You're planning a promotional event for the launch of a new product. Having marketing skills when working in events planning is fundamental as this will be a large part of your job responsibilities. Love marcomms and everything that comes with itĪs an events manager, you'll need to be able to wear many hats-not least of which is your marketing & communications hat. To be a good events planner, you need to have a "give me a problem" attitude, rather than a "give me a solution" attitude. That's why it's so important for events managers to keep a cool head and react well under pressure. You can't measure event success based on how easy your management experience has been because a huge part of planning events is overcoming obstacles that come your way. Especially on the day of the event when a thousand unforeseen problems inevitably crop up. From last-minute cancelations to mix-ups with orders to changing health restrictions, organizing an event is very rarely smooth sailing. Having interpersonal skills beyond just communication here goes a very long way. Once you've done that, you'll need to start hiring event staff, promoting it to company attendees or guests you may want to invite, and even negotiating preferential rates for different things. Then, you'll need to get the ball rolling by contacting multiple different event venues, caterers, and transport services. You'll start by meeting with your team and with your company's internal stakeholders to understand the objectives of an event and set the basics. Just think about it-you'll need to talk to literally everyone. Be a social butterflyĬommunication skills are essential in planning a successful event. Being organized when handling an event budget can make or break your event's success. Don't forget that you'll also be responsible for the event budget, and that can be a fairly sizeable sum. You'll probably spend a lot of your time multi-tasking, talking to different people, and paying different vendors, among other things, that keeping track of everything is the only way to survive. There are so many moving parts in event management and so many stakeholders to coordinate that you simply cannot do this without good organization. To be a good event planner, you'll need to be the kind of person who starts smiling when they see a color-coordinated closet. Have Marie Kondo-level organizational skills Being good with setting timelines for different objectives and hurdles is really important in this role. For example, you'll need to book your event space several months in advance, whereas you'll probably need to send out invites a few days or weeks before. There are many aspects of events that you have to consider and plan for at different moments. Planning an event can be a very time-consuming, stressful activity and the best way to come out on top is to manage your time as best as possible. Without a doubt, time management skills are the most valuable trait you can have as an event coordinator. Have time management skills beyond owning a fancy watch Let's take a look at some of the most important soft and hard skills events planners need to have. While a lot has changed in this industry since the outbreak of the pandemic, most of the skills you needed for success in this role before the pandemic still apply today. parking, first aid, etc.) coordinating with legal teams and guaranteeing the health and safety of all attendees, to name a few. That includes overseeing the designated budget dealing with venues, vendors, and suppliers handling the guest list managing travel to and from the event making sure all the required facilities are available for all (ex. People in this role need to handle the end-to-end logistics and planning of these events. Whether they're promotional for event marketing, social for team-building, or business events like summits, that will all fall under the scope of the event manager. What skills do successful events managers need in the new normal? What exactly is event management?Įvent coordinators, also known as event planners or event managers, are responsible for organizing all kinds of events for a company. Now, as the world starts opening up again, it's time to look at the event manager job description and think about what's changed and what's stayed the same. With stay-at-home orders and social distancing measures being put in place, small and large-scale events were largely canceled. The events industry as a whole ground to a halt throughout the coronavirus pandemic. Often associated with glitz and glamor, it's a role in which you get to mix and mingle with a lot of interesting people, deal with fundraising, and work with plenty of creatives to turn the event into something special. Events management or event planning is an exciting job that attracts talented candidates around the world.