Food and Beverage Strategy Manager, Special Events

Who We Are

Live Nation Entertainment is the world’s leading live entertainment company, comprising global market leaders such as Ticketmaster, Live Nation Concerts, and Live Nation Media & Sponsorship. Ticketmaster leads in event ticketing with over 620 million tickets sold annually, serving approximately 10,000 clients worldwide. Live Nation Concerts promotes over 50,000 events annually for nearly 7,000 artists in more than 40 countries. These operations enable Live Nation Media & Sponsorship to develop strategic music marketing programs, connecting over 1,200 sponsors with the 145 million fans who attend Live Nation Entertainment events each year. For more information, visit www.livenationentertainment.com.

Who You Are

Live Nation Entertainment seeks passionate, motivated, driven, and entrepreneurial individuals who are resourceful, innovative, forward-thinking, and committed. If these qualities resonate with you, we encourage you to continue reading.

The Role

The Food and Beverage Strategy Manager, Special Events is responsible for overseeing the food and beverage catering programs for the special events team across Live Nation Entertainment's diverse portfolio of venues, which includes indoor clubs, theaters, and outdoor amphitheaters. This role involves facilitating communication and negotiating standard operating practices for venues with self-operated programs (both limited and full-service), as well as managing partnerships with third-party concessionaires. The core objective is to remove obstacles to achieve operational excellence, strong financial performance, brand alignment, and exceptional guest experiences. This position acts as a crucial cross-functional leader, connecting operations, culinary, finance, sales, and external partners to deliver scalable, compliant, and profitable event-driven F&B solutions.

What This Role Will Do

• Lead the planning and development of special events F&B programs across multiple venues.
• Design and standardize scalable operating models for both self-operated and concessionaire-supported F&B services.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for F&B-related special projects, pilot programs, and major rollouts.
• Ensure event and catering offerings align with company brand standards, guest experience goals, and venue-specific requirements.
• Develop comprehensive playbooks, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and toolkits for consistent execution across all venues.
• Partner closely with venue operations and culinary teams to seamlessly integrate F&B services into overall special event operations.
• Monitor on-site execution for high-profile or complex events, proactively resolving operational challenges.
• Manage relationships with third-party concessionaires and suppliers, establishing KPIs, reporting standards, and service level expectations.
• Evaluate partner performance, recommending improvements, corrective actions, or alternative models as necessary.
• Conduct detailed cost analysis, encompassing food cost, beverage cost, labor, equipment rentals, and overhead allocations.
• Analyze P&L performance for events and catering programs, identifying opportunities to improve margins and operational efficiency.
• Support the development of pricing strategies, menu engineering, and package development to optimize profitability while maintaining quality standards.
• Track and report financial results to leadership, offering insights and actionable recommendations.
• Collaborate with culinary teams and partners on menu development, product standards, and presentation, ensuring menus are operationally feasible, cost-effective, and aligned with event demographics and service formats.
• Stay current on F&B trends, guest preferences, and innovative service concepts relevant to large venues and events.
• Coordinate with marketing for client-facing menu design, production, and updates.
• Partner with Sales, Marketing, Finance, Procurement, Culinary, and Operations teams to ensure overall event success.
• Translate client and event requirements into executable F&B plans.
• Support internal training initiatives related to event F&B operations, systems, and standards.

What This Person Will Bring

• Strong knowledge of food and beverage operations, including catering, concessions, and special events.
• Proven experience managing both self-operated F&B programs and third-party concessionaire partnerships.
• Advanced understanding of food cost, beverage cost, labor modeling, and margin management.
• Ability to build and meticulously analyze budgets, P&Ls, and financial forecasts.
• Comprehensive knowledge of food safety, sanitation, and responsible alcohol service standards.
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex, multi-venue projects with competing timelines and diverse stakeholders.
• Exceptional organizational skills with keen attention to detail and consistent follow-through.
• Adept at developing SOPs, playbooks, and scalable operating models.
• Strong capabilities in cost analysis and data interpretation.
• Experience with menu engineering, pricing strategies, and Return on Investment (ROI) analysis.
• Ability to translate complex financial data into actionable operational insights.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Proven ability to influence and collaborate effectively across departments and with external partners.
• A confident decision-maker who can remain calm and effective under pressure during live events.
• Demonstrated ability to lead without direct authority and manage cross-functional teams.
• Familiarity with Point-of-Sale (POS) systems and event settlement processes.
• Experience with inventory management and procurement systems.
• Knowledge of event management and booking platforms.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel (advanced), budgeting tools, and reporting dashboards.
• Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management, Business, Finance, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
• 5–8+ years of progressive experience in food and beverage operations, catering, special events, or venue management.
• Experience in venue sales and/or operations (clubs, theaters, amphitheaters, high-volume restaurants, convention centers, performing arts centers, or similar) strongly preferred.
• Experience working with union and non-union labor environments is a plus.
• Ability to work flexible hours, including nights, weekends, and holidays, based on event schedules.
• Willingness to travel between venues as required.
• Ability to be on-site for extended periods during large or complex events.

Benefits & Perks

Live Nation's motto, ‘Taking Care of Our Own,’ is reflected in its comprehensive benefits across six pillars:

• HEALTH: Medical, vision, dental, and mental health benefits for you and your family, access to a health care concierge, and Flexible or Health Savings Accounts (FSA or HSA).
• YOURSELF: Free concert tickets, generous paid time off including paid holidays, sick time, and personal days.
• WEALTH: 401(k) program with company match, stock reimbursement program.
• FAMILY: New parent programs including caregiver leave and baby bonuses, plus fertility, adoption, foster, or surrogacy support.
• CAREER: Career and skill development programs with School of Live, tuition reimbursement, and student loan repayment.
• OTHERS: Volunteer time off, crowdfunding match.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Live Nation is committed to building diverse teams that mirror the fans and artists served, fostering environments where everyone can be themselves, contribute fully, and thrive. The company supports equal employment opportunity for all applicants regardless of age, ancestry, color, religious creed, family and medical care leave, disability, marital status, medical condition, genetic information, military status, political affiliation, national origin, citizenship, race, sex, gender, sexual orientation, or any other protected characteristic. Live Nation considers qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with applicable fair chance ordinances and laws, and provides reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and religious practices.

Hiring Practices

The job description outlines the general nature and level of work for this classification. Live Nation employs various recruitment channels, including internal promotions, employee referrals, advertising, employment agencies, internet recruiting, job fairs, college recruiting, and search firms, to place the most qualified persons efficiently.

Key skills/competency

• F&B Operations
• Catering Management
• Special Events Planning
• Financial Analysis
• P&L Management
• Vendor Relations
• SOP Development
• Menu Engineering
• Project Management
• Guest Experience Optimization