What does an event manager in the creative industries do?
Event managers organise large events - whether that be weddings, music festivals or expos for the VFX or TV industries.
Event managers in the creative industries work with creative clients, such as museums or fashion companies, and listen to them to find out what kind of event they want to create. They come up with ideas, agree the budget and the time scales for the client.
Then they find the best place to hold the event, work out what entertainment they need to book, organise the publicity, caterers, security, toilet facilities and insurance.
On the day of the event, the event manager is there – dealing with anything that might go wrong, be that a glitch in the sound system or people having to wait for too long to get in.
If you want to work as an event manager in the creative industries, there are three different ways in which you might be employed. You might start out as a junior with a specialist event management company. Or you might work as part of a small events team for a large company that provides a different service, like advertising. Or you might be self-employed, offering your services to clients directly.
Watch
- Day in the life of events manager – Roger Hooker
- A day in the life of an event manager- Rhonesia D'Souza
- The harsh realities of being an event planner
What’s an event manager in the creative industries good at?
- Planning: organise, attend to details, be meticulous, think of everything
- Flexibility: be able to change arrangements, work well with whatever happens
- Creativity: imagine a great event, have ideas, be able to solve problems when things don’t go to plan
- Working anti-social hours: work at weekends and evenings, work hardest when other people are relaxing
- Communication: be able to get on well with clients, chat to people attending events, be friendly while under pressure
How do I become an events manager in the creative industries?
- Get yourself qualified. Go to the National Careers Service: events manager for full details of how to do that.
- Get to know your chosen creative industry. Look at the Creative Careers Programme list of partners to find websites about the particular creative industry in which you would like to work. Get to know people by volunteering. Network online through Facebook groups and other social sites. Find out as much as you can about the companies you’d like to work for so you’re in a strong position when you apply for jobs.
Where can being an event manager take me?
Being an event manager can take you all over the world, if you want it to. It can lead to master-minding huge events like royal weddings or massive festivals.