Ravinia® is both North America’s longest-running not-for-profit music festival and its most artistically diverse. Over 100 different events by a mix of classical, rock, pop, jazz, R&B, indie, and country performers make up a typical summer season on our two open-air and two indoor stages. Each year the Chicago Symphony Orchestra is featured in six weeks of concerts, many with Chief Conductor Marin Alsop. During the same summer months, the Ravinia Steans Music Institute provides young professional classical and jazz musicians with career-advancing training and concert settings.

Offstage and year-round, Ravinia’s Reach Teach Play education programs engage 85,000 children and adults—in schools with little to no music curriculum, in our Chicagoland communities, and at our 36-acre park—in our mission to make music equitably accessible to all.

Ravinia embraces diversity in all forms and is committed to providing an equitable and inclusive environment for all staff, musicians, guest artists, audiences, and community members. Ravinia is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. We encourage individuals of all identities and abilities to apply.

Ravinia is seeking a team of Artist Merchandise Sellers whose main focus will be to aid in the setup and sale of all artist branded merchandise brought in during the 2024 summer season. These positions are part-time and the number of hours worked per week is based on Ravinia’s concert schedule. Artist Merchandise Sellers report to the Merchandise Manager and the Operations Manager, they are considered part of Ravinia’s Production team.

Dates of Employment

• Late May through mid-September 2024 (with some flexibility).

General Responsibilities

• Transporting merchandise to and from the merchandise booth, setting up and tearing down displays.
• Taking inventory of merchandise prior to the show and again at the end of the night to verify starting/ending quantities (t-shirts, hats, CDs, posters, etc.).
• Selling merchandise prior to, during, and post show. This includes helping guests find the right size/item they are seeking, answering general questions about the merchandise, explaining pricing, and detailing payment options. 

A Note About Scheduling 

Most non-classical artists performing at Ravinia will bring merchandise with them for sale at the venue (e.g. Pentatonix, Stevie Nicks, Little Big Town, John Legend, etc.). The Artist Merchandise Seller’s schedule is based on these events. Ideal candidates can work all events during their period of availability. Number of hours per week depends on that week’s event schedule. We try to determine ahead of time what artists will bring merchandise with them and ask sellers to commit to as many dates as possible within their window of availability. Some weeks throughout the summer are more part-time employment while some weeks are more full-time. Artist Merchandise Seller shifts generally begin between 1pm and 3pm on event days and conclude once tear down is complete post-event.

• Prior customer service or sales experience 
• Basic math skills and prior cash-handling experience 
• Strong communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills
• Ability to spend long hours on your feet 
• Ability to work outside of normal business hours (position requires extensive nights and weekends)
• Ability to lift up to 40 pounds

Ideal candidates will also offer some of the following skills/experience

• A background in retail, customer service, or event merchandising 
• Experience working in a fast-paced and customer focused environment 
• Experience using the point-of-sale system atVenu 
• Foreign language speakers are encouraged to apply

Compensation

• $15.50 per hour.  Some meals provided.  Free parking at the venue.

QUALIFIED APPLICANTS MUST ATTACH:

• resume

All hiring is contingent upon receipt of an approved background check. Ravinia employees are required to sign an employment agreement and a confidentiality agreement.