When I ran my challenge, Move Your Events Career Forward, a few weeks ago I asked the participants to define their ideal opportunity in the events industry. The participants came up with an incredible range of roles, sectors and areas within the events industry that they would like to work in. It got me thinking about what events management really involves.
So to start with here is a definition of events management:
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.
When I started in the events industry, I was expecting it to involve jet setting around Europe, organising events in some luxurious venues and hanging out at registration desks. I was quite wrong.
So what does working in events management actually involve?
- Project management – you will be responsible for managing different elements of the event planning process so you need to be organised, able to multitask and use project management tools to help you
- Communication – you will be communicating with a whole range of people from delegates, stakeholders, speakers, suppliers and sponsors so your ability to communicate effectively with them all is key.
- Sourcing venues and suppliers – managing all the different suppliers and ensuring they deliver their services on time and in budget is critical to the success of any event
- Budget management – managing the finances effectively is an important part
- Creative thinking – coming up with innovative ways to engage the audience, produce events in short lead times and produce events that stands out is important
- Sustainability and inclusivity – ensuring events are run in a sustainable way with local suppliers, reducing carbon footprints and considering the social impact of an event. Making events accessible to all and inclusive is also vital and should be a part of the decision making process when selecting venues, suppliers, and speakers
- Marketing – social media has hugely impacted how events are marketed and a detailed marketing plan incorporating social media needs to be used to promote an event
- Managing risk – it is important to have a clear idea of the potential risks of an event, have strategies in place like a detailed risk assessment and contingency plan if things go wrong.
Samantha Salisbury has been working in events management for over 20 years. Her event management career started at the old Wembley stadium. She has since managed events all over the world covering sectors including sport, academia, pharmaceuticals, banking and public sector.
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