages effectively

    • Ability to track, summarize, and record sales digitally

    • Ability to make decisions for the organization, provide direction to others as necessary, and ensure follow-through/effectiveness.

    • Ability to work odd/long hours when scheduled, including nights and weekends

Preferred Qualifications

  • Education: Bachelor’s Degree
  • Experience: Experience with large event management environment.
  • Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:
    • Knowledge of the ticket sales process

    • Skilled at generating and managing work schedules

Work Location

  • Knoxville, TN
  • Onsite

Compensation and Benefits

  • UT market range: 11
  • Find more information on the UT Market Range structure here
  • Find more information on UT Benefits here

Application Instructions

To express interest, please submit an application with the noted below attachments.

  • Resume
  • Cover Letter
  • List of 3 Professional References

About Tennessee Athletics

Tennessee Athletics Mission, Vision & Core Values

Mission: To lead the way forward in all aspects of college sports

Vision: Deliver an unparalleled student-athlete experience fueled by the relentless pursuit of comprehensive excellence; be bold and innovative in our approach to recruiting and developing well-rounded graduates, championship-driven competitors and world-changing leaders.

Core Values: Vols lead through…
» Academic Success
» Inclusive Preeminence
» Honesty and Integrity
» Competitive Excellence
» Holistic Health and Well-Being
» The Power of Vol Nation


  • Develop, grow, and conduct sales efforts for premium spaces at Food City Center, which offers 2 levels of high-end suites, a level dedicated to premium loge seating, new table seating area, and arena level club space with access from the lower bowl, plus potential additional future opportunities to maximize premium sales for all events.

  • Cultivate relationships with existing customers with a focus on creating new relationships and partners to consistently increase ticket sales and upsell revenues associated with the use of premium spaces year over year.

  • Generate an inventory schedule to track availability, budget, and tracking documentation to evaluate show-by-show and year-to-date performance vs. expectations.

  • Clearly communicate and collaborate with the ticket office to ensure the fulfillment of orders is timely and accurate. Collaboratively develop a system for sharing and tracking needs from the ticket office and distribution of tickets.

  • Collaborate with arena management and other stakeholders (OVG360, Aramark, Promoters, Athletics, etc.) to develop new offerings such as early-entry upsells, exclusive experiences, and custom catering. These elements must work around the requirements of touring events (ticket prices, spaces needed, etc.) but represent a great opportunity for growth. Post-development, oversee the implementation and sales of approved opportunities.

  • Coordinate in advance and manage the event day experience for premium guests, ensuring that all service elements are delivered on-time and accurately. Ensure that event day support staff are prepared and focused on delivering premium service expected with premium areas--hospitality staff, food service staff, ushers, elevator operators, and similar. Post-event follow-up with guests and team members to evaluate performance and opportunities for improvement.

  • Requirements of arena management team members are often variable for different types of events. For event days where premium sales are not possible or less practical, the manager may be asked to assist with other functions, such as guest services, promotional activities, touring production requests and similar duties.