What are the opportunities in Event Management?

It's always interesting to compare notes among event managers because I have yet to find the one college major or the one must-do experience that everyone shares. The backgrounds are as varied and seemingly as random as how tall you are, meaning that in many ways it isn't a prerequisite. However, the one thing that all event managers do share is a long list of events experience and the very best ones have wide-ranging experiences.

Don't interpret that as a statement against educational pursuits because it is very important that you possess knowledge that helps you to understand varying financial impacts in your decision making, communicate to broad audiences in a clear and concise way, manage factors and people toward a common goal and react appropriately in high-pressure situations. Just don't despair that one course of study over another is going to lock you in or out of a career in event management.

Do go out and find opportunities to be involved in events. Volunteer. Become an intern. Take a part-time job. Find ways to be part. And then learn from every role, whether you are taking tickets, working in access control, handling media, overseeing high-end hospitality or any other of the dozens of jobs around an event. Those who understand how all the jobs come together to make a successful event are generally the people who end up doing very well in the event management business.

Hi Alisha,

Hospitality would be a great way in to Event management, often internships at hotels or conference facilities will give you hands on experience in what it takes to run and manage an event. Having a general Marketing background would be extremely helpful also, you execute a marketing vision or program through events typically, so this would be a good foundation for you.

You generally need to be very detail oriented, and be able to juggle a lot of balls in the air at one time as there are lots of details and "finishing touches" that go in to managing a successful event.

Hope this helps!

If you are looking to pursue events as a part of your future career, I would recommend looking into your local college or university's Communications, Marketing or Public Relations degree plans. While an actual degree in Event Marketing would be nice, the degrees you would get in the other schools will be a little more versatile if you decide to change your course in your career, which is pretty common!

I definitely agree with Linda above as well, you have to be very detailed and able to manage many different things all at once.

Hi Alisha,

I'm so glad you have an interest in Event Management. My suggestion is to shadow someone who is an event manager for a day.
You'll be able to see how they handle many things in a busy setting. Anytime you have the opportunity to plan an event at your school or a family gathering take the time to volunteer yourself. Hands-on experience is very valuable! Hope this helps.

An aspirant of event management should have a strong passion for events as well as flexibility of schedule and time.

You can work as a Junior or Senior Event Manager with any dedicated Event Management Consulting and Organizing corporate house in India and abroad.

Some designations or job positions available for event management professionals are Event Legal Executive, Event (Budgeting & Finance) Executive, Public Relations Officer, Event Production Head, Event Coordinator, etc.

So much of event management you learn by doing, so I'll address that after talking about what to study. I'd advise you to use your college courses not to form you into an event manager, but to give you the building blocks to be a successful professional in general. This is your chance to become a strong writer, a communicator, a critical thinker. Learn how to identify and solve problems. Learn how to work individually and on a team. Get comfortable managing multiple priorities and deadlines. College is a great opportunity to become a well-rounded person who can form opinions and back them up.

So then how to become an event manager? How to get hired? The other answers are spot on - find a way to get involved in planning events as often as possible. Plan events for your sorority or club. For your family. Get involved in charitable organizations and work on their events. Get an internship! Make sure to get involved in as many processes as possible - including the ones that don't sound as fun (managing a budget, paying bills, coordinating post-event communications). It's easy to volunteer on decor or menu planning, but we really appreciate the volunteers and interns who get their hands dirty on the less glamorous tasks. We all started somewhere, but as somebody who has filled many entry-level event positions, I'm looking for a person who got a good, well-rounded education and made an effort to build their volunteer event experience.