An event management career always sounds like a sociable, fun and high-paced choice that suits outgoing people who love a challenge, but is it right for you and can it provide a viable living?
What you’ll find in this article
- Is event management a good career?
- What is the difference between event manager and event planner?
- How do I start a career in event planning?
- How do I become an event planner with no experience?
- What are the duties and responsibilities of an event planner?
- What are the highest paying jobs in event management?
- The most sought-after job titles in event management
- What do all the different titles in event management mean?
- Where do event planners work?
Is event management a good career?
There’s no cut-and-dried answer here, because what makes for a good career for one person is a definite no-no for another, but in terms of being a good way to earn a wage, with opportunities for self-employment always on the horizon, then absolutely, it is a good career.
Those of you with naturally outgoing personalities, a high degree of organisation, people skills through the roof and a need for no two days to be the same will thrive in an event management career. You can work anywhere in the world and either for yourself, freelance for an agency or as an employee. The best part of all is that you can always see the results of your hard work – they are displayed in the rapturous smiles on your clients’ faces!
Read more: How to build a portfolio career
What is the difference between event manager and event planner?
It’s a bit confusing that event management jobs can have seemingly identical titles, and although there are definite areas that overlap, planners and managers are two very different things. For a start, one oversees the other.
Event planners are tasked with creating a concept for a special occasion, as well as suggesting themes, venues and crafting the budget. Planners do a lot of the legwork, compiling reams of information that need to be organised in such a way that the client can easily choose between various options, without feeling overwhelmed. It’s not an easy task.
Event managers oversee everything the planners do and have to take full responsibility for it. More than that, they have to make sure that nothing strays over budget, confirm venue bookings, ensure that the chosen concept is delivered exactly as discussed and they attend the events themselves. Why do they attend? In case anything unexpected happens, so they can be on hand to immediately rectify the issue, hopefully without the client ever realising.
How do I start a career in event planning?
If you’re sure that event management jobs are for you, there are a few ways that you can get started:
- Get a degree – It is in no way essential that you undertake further education, but a degree in event management, marketing or even leisure and tourism won’t go amiss. It could be the thing that sets you apart from hundreds of other applicants.
- Get experienced – In this industry, a lot of weight is given to your interpersonal skills, so if you don’t fancy the idea of studying for a degree, try to find some work-experience opportunities. You might need to volunteer at first, but it will give you a chance to shadow experienced planners and get a better understanding of the industry as a whole, before trying to secure a paid role.
- Consider your niche – When you are starting out on your events career journey, it’s worth thinking about your special talents and interests – they could be a niche that you could exploit. For example, if you love all things retro and kitsch, you could have a potential career planning vintage-style weddings.
Find out if you have the necessary transferable skills to transition into event management by uploading your CV to out ValueMyCV tool
How do I become an event planner with no experience?
The simplest way is to get some experience. That might sound easier said than done, but if you can spare some time to work for free, you’ll get a better idea if the industry really is for you. What’s more, if you contribute positively, you might be offered permanent entry-level event planning jobs, and even if not, you will have something relevant and quantifiable to add to your CV, which other potential employers will be impressed by. Event management internships are another viable option, and if you perform well, they could lead to assistant event manager jobs and beyond.
On a more grass-roots level, you should always be looking for opportunities to hone your skills. Try organising family get-togethers or getting involved with local organisations that hold a lot of events and could use some support. Every little bit of experience will help.
Read more: How to get your first job after graduation (with no experience) as well as our guide on internships and things you need to know when applying for one
What are the duties and responsibilities of an event planner?
In short, an event planner is responsible for imagining and bringing to life the most incredible event of a client’s life. Whether it’s a wedding, professional conference or something totally unique, the event needs to be perfectly tailored to the needs and tastes of the people at the helm and there must be no hiccups on the day.
Duties most commonly include:
- Creating a concept – A good event planner will be able to meet a client just once and get a real feel for who they are and what their tastes are like. Clever questions, meeting in a place of the client’s choosing and getting to the nitty-gritty quickly are key techniques to painting a picture of somebody and then building a concept around them. Concepts should be unique, relevant and, most importantly, doable.
- Deciding on a budget – With a concept drawn up, a budget can be allocated. This will need to take into account the client’s budget, operational costs, wages and anything else, including prop hiring and venue rent. Being able to marry up a client’s budget with profitability is a tricky skill to master, but is one that makes event planners such a valuable commodity.
- Finding venues – You’ll need reliable transport to be an event planner, as you’ll have to visit a lot of venues in order to assess issues such as accessibility, parking, toilet facilities and capacity.
- Reporting to the event manager – As an event planner, you’ll be responsible for regularly updating the event manager about progress. You will form a close-knit team that foresees and accounts for any problems on the day and projects a united, calm and in control front to your clients.
What are the highest paying jobs in event management?
There are a number of different roles and job titles to search for. We’ve looked at the most common job titles in event management and discovered that wedding planners (surprisingly) are not as well paid as travel or corporate events managers. See stats for March 2020 below.
| Popular job titles | Avg. salary |
|---|---|
| Travel & Events Management | £35,970 |
| Corporate Events Management | £35,250 |
| Freelance (Contract) Event Management | £32,913 |
| Event Management | £32,796 |
| Exhibition Management | £32,373 |
| Event Planning | £31,460 |
| Catering Event Management | £31,120 |
| Roadshow Coordination | £30,750 |
| Activities & Leisure Management | £30,370 |
| Charity Event Management | £30,110 |
| Conference Management | £29,981 |
| Events Marketing Management | £29,394 |
| Festival Management | £28,171 |
| Church Events Management | £28,087 |
| Events Operations | £27,419 |
| Group Event Management | £26,607 |
| Events Assistant | £26,139 |
| Cruise Event Coordination | £25,650 |
| Meeting & Events Coordination | £25,142 |
| Event Coordination | £23,773 |
| Sports Events Manager | £23,047 |
| Conference & Banqueting Management | £22,364 |
| Children's Party Planning | £22,186 |
| Party Planning | £20,810 |
| Hotel Event Coordination | £19,759 |
| Wedding Planning | £19,545 |
| Marketing and Events Internship | £17,823 |
The most sought-after job titles in event management
We looked at the number of times people search for a specific job title in event management industry and compared it with the number of jobs available for that exact title. What we get as a result is the number of jobs available per search.
While most jobs are available for titles like event management and event planning, you’ll have less competition if you go after titles like Conference coordinator, event marketing manager and event operations manager.
The most competitive titles are in party planning, sports event management, city event planning, wedding and festival management.
| Popular job titles | Monthly Search Volume | Jobs Available (March 2020) | Available Jobs per 1 Search |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conference manager/coordinator | 50 | 491 | 9.8 |
| Event marketing manager | 110 | 253 | 2.3 |
| Event operations manager | 20 | 46 | 2.3 |
| Meeting and events coordinator | 90 | 187 | 2.1 |
| Corporate event planner | 20 | 32 | 1.6 |
| Event planning | 1,900 | 2,282 | 1.2 |
| Exhibition project manager | 10 | 12 | 1.2 |
| Roadshow coordinator | 10 | 9 | 0.9 |
| Event coordinator | 1,900 | 1,694 | 0.9 |
| Fashion event planning | 10 | 7 | 0.7 |
| Event management | 5,400 | 2,666 | 0.5 |
| Travel event planner | 30 | 14 | 0.5 |
| Catering event manager | 10 | 4 | 0.4 |
| Hotel event coordinator | 20 | 7 | 0.4 |
| Festival management | 50 | 10 | 0.2 |
| Wedding planner | 1,600 | 302 | 0.2 |
| Party planner | 480 | 64 | 0.1 |
| Sports event management | 140 | 18 | 0.1 |
| City event planner | 10 | 1 | 0.1 |
What do all the different titles in event management mean?
- Event management – Roles that look for experienced events managers, usually at a high level and commanding average salaries of around £32,000.
- Event coordinator – Less senior than managers, but experienced, often in corporate event assistance.
- Event planning – Can include entry-level positions, as they support events managers in all aspect of project coordination.
- Wedding planner – Specialist planners that look after the most important day of their clients’ lives. No corporate events are included.
- Party planner – Social events coordination that require an outgoing personality.
- Freelance event manager – Someone who is tasked with one event at a time, rather than working across a portfolio of company projects.
- Event operations manager – Tasked with the logistics of deliveries and supplier liaison.
- Sports event management – Often involved with fundraising activities, travel and venue booking.
- Event marketing manager – Professionals who publicise events and secure large numbers of attendees.
- Meeting and events coordinator – A specific branch of administrative support that requires excellent organisation skills.
- Festival management – Requires the ability to coordinate a huge number of service providers and talent, along with marketing functions.
- Conference and banqueting manager – Specifically dealing with corporate events and overseeing smooth catering functionality, with average salaries in the £23,500 range.
- Exhibition project manager – Looking after clients that need trade show and exhibition support.
- Conference coordinator – Usually part of a larger team of professionals that look after a venue available for hire.
- Roadshow coordinator – Dealing with all aspects of event management while arranging travel and overseeing multiple destination facilities.
- Meeting convention planner – Tasked with coordinating smooth-running corporate information events.
- Event travel – Coordinating tours, roadshows and all aspects of travel for various clients.
- Corporate event planner – Looking after conferences, parties and charity events for businesses.
- Children’s party planner – Coordinating and sometimes hosting children’s parties in line with safeguarding legislation.
- Charity event manager – Delivering high-quality and successful charity events that maximise fundraising.
- Hotel event coordinator – Assisting with all aspects of event planning at one venue. An element of sales should be expected.
- Catering event manager – Responsible for all elements of food preparation, delivery, budgeting and sourcing for events.
- Birthday coordinator – Specifically focused on creating personal birthday-party experiences for one-to-one clients.
- Political event planner – Responsible for considering all aspects of an event, including security and press access.
- Cruise-ship event coordinator – Coordinating on-board events and receptions for paying cruise passengers, with day and evening options included.
- Fashion event planning – Usually experienced in creating memorable events in creative environments with press coverage considered throughout.
- City event planner – Responsible for creating accessible outreach events in city-centre locations.
- Private dining coordinator – Usually employed by one venue to cater to the needs of special dinner parties for any number of guests, including wedding parties.
- Church event coordinator – Religious convection is not essential, but sensitivity when planning events is.
Where do event planners work?
Everywhere! Wherever you look, there are companies and individuals that need help organising crucial events. These are all potential clients who can’t put a price on having the weight of event planning removed from their shoulders – but you can.
Event management is an incredibly diverse market sector, with countless ways to specialise and tap into particular skill sets and interests. The only things you need to decide are if you want to work for yourself or not, and the kind of events you want to make your name in.