How to Become an Event Management Professional

Creative, business-savvy, organized, well-connected? Do you have what it takes to be an event management professional?

What Does an Event Management Professional Do?

From the moment a proposal is accepted to the moment the event actually takes place, event management professionals wear a lot of different hats. They conceptualize, plan, budget, staff, coordinate and execute functions of all kinds, including corporate, social, fundraising, holiday and awareness-raising functions.

Event managers take care of all the details, from the biggest to the smallest — everything from hiring building and service staff to designing promotional materials to ensuring that safety standards are upheld during a function. A big part of event management is accounting and having contacts in the industry who can guarantee not only cost-effectiveness but on-time delivery of their products and services. It’s a high-pressure career path with huge pay-offs. A successful, smoothly-run event can lead to event management professionals having more incoming proposals than they thought possible.

Is This Career Right For Me?

Event management professionals are creative thinkers who love to bring their vision to life. However, event managers must also be exceptionally well-organized, have amazing business and accounting abilities, reliable persons in their business network, and be top-level multi-taskers. In order to bring a creative vision to life, the event manager starts with a budget – one that must be adhered to, no matter what. That means budgeting and planning for the unexpected. Event managers have to think on their toes and have contingency plans for any issues that might arise during the execution of an event plan. This means being prepared for materials that don’t arrive on time, workers who don’t show up and any other event-related mini-disasters. People who don’t work well under pressure should consider another career path: event management is extremely rewarding and can be a very lucrative career, but a thick skin and calm, proactive demeanor are key.

Where Are The Jobs?

More and more businesses turn to event management professionals to handle all aspects of their functions, from corporate events to wine-and-cheese get-togethers. As a result, there are opportunities for qualified event managers in virtually every industry. Some of the most common include charitable and not-for-profit organizations, community and sports associations, consulting firms, sports facilities, nightclubs, live performance venues, hotels and other hospitality workplaces and art galleries. Wedding, birthday and anniversary events also require a professional at the helm. A well-connected, business-savvy event management professional can be self-employed and make a very comfortable living simply by positive word-of-mouth.

Where Can I Study?

These are just some of the schools offering programs that will qualify you to work as an event management professional, including programs with specialties in exhibit design, fundraising, sports, entertainment and the arts:

• Academy of Learning
• Algonquin College
• CDI College
• Conestoga College
• Georgian College
• Humber College
• Metalworks Institute
• Niagara College
• Trebas Institute