| A Day in the Life of a Convex Account
Executive I have been an Account Executive at Convex for nearly a year. Convex is the specialist travel and event logistics division of The Gardiner-Caldwell Group (TGCG), and is based at Victoria Mill in Macclesfield, Cheshire. Although we work closely with TGCG, we operate as an independent division and we have our own client base. Flight bookings are a major part of Convex's business. Our highly trained Account Executives make direct flight reservations for TGCG staff and clients using a computerised booking system, Galileo. Itineraries can vary from basic domestic tickets to complicated itineraries involving many sectors and to all corners of the world! Another major part of Convex's business is securing and managing group block hotel reservations for major international congresses worldwide. As an Account Executive, I manage the day to day running of such projects. This involves securing accommodation at a very early stage and seeing this through to finalising the contract, including making sure that deposit requirements and cancellation deadlines are met. I also assist clients with any additional services they may need ? this can range from organisation of additional meeting rooms, lunches or dinners through to arrangement of airport transfers for delegates. As an event approaches, such projects can become quite busy, as we produce rooming lists for hotels and keep them updated, often on a daily basis, of any changes or amendments that require immediate action. Convex serves as the central channel of communication for the client, the delegate management company (if one has been commissioned), and the hotel. It is essential for Convex staff to ensure accuracy and efficiency at all times, which means we have to be focused, flexible, and manage our time appropriately. Convex also provides a venue-finding service for the TGCG Account Management teams. We research appropriate locations for various client meetings ranging from small advisory boards of up to 20 people through to large product launches with more than 650 people attending. A solid knowledge of travel is essential, as well as a background in event management, group travel, or conference organising. Most venues we are asked to find are city centre locations overseas, but every meeting is different and I can also be asked to place a meeting in an obscure and unusual venue, so an imaginative and creative mind helps too! To assist us in our daily tasks we have access to an extensive resource of information on hotels, destinations and meeting facilities throughout the world. We also have our own projects database that was custom-designed by TGCG's in-house Applications Team. This allows us to keep track of all our projects by producing regular Action Reports, which help us to ensure we meet all deadlines. Account Executives at Convex are also responsible for producing invoices, payment of hotel deposits and debt management, so we work closely with the financial Accounts Team. I regularly update the Business Plans and Project Reports for our individual projects, which ensures that we are working within project budgets so that things run smoothly and financial errors are avoided. An Account Executive has responsibility for producing a final reconciliation report for each project that has been completed. This is aimed to ensure consistent profitability for each job. Copies of reconciliations are kept for accounting records, and these help us to produce annual reports on the overall performance of the Convex division at the end of each financial year. All in all, Account Executives are in contact with a variety of people from colleagues at TGCG, external suppliers through to clients. If you are a ?people person? who enjoys daily challenges and rewards, a Convex Account Executive could be the role for you.
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