How to Choose an Event Management Career in the 21st Century
Focus on these 5 factors/ parameters to make a career in the event management industry in the 21st century.
Choosing an Event Management Career in the 21st Century
Careers in event management are on a rise. You don’t really need to be associated with a big event management company. Thanks to social media platforms like Instagram and Pinterest, you can, in fact, start with a one-man army, garner followers and build on it with a business sense. Choosing a career usually starts in the prep school, when young ones are offered lessons that generate curiosity, and eventually, create interest in a particular field.
The question here is that event management is a recent transformation. How will you make a career out of it when the details are unknown. The simple answer is that universities are starting to offer curated courses around event management to train fresh talent. Leading B schools are offering part-time/ short-term courses for working professionals to take that leap of faith. In our last article, we discussed the top 10 careers available in the event management industry.
Focus on these 5 factors to make a career in the event management industry in the 21st century:
1. Know Your Talent
To get into the industry, the first and foremost is to identify your talent. Even management is not for the weak-hearted. Be it any career option in the industry, you must possess some inherent skills and personality traits. The industry requires one to be extremely outgoing and energetic. If you pay attention to detail and adapt to change quickly, this might just be the career for you. There is no rocket science in determining this. You just need to introspect and see what has been your passion. If you want to back your passion with some science, take a personality test. Read here to understand if you are born to be a part of the event management industry (Note: this is just for your reference and this must not define your career choices)
2. Get The Right Education
Once you know what you are capable of, there is nothing that can stop you. A little education goes a long way. If you are keen on making a career in the event management industry, enroll for a course/ degree. Universities and institutions across the globe are offering specific courses focussed on event management. Check this article by Townscript to know more about the colleges that offer courses in India. If you can’t take a full-time course, you can choose an online course. Portals are Udemy offer some great courses that help you get the relevant skillset. To get global recognition you can also opt for CIM accredited level 4 Diploma Course in event management, offered by Eventacademy. Normandie Business School is one of the world’s most reputed schools to offer a curated master in event management. Check for more information here
3. Research Current Industry Trends
When you want to get full throttle into the event management sector, you might as well know which specific area do you want to focus on. Event Management is a vast spectrum. You may choose to play a front-facing role or may prefer to work behind the scenes. While going in-depth about the roles and profiles, align your research with your passion and education. There is more focus on leisure with technological innovation. Events are very careful about global climate issues, and their sustainability is the focus. If you have a degree in social work with a certification in management, then events are for you. Eventmanagerblog captures the vision of event planning in 2020. VR and AI are taking the front seat with creative space design and a brilliant conference architecture.
4. Prepare The Right Portfolio
Don’t wait for your education to finish, or campus placements, or an opportunity to knock your door. The best thing to do is to keep working on your portfolio and keep it in the public eye. Be creative while doing that- make your website, or run a social media handle that can garner followers. Know your interests and do online certifications, add more skills, help your family and friends with their events. This will help you learn on the job skills. Get yourself an internship with an event planner or an event management company. Showing some creativity while preparing a CV for the job will go a long way. Reading your resume should feel like listening to an MC or host of an event. Nail these small factors and you surely will have the right job in your bag.
5. Reach Out To People On The Top Ladder
The foundation of any business in good networking and leveraging that network for mutual growth and greater impact. To enter the right organization at the right time, keep your network strong. Attend events that reflect your areas of interest. Use that opportunity to speak to relevant people and build over it. Few steps you can do to get connected are
- Network in the event/ via common friends/ via social media
- Connect with the person on LinkedIn
- Like and share common interests
- Identify an opportunity that you would like on work on
- Propose it and keep following up.
Remember, its all about how well you market your skills. If you need help with the format of the CV/ portfolio, you will find plenty of templates on the web.
Summary: How to Choose an Event Management Career in the 21st Century
There is plenty of opportunity in the event management space. With annual events in the corporate sector to grand weddings and personal parties. People like to spend lavishly and budgets are on an all-time high. There is no hard and fast rule that will get you a career in the event management field. Keep your focus on networking, and some basic events oriented education. Wondering what will education do? — It will offer you a common ground to connect with a potential employer or an event partner. We suggest that your focus should always keep tech innovation in mind. Make yourself a little tech-friendly and you can grab a great opportunity.
Originally published at blog.townscript.com on May 23, 2019.
