Are you thinking about a career as an event manager?
Event management is widely regarded as one of the most stressful professions. It demands determination, resilience, and a temperament that thrives under pressure.
Despite these challenges, it can be a fulfilling lifelong career, offering diverse opportunities and a dynamic work environment that keeps you constantly engaged.
If that sounds like you, you’re probably already asking yourself, how do I become a successful event manager in 2024?
Read on to find out what an event manager does, the skills you need, and how to kick-start your career as an event manager.
Table of Contents:
What does an event manager do?
- Planning and organisation: An event manager coordinates every event detail, from initial concept to final execution, creating comprehensive plans that outline timelines, budgets, and logistics.
- Budget management: Event managers negotiate contracts, secure sponsorships, and track expenses to ensure the event stays within financial constraints.
- Vendor coordination: The event manager manages multiple vendors, ensuring a smooth operation and that everyone follows the plan.
- Venue management: An important part of the event manager’s job is to source and secure the right venue, handling contracts and all related logistics, including layout and technical requirements.
- Marketing and promotion: Depending on the organisation, as an event manager, you’ll directly deal with or collaborate on creating marketing materials, managing social media campaigns, and coordinating with the media.
- Attendee experience: The event manager is responsible for ensuring a positive experience for attendees from the initial invitation to the follow-up after the event. This involves addressing attendee needs and resolving any issues that may arise. At times, this work is carried out directly or with the support of an event marketing team, if there is one.
- Stakeholder management: Event managers often head or work with a team of coordinators, volunteers, and staff, ensuring efficient collaboration and smooth event execution.
- Risk management: Identifying potential risks and developing contingency plans to mitigate them, ensuring the event proceeds smoothly despite challenges.
- Evaluation: Gathering data is vital for improvement, so event managers often conduct evaluations by gathering feedback, analysing success against objectives, and identifying improvement areas for future events. This is important work as stakeholders often request the event ROI so they can make strategy decisions for future planning.
The challenge of event manager job descriptions
When looking for a job as an event manager, you may encounter various terms used to describe the role. Some companies may refer to the position as an event organiser, event planner, event producer, or event designer.
There are many job descriptions in the events industry. For some, the title of event manager tends to be favoured compared to event planner simply because the term planner may not fully encompass everything the role includes.
So, when you apply for a role, make sure to carefully read the description. According to Glassdoor, the average salary for an event manager in the United Kingdom is £37,364 per year, and the average salary for an event planner is £30,397 per year.
Some companies perceive the roles as distinct, although others use the terms "planner" and "manager" interchangeably.
In fact, according to the Fourth Annual Benchmark Report for Corporate Events, one of the biggest findings was the surprisingly wide range of job titles used across the events industry. But don’t get dispirited about the lack of standardization; it’s just something to be aware of.
There are various ways to work as an event manager. You could work in-house for a company, through an event agency, or as a freelancer. The role itself is likely to be similar, but each organisation will have its own culture that affects its operations and the types of businesses it works with.
What skills should every event manager have?
The specific abilities an event manager requires depend on the needs of the individual organisation, but they all need to possess these core skills:
1. People skills
An event management job involves dealing with various stakeholders and vendors. Knowing how to manage and collaborate with various groups of people, including C-level executives, vendors, sponsors, attendees, and colleagues, is critical.
This role requires event managers to create and sustain great relationships and negotiate and resolve conflicts.
2. Organisational skills
Being organised is an essential quality for all event managers.
Running an event involves managing multiple tasks. Many event managers have well-documented processes, detailed checklists, and handy event management software to help them. If things don't go as planned, they can use their organisational skills and switch to their "Plan B" without panicking.
3. Communication skills
Effective communication skills are vital for event managers as they interact with people from various backgrounds and cultures. This is even more important when working with different teams and stakeholders who may have competing priorities.
Listening actively to all parties is central to meeting their needs and expectations.
4. Problem-solving
Due to the unpredictable nature of event planning, event managers need to possess problem-solving skills and think on their feet. Finding solutions to any issues that may come up can make dealing with last-minute glitches and unforeseen problems easier.
While many problems can be anticipated, preparing for the unexpected is important. One of the best ways to prepare is to play out various scenarios of 'What if this happens' and decide the best course of action for each one.
💡 Check out our guide on how to plan for the unexpected at your events
5. Creativity
Creative thinking helps in crafting engaging events that stand out and align with the client's vision and goals.
Part of the event manager’s role is to ensure each event feels fresh and compelling for attendees. This can take many forms, such as new ways to hold panel discussions, innovative seating, or menu planning.
6. Ability to work under pressure
Event management is a high-pressure role and is often considered one of the most stressful occupations. This is in part due to tight deadlines, the need to think on your feet, and the pressure to stay within budget.
Steadily increasing event attendee expectations and changes in work patterns, such as hybrid and remote working, put event managers under added pressure. However, many event professionals do well in such situations. It tends to attract the kind of personality that loves a bit of pressure.
7. Negotiation skills
Negotiation skills are integral to event success. Event managers negotiate with vendors, team members, and a wide range of other stakeholders. The real skill lies in knowing what to push back on and what to concede easily to get the right outcome.
8. Tech skills
Event managers need to be comfortable with the basics of using event tech to make their lives easier, but that doesn’t mean you need to be a master of every technology.
However, you’ll need to be familiar with event management software, registration platforms, and audio-visual equipment to streamline planning and execution processes.
💡 If you’re interested in learning more about event tech skills, check out our blog post on how to become an event technologist
9. Attention to detail
An event manager needs a keen eye for detail to ensure that nothing is overlooked, from the smallest décor element to the overall event flow. It all contributes to a seamless experience, and small oversights can significantly impact the attendee experience.
10. Project management
Event managers should have solid project management skills so they can coordinate and execute all aspects of the event efficiently. This includes managing timelines and resources and collaborating with different teams.
Events have strict deadlines, so managing time efficiently and prioritising tasks is essential to ensure everything is completed on schedule.
11. Budget management
Successful event managers have strong financial acumen. This is needed to manage event budgets, negotiate contracts, and ensure that the event stays within the financial constraints while still delivering maximum value.
12. Marketing and promotion skills
The most effective event managers understand how to market and promote events. They use marketing tools and social media to attract attendees and drive campaign success.
While an event manager doesn’t need to carry out the marketing and promotional tasks, they do need to have oversight. This will ensure that everything is executed according to the marketing plan.
13. Understanding event trends
Event managers' responsibilities include staying current on the latest trends in the event industry. This ensures that they can provide their internal company stakeholders or clients with the best options to achieve their goals.
A couple of current trends highlight that many events now have shorter lead times, and delegate registrations are coming in later compared to previous years. Basically, attendees are taking more time to decide whether to attend an event.
5 reasons to become an event manager
1. Involves a variety of tasks
Event management involves various tasks and never gets mundane. In a single day, you could attend an on-site visit of a venue, negotiate contracts, brainstorm attendee engagement ideas, meet with suppliers, and travel to meet suppliers.
An event manager’s role is dynamic and diverse, with no two days being the same.
2. Opportunities for travel
Event planning can take you places - literally. Whether you’re planning a workshop in the same city or a multi-day conference in a different country, being an event manager means you get to explore new destinations and venues during your career as an event manager.
3. Creativity and innovation
Event management allows you to express your creativity and bring innovative ideas to life.
Miranda van Brück, CED, Creative Director & Executive Producer, says, “My work as an Event Design consultant and freelance event producer allows me to travel the world. But the most rewarding key benefit of all is the opportunity to bring creative visions to life by designing events worth attending and creating memorable experiences.”
The events industry is teeming with constantly evolving event technology such as 360-degree cameras, virtual reality, RFIDs, and drones. As an event manager, you need to adapt to tech trends to creatively enhance attendee experiences.
4. Skill development
The role helps develop broad skills, including project management, budgeting, negotiation, communication, and problem-solving. These skills are highly transferable and will prove beneficial for career growth.
5. Personal and professional growth
Each event presents unique challenges, encouraging continuous learning and growth. Handling diverse situations enhances your adaptability and resilience.
Tahira Endean, Head of Programme at IMEX, echoes this when she says, “Events have the power to bring meaning and joy to people, and you get to be part of creating the space where serendipity, learning, connection, and transformation happen.”
Common challenges of being an event manager
1. Time constraints
Events often have strict deadlines, and managing time effectively can be challenging. This can be even tougher when juggling multiple tasks while ensuring everything is on schedule.
It’s often the case that the closer you get to the event, the more demands you’ll face from stakeholders, attendees, and speakers. They all seem to want your attention at the same time.
2. Leadership ability
Leading a team of coordinators, volunteers, and other staff requires strong leadership and communication skills. Ensuring everyone is on the same page and working efficiently can be challenging.
Everyone believes that their part in the event process is just as essential as everyone else's. A key part of your job is maintaining a wider perspective, prioritising, and delegating where necessary.
3. Budget management
It can be difficult to stay within budget while delivering a high-quality event. Unexpected expenses can arise, requiring careful financial planning and negotiation skills.
It’s vital that you, as an event manager, can say no to non-essential or nice-to-have elements when budgets are tight.
4. Client expectations
Whether you’re a corporate, agency, or freelance event manager, exceeding expectations is crucial. Internal stakeholders or clients sometimes have challenging demands or shifting requirements, which can add pressure and require effective communication and negotiation skills.
Endean understands all about making clients happy and offers this advice: “You build the infrastructure but then have very little control over what happens once it begins, and all in the service of many stakeholders with many ideas. You must learn not to be married to your ideas but to plant seeds and watch how they grow, often in delightful and unexpected ways.“
5. Stress and burnout
Event management's high-pressure nature, long hours, and intense workloads can lead to stress and burnout. Maintaining a healthy work-life balance is essential but can often be difficult.
Van Bruck recognises this issue, “Event management is widely recognised as one of the most stressful professions and consistently ranks amongst the top five most stressful jobs. This ranking is mainly due to several stress-inducing factors inherent to the role, like tight deadlines, high client expectations, and the need for flawless execution under pressure. “
However, she believes the benefits can outweigh the stress, adding, “At the same time, this challenge is also one of the unique identifiers that make this job so interesting and rewarding.“
💡 Check out our event professional's guide to beating burnout and stress
6. Receiving feedback
Gathering feedback and implementing improvements for future events is crucial for growth. However, handling criticism and continuously enhancing the quality of events can be demanding.
These challenges require event managers to be resourceful, adaptable, and resilient. Successfully navigating these obstacles is part of what makes event management such a rewarding and dynamic profession.
How to begin a career as an event manager
1. Research event management opportunities
Event managers are vital for the smooth running and flawless execution of events. If you’re interested in this role, it’s time to start your research.
Read job adverts and establish what appeals to you and why. Take a look at the skills and qualifications needed and set your goals for the future.
Read widely, trawl the internet, and listen to industry podcasts to find out all you can.
Use your network to find people who are already working as event managers and listen to their experiences. Tapping into their insights can teach you a lot about what it’s like in the role.
2. Gain the qualifications and skills needed
Obtaining a qualification in event management can give you an advantage over your competition. Many colleges and universities offer programmes in event management, and degrees are available at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
Apart from courses available from colleges and universities, many other certifications are available from associations and industry bodies, which can be invaluable. For example, qualifications such as the Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) or Certified Special Events Professional (CSEP) enhance credentials and knowledge.
As events become more sophisticated, event managers require continuous learning. Consider taking relevant industry certifications, such as those provided by the Cvent Academy, to keep up with the ongoing and rapid development of event tech
The role of an event manager is multifaceted. Make a list of the skills you already have and keep it handy. Compare the skills needed with those you have. Make sure you keep refining the skills you have and developing new ones.
3. Attend conferences and networking events
Attending conferences and networking events is a highly effective way to stay abreast of industry conversations. What are the issues, and what does that mean for event managers?
Attending external conferences can introduce you to diverse perspectives. For example, the Cvent CONNECT Europe conference provides thought leadership sessions on the latest events and industry trends.
In addition to conferences and workshops, take every opportunity to attend networking events. Networking events tend to be places where people speak more openly, and you’ll be able to make valuable connections. You never know where a conversation may end up taking you in your career.
4. Join a professional event association
Associations play a crucial role in the events industry. Searching for 'event associations' online will bring up a list of them. Many associations offer student memberships and have programmes tailored for newcomers.
The big advantage of joining an association is that you get the opportunity to participate in conferences, workshops, and networking events where you can meet other professionals and learn about industry trends.
5. Volunteer and build your experience
Building experience is essential for developing skills and insights, and volunteering is one of the best ways to do this.
You should seriously consider volunteering. You’ll meet all sorts of people and be encouraged to get involved fully, which will provide you with vital event planning experience.
Charity and not-for-profit events typically need volunteers on a regular basis.
6. Find a mentor
Find a mentor in the events industry who can provide guidance, advice, and insights based on their experience. You’ll find people who like to mentor others as a way of giving back.
Remember that mentoring is a two-way street, as mentors also learn from their mentees.
7. Keep a learning journal
A learning journal is an invaluable tool for tracking your professional development. It’s personal, so it’s just for you; no one else needs to see it.
It’ll help you see your achievements and highlight any gaps in your experience. Every piece of work you do adds to your experience.
After a training session or work project, do a debrief for yourself. Ask yourself what you learned and what you would do next time.
Embrace the future of event management
Becoming successful in event management in 2024 requires a blend of diverse skills, continuous learning, and adaptability.
The best event managers possess an abundance of organisational and communication skills and are detail-orientated and calm under pressure. Embracing creativity, technological advancements, and keeping up with industry trends is crucial in this dynamic field.
Aspiring event managers should pursue relevant qualifications and certifications and actively seek networking opportunities. Joining professional associations, attending industry events, and finding a mentor can give you invaluable insights and experience. With dedication and resilience, you can thrive in this rewarding career and create memorable events that exceed client expectations.
For more tips and tricks, check out our must-read guide to the latest trends impacting the events industry.
