Careers in events are a popular choice. For many event planners, it’s the excitement of planning, the lead-up and the buzz of the day that make events their chosen sector to work in. If you’re interested in a career in events, you will be glad to know there are numerous types of roles available to you, from event coordinators to social media planners. Find out what those roles are, which skills to master and the types of degrees that help with a career in events.
- Why work in events?
- What careers are available in events?
- What skills are needed to work in events?
- What degrees help with a career in events?
Why work in events?
A rewarding job
Are you the type of person who likes to see the results of your work? A career in events could be good for you. You will spend your days planning and working towards an event, then all your hard work will be realised with the end result. Client feedback is a massive part of events jobs and positive feedback will give you a great boost, ready for you to move on to your next one!
Full of variety
A career in events will be full of diversity. One week you may be planning a wedding open day for a local hotel, the next you might be planning the logistics to get a party of people abroad. A career in events may be physically active, you’ll sometimes travel and might spend nights away from home. No two events are ever the same, which keeps people in the industry on their toes.
It’s a career path full of potential
A career in events can offer a host of exciting opportunities. Starting out, you might work for a planning agency, or have an in-house events role, but there is scope to work for yourself or even create your own events agency.
What careers are available in events?
Events manager
Event managers oversee whole events, from the design to exhibitors, set-up, execution and debrief. They can be small-scale, like a business meeting for important clients, or large-scale festivals with thousands of attendees, and anything in between. Event managers also allocate the budget, are responsible for ensuring the cost of an event is on track, as well as managing a team of event coordinators and assistants.
Event coordinator
Generally, event coordinators are responsible for planning, organising, managing and coordinating various events. This includes coordinating meetings with clients, selling spaces at the event, liaising with marketing and ultimately deciding details about events. It’s common to have a number of event coordinators on a team, accompanied by event administrators and assistants.
Public relations and marketing executive
PR and event marketers are responsible for achieving a good turnout for the event. They do this by promoting the events, combining online and offline marketing methods to try and attract an audience. Event marketing specialists can either work in-house for large companies, or for event marketing agencies, who work with a number of clients.
Event field jobs
These are typically manual event jobs, including anything from security and parking to catering, event setup crew or being an AV or sound technician.
Conference and events executive
Conference and events executives usually work in-house in big hospitality environments. This could be in a hotel, a purpose-built convention centre or a conference centre. Their main responsibilities include taking enquiries for meetings, conferences, and events. They also book meetings, send quotations (these are formal statements that set out the estimated cost for a particular event or service), booking forms and all other relevant correspondence leading up to and after the event.
Museum or gallery exhibitions coordinator
Museum or gallery exhibitions coordinators are responsible for the planning, delivery and installation of exhibitions. They could be individual exhibitions intended to be in a space for a short time, long-standing or even travelling exhibitions. These roles vary in galleries or museums but may include public relations and marketing, logistics and even producing publications.
Tourism officer
The role of a tourism officer is very varied, but generally, they promote tourism, sightseeing, and events to increase revenue for a particular city, region or site. They are responsible for visitor management, marketing, and the development of tourism campaigns. At more senior levels, they can be responsible for a team as well as a strategic plan. Tourism officers can work for a range of employers, including local authorities or large private sites such as a national park, or a private shopping centre.
What skills are needed to work in events?
Event planning can be a full-on industry and requires a specialised skill set. Industry experience is key to grasping the skills of a successful event planner, which can be easily obtained by picking up a few temporary events roles through Unitemps. Previous experiences like bar work, waitressing or front of house allow you to grasp the interpersonal and time-keeping skills needed for events, and give you a taste of the fast-paced work schedule.
Some of the roles listed above have individual skills and specialisms needed to succeed. For example, an AV sound technician would have a different skill set to an events coordinator. If you are interested in applying for a job in a specific area, we would suggest finding adverts for those roles and looking at the job description and person specification. Here you can identify the skills and experience you already have and where you need to improve to meet the essential criteria for the role.
Nevertheless, here are some skills that would be beneficial to any role in events:
- Organisation
- Multitasking
- Communication
- Problem-solving
- Budgeting
- Leadership
- Negotiation
- To be technologically savvy
What degrees help with a career in events?
The primary route into a career in events is to study events management or a related degree. There are various finance, business, and marketing skills that event planners also need to know, so related degrees can include business studies, PR, marketing, hospitality management, and communications.
There is no set route into an events career, so if you don’t have a degree, here are some ways to get into an events career without a degree:
- A level 2 certificate college course in event planning for roles such as event assistant or coordinator
- A level 3 certificate college course in event management for entry-level management jobs
- A level 3 diploma at college in live events and promotion for roles related to marketing
Other online courses that would be beneficial to a career in events would include:
- Marketing and promotion
- Finance and accounting
- Leadership and management
- Food and beverage, food hygiene etc.
- Technology courses, including lighting and sound
- Staging and decoration courses
Most job adverts will state whether a degree or equivalent is needed, so if you are interested in a role, we would recommend checking the essential criteria.
To find out about more career paths, take a look at our “What can I do with my degree?” section and discover other opportunities available to you by finding and applying for events roles on the Unitemps website.
Last updated on 20 January 2023
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