Event Manager Career Information
Be it a birthday party or a marriage reception Event Managers are the master organizer- the brain behind these events. Right from arranging yummy chole baturas to flying in flowers straight from Amsterdam, Event Managers will be counted upon to handle the works.
What an Event Manager does
Career Overview
If you want to test your organising skills with bigger events like the next Miss India contest, you have to consider a career in Event Management. Who knows as an event manager you might just land the deal to hold a Britney Spears concert in India. Think big!!! So get ready. It's showtime folks!
Event Management is an offshoot of the Advertising/PR Industry. Ever since the advent of satellite television everyone is exposed to mega events being held all over the world simultaneously. Award ceremonies too have become more polished. Car launches are rivaling the derby in terms of glamour. So the demand for individuals specializing in Event Management is on the rise.
As an Event Manager you'll conceptualize an event for your client in terms of theme, content and visualization.As an Event Manager you'll also look at the minute details like décor, furnishing, design, caption, visuals, feedback, scripting, invitation cards and also the medium of presentation.
Event Managers organise everything be it marriage reception, trade show, exhibitions, conventions, road shows, product launches, public entertainment shows, concerts, high profile parties, awards functions and even sporting events.
As an Event Manager your job starts at least 2-3 months ahead of the actual date of the event. The amount of work will depend on the magnitude of the event. For instance if you are getting in Britney Spears for a concert in India, you will have to get in touch with Britney, coordinate her dates, book tickets, take care of her accommodation in India, get the requisite legal permissions, select and book the venue, get the sponsors to pay up in time, etc.
The real work happens on the D day when, as an event manager you will have to check the sound, lights, set design, security and the works. Mainly event manager's job would be to work out the actual logistics and co-ordinate between the various parties, generate hype and spread the word around.
Don't take the word hype lightly here. It's the single-most important factor in this business. Event industry thrives on hype - the more the better. As a event manager, you basically get anyone and everyone (even those who are not remotely connected to the event) to talk about the event.
Troubleshooting is another important function of an Event Manager, As an event manager you never know when things might go wrong. Here, security is the buzzword. A really good event can be marred by poor security. If you are arranging an event for New Years Eve, troublemakers will have to be taken care of. Gatecrashers will spoil a perfectly arranged marriage party. As an event manager you have to take these things into account when you arrange a big event.
Last but not the least, As an event manager you have to make sure that all the requisite permissions have been sought. You'll often have to deal with spoilsports like cops. Basically, an event manager's job is to see that all things are taken care of.
Job Opportunity
There are numerous firms that specialise in Event Management. Besides these, most advertising and PR agencies too have separate Event Management arms.
Many dotcoms too have their own Event Management arms, specifically tailored to suit their needs. If you manage to make good contacts, you can even work as an event manager on your own or freelance for major agencies.
Career Prospects
Miss world, Miss universe, Miss Asia pacific, Miss India, Miss Chinchpolkli… Isn't it obvious? There are way too many events being held these days it's increasingly becoming difficult to distinguish one from the other.
As an event manager, if you come up with something out of the way and interesting then you could blow your bugle. Conversely if your show flops, then be ready for instant brickbats. As an Event Manager you could even diversify into set designing, lighting or music coordination.
Abilities & Traits Required
As an Event Manager you need to be good at organising - very good in fact. Experience in event management field even, if it is in organising the local Ganpati pandal or a friend's bachelor party will hold you in good stead. As an Event Manager you need to have good interpersonal and communications skill, as you will be in contact with all sorts of people right from a stage decorator to the CEO of a company.
Loads of confidence and enthusiasm are also important if you wish to sustain yourself in Event Management industry.
Although accounting is not a pre-requisite in event management, students aspiring to be event managers should have a sense of it in order to negotiate better with suppliers.
Qualifications
Usually individuals with a postgraduate degree in Mass Communications/ Advertising/ PR/ Business Management are preferred for the position of an event manager. Some institutes also have diploma courses in Event Management.
Salary
As a event management trainee you'll get Rs 15000 - 18000. With a little bit of experience in event management you could get as much as Rs 50000-60000 thousand per event. Of course, an event might take two to three months from the planning to the actual execution.
Once settled you can command your price. As an Event Manager you can earn more than 200000 an event. And if you could manage to bring N-Sync down to India, well, then that'll mean having a very fat piggy bank.