7 Things to Know About a Career in Event Management

Ever attended a cool concert? Or a fun fair? Do you wonder how everything just came together and became one giant affair to remember? It’s all thanks to the event management team! Events can range in size from a small business meeting or workshop to large-scale concerts, exhibitions, speeches, and festivals. A live event usually requires a venue, key performers or speakers, sponsors and a great marketing strategy to attract the right crowds. You wouldn’t want a diehard rock fans to turn up at a Justin Bieber concert, would you?

There’s a lot of hard work that goes into making an event successful. It’s never just one person – there’s a team of resources who work together to make it happen. That’s what makes it such an exciting profession! But it’s not all glitz and glam. There’s a lot of running around, coordinating, networking and planning involved. The very efficient event manager, who must be good at project, time, and people management, is in control of this circus.

Visualizing the concept, planning, budgeting, and organising events such as conferences, concerts, stage shows, seminars, weddings, theme parties, product launch parties, exhibits, corporate seminars, and others are all part of the job.

Can’t wait to try your hand at this? Here’s a list of things you should know before you begin!

Meet Rhonesia, Vice President and Managing Partner at SPIPS. She is a successful Event Manager with more than a decade of experience. 

1. It begins with studying.

Event managers used to be people with degrees in Public Relations, Tourism, Hospitality Management, Sales, or Marketing. Today, you have dedicated courses for event management. While there are no mainstream courses yet, there are several diploma courses you can pursue. However, other abilities, such as problem-solving, analytical thinking, creativity, a will to work hard, perseverance, and the ability to stay on your toes, are not taught in school but are vital for any event manager.

2. You have to be excellent at networking.

You are in charge of the guests, the venue, generating funds, bringing in sponsors, networking with ticketing partners, and creating the overall marketing strategy for your event. Your “people game” should be on point if you wish to win over all your stakeholders. Networking will help you lock those sponsors and get a great guest list for your event.

Want to know if event management is the right career choice for you? Take the Mentoria’s assessment test to evaluate your strength and abilities.

3. Your superpower has to be time management.

This isn’t your average 9-to-5 job. You’ll be on your toes from dawn to dusk, figuring things out, putting out fires, or talking to stakeholders. On the day of an event, you might even work a 24-hour shift. Holidays are your busiest time, so while the rest of the world is out partying, you’re the one making sure everyone has a good time.

4. Project management is just as important.

Every event has dozens of smaller tasks, deadlines and other variables. This is why it requires an excellent planner to manage the whole thing. You’ll have to multitask, micromanage, pay attention to every detail, and meet every deadline. Only then can the whole event come together as one successful show

5. Don’t just plan it, sell it.

You’ve planned a great event, but how will people know about it? It is just as important to market an event to the right audience as it is to plan it. Marketing is simply making sure your audience knows about your event and convincing them that your event is the place to be. You’re in luck since you live in an era when social media is growing and capturing your audience’s attention is both easier and more challenging than ever. Easier, because you have platforms to directly connect with them, and harder because you’re competing for their attention with millions of other brands. The right marketing strategy will help you break through the clutter and grab your audience’s attention. 

6. You’re going to need a ‘Plan Z’.

A wise man once said that anything that can go wrong will go wrong. What if your caterer backs out? What if the ticketing booth needs more people? What if you have a tech glitch? As an event manager, you must be able to fix problems on the fly and have a plan B, C, and even Z in place for any “just in case” situations that may arise.

7. You need to be #woke.

What’s the latest trend in events? How is technology enhancing event experiences? You should be aware of every trend, the hottest venues in town, the best resources, etc., and do your best to include them in your event. Of course, this will also depend on your client’s budget. Your task is to figure out how to turn that budget into the coolest event in town, one that will be talked about for months!

Image Credits: AirBailingBTX

All set to plan events? You already have what it takes to be an event manager if you’re good at problem-solving, networking, time management, project management, and creativity. All that’s left to do now is to take our psychometric assessment and figure out if you’re meant for this field!

Sign up for Mentoria to discover the right career fit for you, out of the 12,000+ career avenues- India’s most reliable psychometric assessment.

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