General Manager Winter Gardens

General Manager

Reports To: Commercial Operations Director

Company: Blackpool Tourism Limited

Overview

Winter Gardens Blackpool is one of the UK’s largest, most historic, and most complex entertainment destinations. Spanning theatres, ballrooms, conference centres, and exhibition halls, the venue hosts over 400 events annually and welcomes more than 1.3 million visitors across 11 unique spaces — including the Opera House, Empress Ballroom, Olympia Exhibition Hall, Spanish Hall, and the Blackpool Conference & Exhibition Centre.

With capacities ranging from intimate 200-seat rooms to arenas hosting up to 7,000 guests, Winter Gardens delivers an unrivalled programme of live entertainment, dance championships, comedy, exhibitions, conferences, and global touring productions. It is also a cornerstone of Blackpool’s tourism economy and a nationally significant Grade II* listed heritage asset.

We are seeking a high-impact, commercially driven, and guest-obsessed General Manager to lead Winter Gardens into its next chapter. This is a flagship leadership role requiring exceptional operational grip, strategic vision, political and stakeholder confidence, and the ability to lead one of the UK’s most complex live event environments at scale.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic & Commercial Leadership

· Lead the overall operational, commercial, and strategic direction of the Winter Gardens complex, delivering against agreed KPIs and long-term growth objectives.

· Maximise commercial performance across major venues including the Opera House (2,813), Empress Ballroom (3,500), Olympia Exhibition Hall (2,600), Spanish Hall (700), and the Conference & Exhibition Centre (2,000).

· Shape and deliver a long-term vision that ensures Winter Gardens remains a nationally significant destination for entertainment, conferencing, exhibitions, and cultural events.

· Drive strategic programming, partnerships, and commercial innovation to attract major touring productions, large-scale exhibitions, international dance events, and prestigious conferences — including political party conferences.

· Translate strategic goals into clear action plans, budgets, and measurable outcomes.

Operational Excellence

· Oversee day-to-day operations across theatres, ballrooms, exhibition halls, F&B, guest services, technical operations, safety, maintenance, and event delivery.

· Lead complex, large-scale event logistics and guest flow planning for festivals, conferences, championships, exhibitions, and sold-out performances.

· Implement best-practice systems, processes, and governance to drive efficiency, resilience, and continuous improvement.

· Ensure all venues operate to the highest standards of quality, technical readiness, safety, accessibility, and presentation.

· Balance modern operational requirements with the preservation and conservation of a Grade II* listed heritage estate.

Guest Experience & Culture

· Champion a guest-first, experience-led culture across all operations.

· Drive measurable improvements in guest satisfaction, Net Promoter Score (NPS), accessibility, inclusion, and service delivery.

· Ensure experiences are inclusive and welcoming for diverse audiences — from international performers and delegates to families, community groups, and conference guests.

· Embed robust guest feedback systems and use insight to inform continuous improvement.

Team Leadership & People Development

· Lead, inspire, and develop a large, multidisciplinary workforce across programming, events, hospitality, technical, and operational teams.

· Build a culture of accountability, collaboration, inclusion, and high performance.

· Develop strong succession planning, leadership capability, and clear career pathways.

· Promote wellbeing, engagement, and professional development across the organisation.

Financial & Results-Driven Leadership

· Work in partnership with Finance to manage budgets, forecasts, and full P&L performance.

· Drive strong cost control while protecting guest experience and operational quality.

· Apply yield management and pricing strategies across events, conferencing, F&B, and venue hire.

· Use data and insight to optimise capacity, staffing, commercial performance, and return on investment.

· Identify financial risks and growth opportunities early and act decisively.

Stakeholder, Industry & Resort Partnerships

· Act as a senior ambassador for Winter Gardens within Blackpool’s tourism, cultural, and political ecosystem.

· Maintain strong relationships with Blackpool Council (venue owner), Blackpool Entertainment Company Ltd, and Blackpool Tourism Limited.

· Build trusted partnerships with promoters, agents, conference organisers, national bodies, political stakeholders, and heritage organisations.

· Play an active role in destination-wide planning, regeneration, and economic development initiatives.

Health, Safety & Risk Management

· Ensure full compliance with all health & safety legislation, licensing, safeguarding, GDPR, and internal governance requirements.

· Promote a proactive, site-wide safety culture across public spaces, kitchens, technical areas, and back-of-house operations.

· Lead crisis management, emergency planning, and business continuity for major events, severe weather, heritage risks, and public safety incidents.

· Oversee statutory inspections, contractor compliance, audits, and continuous improvement programmes.

Sustainability, Accessibility & Governance

· Champion sustainability initiatives including energy efficiency, waste reduction, responsible procurement, and carbon reduction.

· Embed accessibility and inclusive design principles across venues, programming, and operations.

· Ensure governance, compliance, and reporting standards are consistently met across the estate.

Qualifications & Experience (Desirable)

· Proven senior leadership experience in a large-scale, multi-venue entertainment, events, visitor attraction, or conferencing environment.

· Strong commercial acumen with a demonstrable track record of delivering growth and profitability.

· Deep understanding of major event delivery, theatre operations, conferencing, exhibitions, and hospitality.

· Experience operating within heritage or listed buildings is highly advantageous.

· Exceptional people leadership, stakeholder management, and communication skills.

· Strong commitment to guest experience, accessibility, sustainability, and safety.

Working Hours & Benefits

· Full-time role with flexibility required across evenings, weekends, and major event periods.

· Competitive senior salary (from £60,000) and benefits.

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Work Location: In person