Marketing Manager

Job Overview

Reporting to the Executive Director, the Marketing Manager is responsible for developing and executing integrated marketing strategies that increase attendance, engagement, sponsorship value, and brand awareness across the Festival's portfolio of events and experiences.

This role combines strategic thinking with hands-on execution. The successful candidate will oversee marketing campaigns, manage agency and partner relationships, support sponsorship activation, and provide leadership throughout event planning and on-site execution.

The Marketing Manager will work closely with the Executive Director, Board of Directors, festival partners, sponsors, wineries, tourism stakeholders, vendors, and the Festival Marketing Coordinator to ensure the successful delivery of all Niagara Grape & Wine Festival initiatives.

Key Responsibilities

Marketing Strategy & Brand Leadership

• Lead the development and execution of annual marketing and communications strategies that support Festival attendance, ticket sales, sponsorship objectives, and brand growth.
• Develop integrated marketing campaigns across digital, social media, email marketing, public relations, influencer partnerships, tourism channels, and traditional media.
• Champion the Niagara Grape & Wine Festival brand by ensuring consistency in messaging, visual identity, and storytelling across all platforms and touchpoints.
• Monitor market trends, audience insights, and campaign performance to identify opportunities for growth and innovation.
• Establish key performance indicators and regularly evaluate campaign effectiveness to optimize future marketing efforts.

Agency & Communications Management

• Serve as the primary liaison with the Festival's social media, digital marketing, public relations, and creative agency partners.
• Develop campaign briefs, content plans, creative direction, and marketing calendars.
• Oversee content creation and campaign execution while ensuring brand standards and strategic objectives are achieved.
• Coordinate website management, digital advertising, email marketing, ticketing promotions, and audience engagement initiatives. (Future state)
• Analyze campaign performance and provide recommendations that drive continuous improvement.

Event Planning & Execution

• Work closely with the Executive Director to support the planning, development, and execution of all Festival events and programming.
• Participate in event logistics, vendor management, site planning, budgeting, operational planning, and stakeholder coordination.
• Provide leadership during event build, load-in, event operations, and tear-down activities.
• Act as a key on-site leader, helping troubleshoot issues, manage vendor and partner relationships, and ensure an exceptional guest experience.
• Support risk management, health and safety planning, and operational readiness for all events.

Partnerships & Stakeholder Engagement

• Build and maintain strong working relationships with wineries, tourism organizations, sponsors, municipalities, media partners, vendors, and community stakeholders.
• Support sponsor fulfillment by ensuring activations, marketing commitments, and partnership benefits are delivered successfully.

Team Leadership & Project Management

• Manage project timelines, marketing calendars, workflows, and campaign deliverables to ensure projects are completed on time and within budget.
• Foster a collaborative, creative, and results-oriented work environment.

Budget Management & Reporting

• Assist with the development and management of annual marketing and event budgets.
• Track expenditures and ensure resources are allocated effectively to maximize return on investment.

Qualifications

We're Looking For Someone Who Has:

• 5+ years of experience in marketing, event management, tourism, hospitality, festivals, or a related field.
• Demonstrated success developing and executing multi-channel marketing campaigns.
• Experience managing agencies, vendors, sponsors, and strategic partnerships.
• Strong event management and operational planning experience, including on-site leadership.
• Project management, organizational, and prioritization skills.
• Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication abilities.
• Experience using digital marketing platforms, social media tools, email marketing systems, and analytics platforms.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment while managing multiple projects simultaneously.
• Availability to work evenings, weekends, and holidays during festival and event periods.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working in tourism, wine, culinary, hospitality, or destination marketing.
• Knowledge of the Niagara wine, tourism, and hospitality industries.
• Experience with sponsorship activation and stakeholder management.
• Familiarity with ticketing, CRM, and event management platforms.

Why Join NGWF?

This is more than a marketing role. It's an opportunity to help shape one of Canada's most recognized wine and tourism brands while contributing to the economic and cultural vitality of the Niagara region.

You'll work alongside passionate industry leaders, community partners, and tourism professionals while creating experiences that celebrate Niagara's wineries, culinary talent, and vibrant hospitality community.

Pay: $70,000.00-$75,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Casual dress
• Flexible schedule
• On-site parking
• Wellness program

Work Location: Hybrid remote in St. Catharines, ON L2R 3B3

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