Ben Milano

*** *. ******* ***., ***********, NY *1757

631-***-**** (home) / 631-***-**** (cell) acbzxq@r.postjobfree.com

Experience

Owner

Caf Chardonnay, Lynbrook, NY

**/**** - *******

. Own and operate an 80 person wine bar offering craft beers, Scotch,

Bourbons, over 40 wine selections with a 25 plus By the Glass program

(www.thecafechardonnay.com)

. Kept food and beverage costs at or below 23% by implementing strict cost

controls and management techniques to ensure costs are always within

budget parameters

. Responsible for ordering all alcohol and food, management of staff,

training, inventory, financial and bookkeeping. Worked with all major

wine and beer distributors including Empire, Southern, Martin Scott,

Michael Skurnik, etc. in creating a cost effective beverage program

. Created all marketing materials and social media marketing which led to

an increase in sales of 20%

Director of Marketing, Meetings and Events

New York Life Insurance, New York, New York

03/2010 - 05/2012

.Developed and launched integrated, multi-channel print, and social media

campaigns that propelled Year-To-Date (YTD) brand awareness by 25%.

. Increased social media and website traffic by 35%

. Created a Digital Knowledge Library portal which transformed a previously

archaic intranet area into a dynamic website

. Increased YTD meeting and event attendance by 18%

. Developed and produced digital weekly e-mail campaigns and quarterly

vertical e-newsletters closely tied to client needs, trends and success

stories

Strategic Marketing Consultant

Self-Employed, Lindenhurst, New York

09/2006 - 02/2010

. Increased YTD wine and cigar sales by 150% and 175% respectively while

achieving a BevCost average of 20% while consulting with Maxwell and

Dunne's Steakhouse

. Surveyed all clients upon completion of their projects and achieved a

100% satisfaction rate

. Managed meeting logistics including site selection, video conferencing,

Food and Beverage, room registration and on-site coordination

. Maintained budget parameters by negotiating with venues and vendors to

ensure the scope and format of events fell within metrics set by the

client

Marketing and Meetings Manager

Lipman USA, Syosset, New York

03/2005 - 09/2006

. Increased YTD sales by 8% in a flat growth industry while managing sales

growth that consistently outperformed key competitors and the industry as

a whole

. Developed and implemented a brand portfolio / category strategy

. Generated a 35% increase in product inquiries from international and

national resellers

Corporate Communications Manager

Nikon USA, Melville, New York

03/2004 - 01/2005

. Increased brand awareness by 65% via sponsorship agreement with the

New York Mets baseball team

. 40% increase in brand awareness of Coolpix product line through

integrated print campaign

. Directed media planning activities for D-Series camera line and prepared

media plans, objectives, strategies, rationale, and all collateral

material

Marketing Manager

Northrop Grumman IT, Bohemia, New York

05/1999 - 03/2004

. Increased awareness and visibility of the brand in key vertical

markets

. Averaged a 20% increase in YTD sales over a 5 year period

. Created and implemented communication material, including digital

collateral, live events, roundtables, press releases and other product

related external documents

Computer Skills

. MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint, and MS Outlook

. Sabre, StarCite, Cvent, Constant Contact, GoTo Meeting, LinkedIn,

Facebook, Twitter, Yelp!, Foursquare, Survey Monkey, Two-Way, Meridian

Star POS System

Education

Master of Arts - Media Studies, New School University

Bachelor of Fine Arts - Communications, New York Institute of Technology

Wine Certificate (Food & Beverage), The French Culinary Institute

I am the owner of my own wine bar, Caf Chardonnay

(www.thecafechardonnay.com), and currently looking for a full-time meetings

or events positions and believe that my background and experience are a

perfect match for the position posted.

As the Director of Marketing, Meetings and Events for NY Life Insurance in

NYC, I was responsible for the creation and management of over 115 events,

conferences and seminars per year. In addition, I created numerous

[marketing] communication documents including sales collateral, website

content and social media communications.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

. P & L responsibility; negotiated with suppliers/vendors to secure best

contract(s) for services, including guest rooms, F&B, A/V,

transportation, recreation, amenities and entertainment

. Managed all meeting and event logistics and on-site teams

. Increased YTD conference and meeting attendance by 20%

. Excellent communication and organizational skills; assisted with event

staff development and training

My salary requirements are negotiable and are based upon the job

requirements and benefits being offered and would like to schedule a face-

to-face interview within the next week. Please give me a call or email me

with available dates and times.

Thank you in advance and I look forward to speaking with you soon.

Sincerely,

Ben Milano

631-***-**** - home

631-***-**** - cell

acbzxq@r.postjobfree.com

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