Business Development Manager

What You ll Do

In partnership with the Publications & Sales, Professional Education Department and Membership & Marketing Departments, this position is responsible for all conference and marketing-related revenue generation activities outside of conference registration and membership dues. The employee will have primary responsibility for establishing and implementing the corporate revenue sales infrastructure needed to grow a nearly $1M alternative revenue budget through the solicitation of advertising, conference sponsorships, special events, and corporate and charitable foundation support with room to grow and expand/define the role.

Specific Responsibilities

• Direct, solicit, and negotiate the business development process from end to end. This includes identifying internal partnership needs across Academy functions, sourcing potential corporate partners, negotiating high-value benefit packages, and finalizing agreements through formal contracts and letters of agreement.
• Provide high-level account management for all corporate accounts simultaneously to ensure consistent engagement, ranging from the introduction of new opportunities to the regular reporting of campaign performance metrics.
• Deliver consistent revenue performance aligned with established budgetary requirements by driving growth across exhibit booth, advertising, and sponsorship sales, while strategically increasing participation in Corporate Membership.
• Maintain ongoing communications and account management with AACD exhibitors, advertisers, and sponsors.
• Procure display advertising across multiple AACD print, electronic, and conference-related publications, as well as AACDs website; secure exhibitors and sponsorships for the annual scientific session and virtual education initiatives.
• Develop sponsorship opportunities unique to current industry trends and conference locations.
• Oversee the Corporate Membership program including current member retention and new member recruitment.
• Collaborate with Marketing personnel to fulfill deliverables that have been sold to sponsors and advertisers as required.
• Coordinate billing details with Accounting personnel to ensure accurate invoicing for all sales and provide targeted support on a case-by-case basis to help resolve severely overdue accounts.
• Contribute to strategic budget development for corporate revenue streams, ensuring sponsorship packages are accurately priced to cover costs and maximize profitability.
• Secure corporate sponsors for hands-on workshops by partnering with the Professional Education Committee to monetize their curated topics, content, and speaker selections for the annual scientific session.
• Participate in virtual monthly Professional Education Committee meetings and serve as a designated liaison to other volunteer groups as assigned.

Preferred Skills & Abilities

• Experience: Three to five years of proven success in sales and business development within advertising or sponsorships. Experience in trade show execution or premium niche conference sales is highly advantageous.
• Strategic Collaboration: Demonstrated ability to work seamlessly across internal departments and manage multiple complex projects simultaneously.
• Account Management: Proven track record of managing diverse corporate accounts and optimizing multi-channel sales portfolios.
• Education: Bachelors degree preferred, or equivalent professional experience.
• Organizational Savvy: Ability to thrive and navigate successfully within a non-profit governance and committee-driven structure.
• Innovation: An entrepreneurial mindset with a track record of driving creative, out-of-the-box revenue solutions.
• Communication Excellence: Exceptional written, verbal, and presentation skills, with the ability to articulate value clearly to executive stakeholders.
• Business Acumen: Solid commercial acumen with the ability to interpret sales data, manage project budgets, and demonstrate clear ROI to corporate partners.
• Industry Relations: Outstanding interpersonal skills and a sophisticated professional presence tailored for engaging with elite dental clinicians, leadership, and industry suppliers.