How to Become a Successful Event Planner?

There are a few things that successful event managers do, we bring you a few of them that we have discovered over the years working with them.

Event planners manage events of different sizes and types end to end. Some event planners choose to be specialists in specific events such as concerts, conferences etc. Others, choose to be generalists and organise multiple events. To become an event planner is a gradual process. Though there is no single mantra to become an event planner, there are certain steps you can follow to become one.

7 Steps to Become a Successful Event Planner

Getting Started

1. Experience

If you want to understand event management inside out, it is important to gain some experience in the field. To gain experience you can volunteer, get an internship or join a full time job.

Volunteer

If you are just starting out, you can volunteer for different events. This will help you gain a perspective on how things are done at a ground level. We recommend you try different job profiles to understand which aspect of event management do you enjoy the most.

Paid Job

In case you have some work experience in event management or a related field, you can look for a paid job. This will help you get a hands-on experience of how events are planned, organised and managed. You can get a job with an event management company like Townscript that has its own tech driven event management software that manages events end-to-end. Or, you can work with the event management department of different companies.

2. Education

The age old question about getting a degree in event management is — “to do, or not to do?”. If you prefer theory before practice, getting a Bachelors degree will help you understand the field better. Thus, it’ll help you become an event manager faster.

However, if you prefer learning while doing — you can skip getting a degree specific to this field and directly get some experience.

We recommend doing both together! Get at least a Bachelors Degree and intern with a relevant company to understand what event managers do. Some of the fields in which you can get a degree include Event Management (Hospitality, Tourism etc.), Management, Business Administration, and Communications.

3. Certification

If you want to specialise in a specific field with event management, you can get a certification in that field. This certification will also help you connect with people with similar interests. Some of these certifications include certified meeting professionals, certified special events professional, certified government meeting professional etc.

Earning a certification along with your experience as an event planner will give you an edge over your competitors. However, experience is valued the most by clients.

Know your Niche

4. Shortlist the Type of Events of Your Interest

Once you’ve gained experience in different kinds of events and worked in different aspects of event planning, you must decide on what kind of event planner do you want to be? Do you want to focus on a certain type of event or do you want to be a generalist?

In case you want to specialise in a certain type of an event, start by shortlisting relevant events. Gain experience in these, and understand the future demand for them. This way you’ll know your niche. Therefore, you’ll be able to reach the right target audience.

5. Develop the Right Skill Set

Certain skills are a basic requirement to become an event planner. Such skills include project management, verbal and written communication skills, stakeholder management, relationship building, and multi-tasking. When you go deeper than this and know your niche, you will need more skills depending on your specialisation.

Setting your Practice

6. Figure Out How You Want To Do It

The next step is to figure out the best way for you to practice being an event planner. You can either register your own event planning company, or you can work for one. You can also work with event planning teams of different companies. It all comes down to how you want to practice what you’ve learnt!

7. Tap your Network

Whatever medium you choose to set your practice, the success of your event will depend on how well it reaches the right target audience. Promote, promote and promote your event as much as you can. The best way is to tap into your network and reach out to your connections. This will help you reach the most relevant audience. Therefore, you’ll be successful as an event planner if your event is attended by the right people.

Summary of Steps to Become an Event Planner

Event planning as a career is gaining more popularity than ever. An increasing number of people are now working as event managers. This trend is predicted to continue for years to come.

There isn’t a single formula to follow for becoming a successful event planner. However, the above steps will give you a clarity of how to begin and how to prioritise tasks. We recommend getting an educational degree or certification and experience in your preferred field within event management. A successful event planner develops the right skill set and promotes the event extensively.

Originally published at blog.townscript.com on July 25, 2019.