Anoop Verma
YES, it is possible to have a fulfilling career in event management. Till few years ago, an event manager conjured the image of someone whose only business was organising gala weddings or fashion shows, but now the scope of work has expanded far beyond that. These days’ event managers are required for organising anything from trade fairs, media events, forums, academic seminars and business conferences to sporting tournaments and film festivals.
Event management is now a fast growing sunrise industry; according to some estimates, there are close to 2,000 event management companies operating in the country. Some of these companies are focussed on a single venue, while others have the capability of dealing with a wide range of venues. The companies also vary with respect to the kind of events that they organise.
Once you manage to bag a job with a large events company, you might be able to have a considerable amount of exposure. On a regular basis, you could be hobnobbing with academics, political leaders, thought leaders, business icons, media figures, and even film and sports stars. A successful events manager needs to be in tune with the current trends. There are networks and hubs online and in print that are worth keeping on top of. Specialist LinkedIn groups are good examples.
Qualification
The most important thing that you require for being a good event manager is inter-personal skills. As event manager, you have to work as the brand ambassadors of your clients who want to organise a certain kind of event. So you have to be capable of coordinating with lot of people. You need to be resourceful, imaginative and problem solver. Being a team player is a key to success in this field.
As far as your academic qualification is concerned, the major event companies will expect you should at least be a graduate. However, there are many cases where youngsters who have only studied up to the 10+2 level are able to make a mark in the field of event management. The opinion on the utility of formal education in event management is divided, but you can peruse a course with the hope that it will give you a basic grounding the kind of work that you will be doing.
Today many institutions in the county have started offering courses in event management. For instance, there are the National Institute of Event Management, Mumbai; International Institute of Event Management, SNDT Women’s University, Mumbai and National Academy of Event Management and Development Mumbai. All these institutions offer postgraduate diploma in event management.
A diploma in Event Management typically covers event branding, writing an event brief, production and technical, celebrity and artist management, types of media, creativity in events, event sponsorship, PR with context to events, in-film marketing and promotions, wedding planning, award ceremonies, entrepreneurship, and other areas.
If you have not studied events at school or college level, then you can join the diploma courses in event management that many private training institutions are providing. However, before joining any institute you should do a proper research about the kind of courses that they are offering, the quality of their faculty and their placement records.
It is true that most people enter the field of event management with an unrelated degree or diploma, some even come from related fields like PR and marketing.
Career Options
You can begin by working as a manager in an event’s company. There is simply no dearth of companies that are looking for competent young people. Some of the most major players in the event business include the likes of Wizcraft, 360 degrees, Percept Dmark, DNA Networks, Tafcon Group, E-factor and Event Crafter.
You can also find openings with leading media organisations. As event manager in media company, you will be required to organise thematic media conferences and forums in different venues. At the end of the day, it is your hard work, creativity and good organisational skills that will help you carve a niche for yourself as an events organiser. Of course, in this line of work you need loads of patience too.
The corporate world is also hiring event managers in large numbers. So don’t be surprised, if you find yourself working as an event manager for an international IT company or a leading Public Sector Unit. Since liberalisation, the corporate arena has drawn drastically. Today, companies and PSUs turn product launches and brand promotion into glamorous events.
Highlights of events career
There exists a wide scope for not only employment, but also entrepreneurship in the field of event management. Perhaps the best thing about the career in event management is that it allows you to meet new people, build relationships and have the chance of working with some social icons. You might have to travel around a lot during the course of your work, and this will allow you to experience new cultures and lifestyles.
Managing a great event in a tight or limited budget is a great source of satisfaction by itself. The starting salary could be in the range of Rs. 15,000 to Rs. 20,000. As your work profile and level of experience improves, your income will keep improving. Eventually you will be able to select an area of specialisation, which could include – product launching, corporate meetings and seminars, fashion shows, musical concerts, wedding parties and exhibitions.
For being an event manager, some kind of basic financial skills are of great importance. After all, you can run the best event in the world, but it’s no good if you can’t keep within a budget. So the innovation that is expected from an events manager consists primarily of the ability to organise the best possible show without overshooting the budget. You will need to get the work done by a host of service providers. This can only be achieved if you have good people to people skills.
