Are you studying event management? Looking to change career and explore your options? Despite the challenges of the past couple of years, the events industry is still going strong and has proved to the world that it is imaginative enough and creative enough to adapt to any challenge.
That, among many other reasons, is why event management is such a desirable job and why Event Academy graduates are rarely out of work.
One challenge you will face when you qualify is what to do next. What type of event manager do you want to be? What other options within events are there?
That’s what today’s post is all about.
We’re going to outline five of the most popular careers in events to provide an idea of exactly what’s possible when you complete your course.
This is the main role graduates move on to. Whether that’s to get enough experience in order to specialise or because it’s the one role that does it all.
Either way, an events manager wears many hats and has a very challenging role. It is also intensely rewarding too!
Typical duties of an event manager include:
An event manager will manage an entire event or be part of an events team with other specialists. You can work within a company, run your own events company or be freelance, whatever works best for you.
A wedding planner’s career is a lot like an events manager but for a single event type. It has a narrower focus but can involve just as much imagination and creativity as a corporate event or music festival.
Being a wedding planner is a very responsible job but an incredibly rewarding one too. There’s a lot riding on your skills and you’ll need to know every trick in the book to pull off the perfect wedding with minimal mishaps.
Typical duties of a wedding planner include:
A wedding planner needs to be brave, as a lot rides on your shoulders. You also need to be very good with people and have a reassuring manner. Brides and their families are naturally anxious as they want everything to be perfect and it will be your job to make it happen.
An event venue manager will have a similar role to an event manager but will be employed by the venue rather than a third party. It will be your job to either manage and organise events or liaise with external event managers to make it happen.
You’ll use all the skills you learned during your course but will also need to be an expert on your venue. You’ll need to know how audio works for different events, capacities, transport in and out, where talent can rest before and after the event, the logistics of various events and lots more.
Typical duties of an event venue manager include:
Depending on the size of the venue, you could be completely managing an event or coordinating with external events companies. Either way, you’ll be responsible for everything that happens in your venue, which can be quite the challenge!
A catering manager will be responsible for attendees being properly fed and watered. You can work with an events company or for a venue, either way, you’ll need a love of food and drink to get the most out of this career.
A catering manager is a specialisation that requires a knowledge of food, food preparation, table service, drinks, licencing and staff training.
The career isn’t as wide-ranging as an event manager but you’ll need to dive a lot deeper to get a much better understanding of your area of expertise.
Typical duties of a catering manager include:
As you can see, you’ll use many of the same skills as a catering manager as you would as an events manager. You’ll just have a narrower focus and complete responsibility for delivering catering rather than delegating it to a specialist. It’s very rewarding though!
Event social media coordination is another specialism that demands you have all the basic skills of an events manager but also some specialist skills in this emerging area.
Social media is changing all the time so you’ll need to be flexible and willing to learn and adapt as networks and marketing methods leveraging those networks change.
If you’re motivated by using social media for the power of good, this could be just the job you’re looking for!
Typical duties of a social media coordinator include:
Marketing the event before, during and after.
If social media is your thing, there is great demand for people with event management knowledge who can get the best out of it. Even though it’s usually part of the marketing function, it’s a distinct area of expertise with a bright future!
