Are you someone who enjoys running the show from behind the scenes? Do you enjoy working with people and have excellent communication skills? Are you a creative and imaginative problem-solver? If so, you may want to consider a career in event management.
What is event management?
Event management involves planning and organising a range of social, business, or promotional events. These events can range from smaller, more personal affairs such as retirement parties or weddings, to business conferences, exhibitions, music festivals and political events. All of these require a manager and team that can take multiple moving parts and put them together for an event that meets customers’ expectations and creates a truly memorable experience.
An event manager is primarily responsible for overseeing the planning and execution of any event, including design and styling, registration, and speaker liaison. Overall, an event manager strives to achieve the highest standards by creating an event that will satisfy all attendees.
5 essential skills for event management
There are specific skills you should have or work to develop to be successful in the event management field. The following are five of the top skills to hone for this career.
1. People and communication skills
The ability to work alongside people and communicate clearly with them is the hallmark of a successful event manager. Communicating should go beyond just providing instructions – tt should also involve presenting and relaying ideas, as well as inspiring and motivating colleagues.
Event managers are comfortable speaking and building relationships with high-level executives, supervisors, customers, vendors, politicians, and staff. If your people and communication skills need some work, practice asking “Why?” questions, focus on one conversation at a time, and mingle at events.
2. Organisational skills
Many events have multiple processes occurring concurrently, and successful events require management that’s well-versed in detail and logic. So, multitasking is an absolute must in the world of event management.
An event manager must be able to focus on the big picture while simultaneously making sure all the small details are addressed. A career in event management can help you strengthen the organisational skills you possess, so that the more experience you have at event planning, the better at organising you become.
3. Creative thinking and problem-solving skills
Regardless of how well you’ve planned an event, the chances are that something unexpected may occur. You’ll need to creatively address that issue, which means you need to be spontaneous and flexible. Dynamic and resourceful thinking can help you out when your Plan A and Plan B backfire.
In this field, you have to develop a solution to the problem, as the event must go on. If the electricity at an event fails, you need to have a backup plan to get those lights back on as fast as possible. Quick, creative thinking can save the event, so those skills are necessary for this field.
4. Technology skills
A familiarity and comfort in working with technology, especially social media, is a necessity in our modern world. Generating interest in events with social media posts, giveaways, and notifications requires someone who can navigate these platforms efficiently and effectively.
A knowledge of event technology programs is also a plus, because those programs can make your job easier by allowing you to schedule, plan, organise, and oversee an event. Technology skills can also assist you in setting up atmospheric lighting conditions, visuals, and audio.
5. Budgeting and financial skills
Possessing financial skills is a requirement for anyone involved in event management. It’s critical to understand the budgeting process as it applies to your company, and to have a clear idea of what type of budget you have access to from the start.
Organising receipts and playing bills promptly are part of the financial skills needed in this position. Consider developing negotiating skills so you can ensure that every event you manage is cost-effective regardless of budget size. A head for numbers and planning will make you a better event manager.
What qualifications and training do I need?
One of the fastest ways to land a job in event management is to earn a diploma by completing classes in a training program. Some courses provide specific training or background on a variety of hospitality industry sectors, such as event management. In some cases, people without a qualification may secure a position in this field, although they’ll have to start at the bottom and work their way up to a place in management, a process that may take some time.
If an exciting position in event management sounds like the fit for you, let the International Career Institute help you take those first steps towards a career in event management. Enrol in our Events Management course today and set the stage for your future success.
