9 answers
1
Question
Updated
1686 views
What is 'event management'?
Is it a good career option? #event #events #event-planning #event-management
Login to comment
9 answers
Updated
Amber’s Answer
Hi! I am an event manager and can help you better understand this profession. In the US, it tends to take some time to gain experience, and you can usually get started working for a hotel or restaurant. Some entry level positions that would be good to try if you are in school include catering server, event server, banquet server. Often, event planners will hiring staffing agencies to find employees to work their events. If you start there, you can get a feel for what it would be like to work in the industry.
I will caution that event managers tend to work long hours, and irregular shifts including nights and weekends because events happen when people aren't at work. Salaries for this type of profession are good but not great. This profession has also been heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and jobs are scarce.
Look for event staffing agencies that are hiring for entry level positions.
Find an event manager near you on LinkedIn and ask if they would let you do an informational interview.
See if there are event manager programs at schools you are interested in attending.
I will caution that event managers tend to work long hours, and irregular shifts including nights and weekends because events happen when people aren't at work. Salaries for this type of profession are good but not great. This profession has also been heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and jobs are scarce.
Amber recommends the following next steps:
Updated
Mohammed’s Answer
Event management is the application of project management to the creation and development of large scale events such as festivals, conferences, ceremonies, formal parties, concerts, or conventions. It involves studying the brand, identifying the target audience, devising the event concept, planning the logistics and coordinating the technical aspects before actually launching the event.[1]
The process of planning and co-ordinating the event is usually referred to as event planning and which can include budgeting, scheduling, site selection, acquiring necessary permits, coordinating transportation and parking, arranging for speakers or entertainers, arranging decor, event security, catering and emergency plans.
good answer
Mohammed Ilyas
Hi Asif,
Going off of what Mohammed said, there are a couple of options around event planning. You can work directly for an event company, helping other businesses put on large-scale events such as company anniversaries and holiday parties. On the other hand, you can also work directly for one particular company as their event planner. I'm an office coordinator but do quite a bit of event planning myself so it depends on the scale of the company and events. I hope that's a bit helpful!
Shira Steinberg
Updated
Marilyn’s Answer
Event management includes planning, organizing and executing an event/meeting. This may include sourcing a venue, reserving hotel rooms, flights and travel; speakers, food, contracts, budget analysis, accounting/invoicing, etc. There are applications and software available to help make these tasks easier, but depending on the size of the event you may need additional resources.
A career in event management begins with experience and knowledge. Outside of following a curriculum for hospitality or other related major in college you can also obtain a certification such as a CMP (Certified Meeting Planner). This will give you a broader insight into event management. If you are not ready to commit to a certification, organizations such as MPI have monthly meetings that will allow you to attend. The attendees are event management professionals and most are willing to share their knowledge about the industry.
Best of luck to you!
A career in event management begins with experience and knowledge. Outside of following a curriculum for hospitality or other related major in college you can also obtain a certification such as a CMP (Certified Meeting Planner). This will give you a broader insight into event management. If you are not ready to commit to a certification, organizations such as MPI have monthly meetings that will allow you to attend. The attendees are event management professionals and most are willing to share their knowledge about the industry.
Best of luck to you!
Updated
Brekkin’s Answer
Hi Asif!
Good question! I was an event manager for several years in different industries. This role can wear many hats and is dependent on the company you are working for, or if you are working for yourself. For example, when I was an event manager at a conference center some of my duties were: meeting with clients, gathering information(date, times, # of ppl, etc.) about the type of event they wanted to hold, getting all of the details(colors, decorations, food, beverages, tables, chairs) in order, I would schedule waitstaff and cooks for the event and then when it came to the day before we would do all of the set up. We would then run the event so I would manage the waitstaff and chefs to ensure everything was coming out on time and the guests were being taken care of. I would oversee clean up, and then work with the client on billing. It's a very fun job, but it does have it's stress and it is ALOT of weekends. Hope this helps!
Good question! I was an event manager for several years in different industries. This role can wear many hats and is dependent on the company you are working for, or if you are working for yourself. For example, when I was an event manager at a conference center some of my duties were: meeting with clients, gathering information(date, times, # of ppl, etc.) about the type of event they wanted to hold, getting all of the details(colors, decorations, food, beverages, tables, chairs) in order, I would schedule waitstaff and cooks for the event and then when it came to the day before we would do all of the set up. We would then run the event so I would manage the waitstaff and chefs to ensure everything was coming out on time and the guests were being taken care of. I would oversee clean up, and then work with the client on billing. It's a very fun job, but it does have it's stress and it is ALOT of weekends. Hope this helps!
Updated
naveen’s Answer
Event management companies can help you organize a number of different special events that your organization may be interested in hosting. Ceremonies, celebrations, product launches and product presentations, workshops, company inaugurations, conferences and events where you invite the public.Event management is the application of project management to the creation and development of small and/or large-scale personal or corporate events such as festivals, conferences, ceremonies, weddings, formal parties, concerts, or conventions. It involves studying the brand, identifying its target audience, devising the event concept, and coordinating the technical aspects before actually launching the event.
Updated
Kiirsten’s Answer
Hello Asif!
Event management is a hard but rewarding career. Echoing what Amber said, you should take time to build experience-- if you end up applying to an event management company and they accept you-- wonderful, but often times the companies are looking for experience (typically at least 1 year). It may seem frustrating wanting to get into the field but having that experience requirement, so start somewhere like a local restaurant or hotel if you can. Food and Beverage is one of the many components of many executed events, so try there. If you get a hotel job, maybe they hold conferences or banquets that you can work, to start gaining some type of event experience. The important thing is to not give up, and have a good attitude-- skills like coaching, serving, etc can be taught, but having determination and a good attitude doesn't come naturally to many, so they are important interpersonal traits.
Good luck!
Event management is a hard but rewarding career. Echoing what Amber said, you should take time to build experience-- if you end up applying to an event management company and they accept you-- wonderful, but often times the companies are looking for experience (typically at least 1 year). It may seem frustrating wanting to get into the field but having that experience requirement, so start somewhere like a local restaurant or hotel if you can. Food and Beverage is one of the many components of many executed events, so try there. If you get a hotel job, maybe they hold conferences or banquets that you can work, to start gaining some type of event experience. The important thing is to not give up, and have a good attitude-- skills like coaching, serving, etc can be taught, but having determination and a good attitude doesn't come naturally to many, so they are important interpersonal traits.
Good luck!
Updated
Nour’s Answer
Event management is one of the most exciting careers , working closely with clients, to plan and deliver a successful event is extremely rewarding.
I used to manage events but from a procurement part, in which i was involved of the events logistics , prices, reservations, installations...etc, after the event is done successfully you feel it was part of your success.
You need first to decide where you want to work with; which event management field -Agency, client side,hotel,banqueting- and then you need to start learning all the details needed for a successful career path.
There is so many details within this job you can never imagine,for example: if you want to circulate an invitation card u need to know what weight of paper is needed which color in more convenient, whom are your invites , what kind of entertainment suits them....
Sometimes your event might be in another county, o a trip for another county.
It is a good career choice, if you have a passion for organising events and have a good organising ability, then you can make a successful career in the field of event management.
Best of luck!
I used to manage events but from a procurement part, in which i was involved of the events logistics , prices, reservations, installations...etc, after the event is done successfully you feel it was part of your success.
You need first to decide where you want to work with; which event management field -Agency, client side,hotel,banqueting- and then you need to start learning all the details needed for a successful career path.
There is so many details within this job you can never imagine,for example: if you want to circulate an invitation card u need to know what weight of paper is needed which color in more convenient, whom are your invites , what kind of entertainment suits them....
Sometimes your event might be in another county, o a trip for another county.
It is a good career choice, if you have a passion for organising events and have a good organising ability, then you can make a successful career in the field of event management.
Best of luck!
Updated
Amanda’s Answer
Great question! "The event manager is the person who plans and executes the event, taking responsibility for the creative, technical, and logistical elements. This includes overall event design, brand building, marketing and communication strategy, audio-visual production, script writing, logistics, budgeting, negotiation, and client service." I love this definition from Wikipedia because it touches on so many things that go into event management. I love event management because you can use it in so many types of work. You can plan events in all industries and all different sized companies. I've been working since 2007 and am currently almost 100% focused on events and employee's experiences at the workplace, however my event work started in 2007. In my first job I remember planning an offsite for our clients and I absolutely loved it. I knew that wherever I worked and whatever I did, I wanted to plan events on some level. As I moved through my career from office management, human resources/people operations, to employee experience I always made sure I owned some sort of event because I loved it.
It can be a part of your career or your whole career. You can work at an event production company and work with clients planning a variety of events or work at one company and plan in house events. You can do internal events (which I'm speaking of) or external events for customers/clients on a marketing team. There are team onsites and offsites, company kickoffs, happy hours, wellness events, team building, remote events, big holiday parties, summer picnics, and so much more. My biggest piece of advice with event management is to assume something didn't get done. To triple check and then have someone else check. And to plan with intention. Stay organized, positive, ask questions, and understand the audience and the goals of the event. Best of luck!
It can be a part of your career or your whole career. You can work at an event production company and work with clients planning a variety of events or work at one company and plan in house events. You can do internal events (which I'm speaking of) or external events for customers/clients on a marketing team. There are team onsites and offsites, company kickoffs, happy hours, wellness events, team building, remote events, big holiday parties, summer picnics, and so much more. My biggest piece of advice with event management is to assume something didn't get done. To triple check and then have someone else check. And to plan with intention. Stay organized, positive, ask questions, and understand the audience and the goals of the event. Best of luck!
Updated
Deepak’s Answer
In all areas of business, there are some terms you’re never truly sure you know the definition of. However, when it comes to event management, the definition is easy. At its core, event management is the process of planning an event. This is any type of event, whether hosted in-person, virtually, or hybrid. It’s synonymous with event planning and meeting planning. Just like those other terms, the scope of each project and the nitty-gritty details vary depending on the industry, company size and more. So, what is event management? Event Management is Event Planning Event planning goes by many different names. Some event planners are called administrative assistants, some are called event coordinators, and others are called event technologists. What do all of these titles have in common? The individuals have some hand in planning an event. Whether the events are internal or external, large or small, in-person or virtual, they all have to be planned. Virtual Event Management In today's new environment, we have had to learn how to manage not only our in-person events but our virtual programs as well. Virtual event management requires the same steps as managing your in-person event, but with the added challenge of making sure that your content is twice as captivating. While in-person events have the added bonus of travel, networking, and free food, a virtual event largely relies on its content to keep attendees engaged. When managing a virtual event, make sure that your speakers are prepared to present their content virtually, and that your content is interesting and succinct.