Event Planning Assistant in Ilkley

Reporting to: Business Development & Events Manager

Location: Ilkley Lawn Tennis & Squash Club

Hours: Full-time 40 hours per week — shift and weekend work required around tournament and event dates

Contract type: Permanent

Salary: £26,000-£30,000 DOE + Tournament related bonus

Benefits: Pension + 28 days holiday inc Bank Holidays

About the Club & Tournament

Ilkley Lawn Tennis & Squash Club is a vibrant sports and social club with a busy year-round programme of racket sports, fitness, competitions, social activities and community events. At the heart of the club is a welcoming member community, supported by a team committed to delivering a high-quality experience for members, guests and visitors.

A highlight of the club calendar is the Lexus Ilkley Open, one of the six major grass court tournaments in the UK. A WTA125 & ATP Challenger International professional tennis tournament that brings world-class tennis to Ilkley and creates a fast-paced events environment involving hospitality, reservations, sponsorship, marketing, suppliers, partners and tournament operations.

The Events Assistant will combine year-round club event delivery with hands-on involvement in the Lexus Ilkley Open, gaining broad experience across live events, hospitality, CRM, commercial administration and member experience.

We are looking for a highly organised, energetic and personable Events Assistant to support the BD & Events Manager in delivering an outstanding programme of club events and tournament activity. This is a varied, hands-on role for someone who enjoys making things happen, takes pride in the detail and is equally comfortable managing bookings and CRM data as they are supporting guests, suppliers and live event delivery.

You will play an important role in the Lexus Ilkley Open, including hospitality reservations, invoicing, CRM administration, sponsorship administration, supplier liaison, marketing activations and on-the-day delivery. Across the rest of the year, you will support club competitions, Bonfire Night, racket and fitness events, café social events and wider membership initiatives.

• Manage the hospitality reservations administration desk for the Lexus Ilkley Open and other club tournaments.
• Maintain accurate, up-to-date event and booking records and ensure information is shared effectively with relevant teams.

CRM & Systems

• Own the day-to-day administration of the events CRM, including data entry, list management, reporting and data quality.
• Support the implementation, roll-out and consistent use of CRM processes across the team, creating simple guides and workflows for Club Partner and Hospitality guest touchpoints.
• Maintain accurate customer data in line with GDPR and data protection requirements.
• Use CRM data to support targeted event communications and follow-ups, including confirmations, reminders and post-event messaging.
• Manage ticketing platform for all events.

Events & Tournament Delivery

• Assist with planning and on-the-day delivery of the Lexus Ilkley Open and other club tournaments and competitions.
• Assist with planning and delivery of networking events and marketing activation events.
• Support Bonfire Night and other seasonal and community events.
• Assist with in-house racket, fitness and social events, including set-up and on-the-day coordination.
• Coordinate with external suppliers and contractors, including catering, entertainment and equipment hire, under the direction of the BD & Events Manager.
• Support post-event administration, including attendance figures, feedback collation, surveys and simple reporting/data analysis.
• Work closely with the Marketing team to ensure events are promoted accurately and on time.
• Provide event details, imagery requirements, copy points and updates for websites, social media and email campaigns.
• Proofread event listings, booking pages and promotional materials for accuracy.
• Assist with marketing activations and roadshow-style promotions supporting the Lexus Ilkley Open, including Club Partner Networking and introduction events.
• Provide administrative support for sponsorship contracts and associated event activity.
• Raise invoices for event bookings, hospitality packages and tournament-related sales.
• Track payments and outstanding balances, escalating overdue accounts as required.
• Liaise with Accounts department to follow up on payments, disputes and accurate reconciliation.
• Support simple event budget tracking and P&L information for the BD & Events Manager.
• Support event performance reporting, collating and maintaining accurate data across sales, sponsorship, ticketing and other key event metrics.

Member Experience & Wider Club Support

• Support club and tournament surveys for members, visitors, volunteers, vendors and suppliers, including collation and analysis of results.
• Participate in wider club activities as required and represent the club professionally at all times.
• Undertake other reasonable duties in support of the BD & Events Manager and wider club team.

You will be organised, confident with people and systems, and able to maintain excellent standards when the pace increases around major events and tournament week.

• Strong organisational skills and excellent attention to detail, particularly with bookings, spreadsheets and event administration.
• Comfortable using booking systems, CRM platforms and Microsoft Office, particularly Excel.
• Able to remain organised, calm and professional in a busy, fast-paced live event environment.
• Flexibility to work evenings, weekends and extended hours when required around key events and tournament dates.
• Previous experience in events, hospitality, membership, reservations or a customer-facing administrative role.
• A relevant qualification in Event Management, Hospitality, Business Administration, Marketing or a related discipline, or equivalent relevant professional experience.
• Experience using a CRM system and workflow automation.
• Experience raising invoices or providing basic financial administration.
• An interest in sport, fitness, tennis or club/membership environments.

We are looking for someone who wants to make an impact, contribute ideas and play an active part in delivering memorable events and an excellent experience for our members, guests and partners.