In fact, 86% of event agencies increased staffing in 2014, with future prospects for looking just as bright. So what are your prospects for a career in Event Management?
Of course, salary is a deciding factor when weighing up a career change or considering career prospects. Like any sector, event management salaries vary between companies, but generally starting salaries in the events industry range from £15,000 to £23,000 for events assistants, although event managers in specialist fields can command salaries from £24,000 to £28,000 depending on experience.
One thing to bear in mind though is that in a growth industry, promotion prospects are good, with those who prove successful in specialist fields and remain in the industry for over 10 years may be able to progress quickly, earning considerable salaries which average £54,000 per annum.
If you’re seeking the prospect of an interesting and varied role, then a career in event management can certainly offer roles which involve plenty of different skills, with the added benefit of offering the potential to develop a specialist area as your career progresses: an excellent prospect for anyone who’s finding their current role stale and unchallenging, or who feels their skills are being underused in their existing job.
For a start, being an event manager or event management assistant can involve utilising a whole range of skills across many of the following tasks, from hour-to-hour, day-to-day, week-to-week and even project-to-project:
When it comes to career progression, some event management staff choose to specialise by events, for example by focusing their skills particularly on corporate, education and training events such as exhibitions and conferences, whilst others might specialise in outdoor event management or charitable fundraising events, all of which goes to show that there are plenty of prospective roles within a career in event management.
Of course, if you’re considering event management as your calling, even if you’re currently working within a different industry, it’s worth knowing that the skills and experience you bring to this new role could also enhance your career prospects. You might want to consider that your …
These are all aspects of your experience that you can reapply to a career in event management and ones which will add to your professional effectiveness and future prospects in the industry.
In one example, a teacher, who was also a Girl Guides leader, decided to make the shift into event management after years spent not only at the front of the classroom, but also behind the scenes organising events such as trips, presentations of students’ work, learning events, team-building and school fundraising activities, as well as leading Girl Guide activities, fundraisers and charitable projects.
Such experience, gained in very different roles, gave her not only practical organisational skills but also an excellent insight into health, safety and risk management, as well as environmental awareness and an excellent understanding of child-safety, all of which gave her an automatic area of expertise within event management too! It’s certainly worth considering how your own experience can similarly enhance your career prospects in event management.
Whatever you have in the way of skills and experience, it’s also worth remembering that these won’t enhance your career in event management unless you have certain personal qualities too. You’ll need to be confident in:
Of course, you’ll notice of course that the common thread across all of these essential personality traits is communication. A job in events is essentially a job with people from all walks of life, so the better you are with people, the better your event management career prospects.
Finally, although you may not currently have qualifications which you feel will easily transfer into event management; it’s worth remembering that there are plenty of options for breaching a learning gap and adding to your expertise, particularly by taking a vocational qualification which is tailor-made for relevance in theory and practice of event management.
Particularly if you want to earn whilst you learn, Event Academy’s vocational event management courses can be the ideal way to improve your career prospects right from the start.
