Career Advice for an Event Planner

Event planners manage and arrange events for businesses or individuals. They research and secure venues to suit each occasion and negotiate contracts with vendors. Event planners find the right services and settings to ensure their vision for their event becomes a reality.

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How to Become an Event Planner

Choosing your career path and learning how to become the person you aspire to be is not always straight forward; getting a job in your chosen industry will take dedication, focus and the right qualifications.

When you have chosen the career path you wish to follow, you will need to learn how to become an Event Planner

Should you wish to work as an Event Planner you will need to evaluate what courses are required, their cost and what qualifications you need. It is important that you also assess whether you have the right credentials from a personality point of view, what the demands of the job are and whether they complement the lifestyle that you desire.

Another factor to consider, should you wish to fulfil your career aspirations, is the number of jobs you will need to have to reach your ultimate job, and the length of time it will take to reach this goal.

Common Qualifications for an Event Planner

  • 2 or 3 A Levels
  • Degree in Marketing, Events Management or related
  • Diploma in Event Planning

Key Responsibilities for an Event Planner

  • Meeting with client or marketing team to determine event requirements
  • Determining budget and timeframe for the event
  • Researching and selecting the right venue
  • Meeting and negotiating with vendors to provide services
  • Updating client on secured services to ensure they approve
  • Transporting items to the venue
  • Ensuring all service providers arrive at the venue and carry out services according to the schedule
  • Managing teams during the event
  • Liaising with client during the event for feedback
  • Arranging for payments to vendors and sending invoices to clients

What to expect as an Event Planner

Event planners work to create events that suit the client's brief of fit the company image. They secure venues and manage the schedules and budgets for events. To be successful in this career, you will need to have excellent negotiation skills, be highly organised, and have great time management and customer service skills.

Recommended Event Planner Jobs

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How to get Event Planner Jobs

Our advice on how to get an Event Planner job is to focus on preparation and personalisation.

Preparation

This occurs before you write a CV cover letter or complete an Event Planner application. If you have not held an Event Planner position before, it will help to research the industry and review what a typical career path might look like. If you have held an Event Planner role, focus your research on the company where you are seeking employment.

Valuable resources that will help you learn about the employer include the company’s career page, social media page, blog, job ad, and job description. Helpful information will consist of the company’s mission statement, values, and vision. You could also use an employer review site to gain insights on average salaries, what current employees say about the company culture, and what it is like to work for the organisation.

Personalisation

You are now in a position to use what you have learned in your Event Planner CV, cover letter, and application. You should personalise each Event Planner application, cover letter, and CV; prioritising job skills and relevant experience and providing examples that show you have similar values and goals.

This pre-application stage is a crucial step in how to become an Event Planner in the UK. It puts you in a superbly informed state, ready for forthcoming telephone, video, or in-person interviews.

Students: How to Become an Event Planner 

As with all professions, choose your study topics carefully. Review the qualifications needed to be an Event Planner and the subjects you will need to enrol in certification courses, higher education, or online courses. 

Aligning your study subjects

The more closely you align your study subjects with your career path, the more likely you will be to have projects and modules that you can refer to and show a prospective employer that you have practical or theoretical Event Planner experience.

How to get Event Planner Experience

What does it take to be an Event Planner? The best way to find out is to get work experience, which will be invaluable when applying for Event Planner jobs. You can learn how to be a successful Event Planner through internships, apprenticeships, or volunteering for a local business.

How to be an Event Planner Part-Time 

If you are wondering how to get into Event Planner part-time, there are several possibilities. You might find a new employer looking for a part-time Event Planner or find your existing employer is amenable. Often companies recognise the value of flexible hours and having more staff at work during busy times of the day. 

Event Planner freelance work

If you have impressive Event Planner qualifications and experience, you could take on the challenges of working freelance with control over your schedule.

Making a Career Change

How to start a career in this profession if you work in another industry may require studying for qualifications online and focusing on transferable skills when writing your CV and attending job interviews.