By: Vijay GarG
Event management refers to the implementation of project management principles in developing large-scale events such as concerts, conferences, weddings, formal parties and so on. This course of study has picked up pace in the past few decades, thanks to the increasing acceptance of the profession and its rising popularity. For students who are planning to pursue a course in event management, here is an article to help you understand if it is the right choice for you. Also in store is a list of career opportunities that you can choose from once you have completed the course.
Why study event management?
Adds variety: the event management profession is full of variety. One day you might be planning a beach-themed wedding and another day you could be organising a professional conference. One of the best things about this line of profession is that you can decide how narrow or wide your scope of work should be, giving you the freedom of choice.
Freelance or work in-house: being an event management professional gives you the flexibility to freelance, start your own business or join an agency. Each of the parallels presents you with exciting opportunities that can help you enhance your career.
It can take you places: this line of career is extremely versatile in terms of where you can practice it. If at any point in your career you want to travel and work, you can just pack your bags and set on your journey. Event management is welcomed in all parts of the world, because hello, events happen everywhere!
Exciting career: if you are someone who likes challenges and innovation, this is the career for you. It presents you with the opportunity to explore new avenues, enhance your skills and exercise your grey cells. You can put your imagination at work to create unique and beautiful events.
Enhances your people skills: in a job like this, it is necessary that you interact with people on a daily basis, be it your clients, co-workers or subordinates. This gives you a platform to improve your people skills as well as communication skills. It’s a win-win situation.
What skills do you need to start your career in event management?
Networking skills: event management is a people-driven industry and largely relies on professional relationships. Hence, it is essential for professionals in this industry to build a strong network with a diverse set of event planning professionals. In fact, your professional network can also help you in finding potential business leads. A great way to start networking is by attending industry events and conferences. You can also try your hands at virtual networking to connect with event management professionals across the globe.
Organisational skills: people who choose this career option must have impeccable organisational skills as they have to keep in control of a number of tasks. Starting from client meetings to budgets, event managers have their toes dipped in an array of things. Hence, organisational skills top the list of skills required to start a career in event management.
Creativity is the key: people who work in this field must have cutting-edge ideas so that the events they organise have a tinge of uniqueness to them. Brainstorming is essential when it comes to a creative career, hence, you should coordinate with other members of your team to come up with the best designs, themes and decorations. You should be up-to-date with current trends and modify your plans accordingly.
Adaptability: in a constantly changing world, it is imperative that you change your business outlook too. Moreover, being adaptable gives you the skills required to handle unprecedented situations. When in this business, you must always embrace the “go with the flow” attitude. This will give you the confidence to overcome challenges, if and when they come your way.
Observational skills: As an event management professional, you must have excellent observational skills and a keen eye for details. This not only helps you in keeping your organisational skills in check but ensures that anything out of normal catches your eye the minute you come across it. It keeps you alert and helps you deal with challenges.
Career opportunities in event management
Event Manager: event managers are responsible for tasks starting from conception to clean-up. Their job responsibilities include tasks such as delegating with clients, planning the event with the clients’ and team’s input and taking care of booking locations, food and staff.
Venue Manager: As a venue manager, you will be responsible for supervising all the operations of the event space such as staff management, overseeing all procedures and handling problems that may arise during the course of the event.
Catering Services Manager: the job role of a catering manager includes responsibilities such as supervising the day-to-day catering services, overseeing the food quality and leading a team of chefs. They are also responsible for ensuring that all outlets under their jurisdiction perform well.
Social Media Event Coordinator: the influence of social media has been drastic in the past few decades. It has spread its wings over many industries, starting from marketing to events. The job responsibilities of a social media event coordinator include promoting events online, creating unique hashtags, designing digital campaigns and doing live feeds to garner more attention for the event.
Wedding Planner: when a couple decides to tie the knot, they want to ensure that the big day goes off without a hiccup. Hence, it’s best to hire industry professionals who know the system of wedding planning inside out. The job responsibilities of a wedding planner include handling everything starting from wedding dresses to the sound system, helping clients make calls as per their budget and expectations and overseeing all the nitty-gritties of the event.
Marketing or Communications Manager: remember how we spoke about working in-house with a company earlier in this article? Well, as an event management graduate, you can take up the job of a marketing or communications manager in a mid-size or large-size organisation. If you take up this role, you will be responsible for organising promotional events for the company’s products and services. However, this will be one among various other responsibilities that you will have to fulfil as a communication manager. Hence, you must be equipped with other skills apart from event planning to do justice to a role of this calibre.
Staff Coordinator: if you pursue event management as a career, you can also work as a staff coordinator. The major responsibilities of a staff coordinator include taking care of logistics concerned with the staff on site, encouraging them in order to enhance productivity and taking charge of training the personnel according to the requirement of the event.