Would a Career in Event Planning Suit You?

If you are one of those candidates who enjoy working with people, have good decision making skills, like to be involved with family get-togethers and have the capability to multitask, a career in event planning may just be the right career option for you. So, what does an even planner do? Well, the job of an event planner includes organizing a wide range of social and corporate events, right from a simple birthday celebration party to a large scale corporate convention. An event planner has the responsibility of successfully designing, organizing and coordinating events like conventions, conferences, exhibitions and corporate meetings among others.

Job Description
Event planning and management professionals need to deal with a range of conventions and events. When it comes to planning an event, there are a number of things that these professionals need to consider. Responsibilities include marketing, signage, audiovisual equipment arrangement, printing and security arrangements etc. Besides looking after the planning and financial aspects, event planners may also be responsible for the appropriate arrangement for the transportation and accommodation of participants attending a specific event.

Events that these professionals may plan, execute and manage include -

Trade shows/ exhibitions
Political events
Company product launch
Grand opening ceremony
Fairs and festivals
Family celebrations and parties
Business holiday events
Conferences, seminars and conventions
Charity fundraising events

To the planner, an event resembles a product which they also need to market and advertise. The planner comes up with creative ways to promote the products (events) so as to make the attendees feel good about organizers. A key role of planners is to ensure that the attendees of an event leave with a positive experience. No matter what the nature of the organized event is, the major roles and responsibilities of event planner always remain the same.

Planning and managing an event is quite a challenging task. There are multiple aspects that need to considered and taken care of, to make it all successful. Whether it is about the logistical support or managing the services and supplies, the event planner has a crucial role to play, ensuring that no physical detail is overlooked or mismanaged. Other concerns related to organizing an event include lighting, communication, sound, parking, security, toilet facilities. Most importantly, all of this planning and management tasks need to be performed keeping the budgetary considerations in mind.

Educational Requirement: Degrees, Courses and Training Programs
Candidates who aspire to become an event planner can choose from a range of planning and management courses and degrees. Whether you are looking for a certification, an bachelor's degree or a master's degree, there are several professional schools and colleges that offer courses in event management, meeting planning and event planning. A bachelor's degree in hospitality management or a bachelor's in public relations will help students a lot to make a career in the field of event planning. The degree or training program may take anywhere between 2-4 years to complete. Depending on their requirements, candidates can choose from a certification program, associate's degree, a bachelor's degree or a master degree and get enrolled into an accredited training program.

Besides possessing a degree in event management and planning, candidates also need to have some other interpersonal skills. Excellent communication skills (both verbal and written), good time management skills, multi-tasking abilities, team playing skills, budget management and negotiation skills are the other essential requirements to become a successful event planner.

Career Prospects
Abundant career opportunities await candidates trained in event planning. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment growth rate for event planner jobs is expected to grow faster than the average of all other professions, from the year 2004 through to the year 2014. Trained professionals can land jobs in tourism industry, hospitality industry, conference industry and business and marketing among others. Employment opportunities await in the public sector, and government departments as well as in non-profit organizations.

Annual Salary
Salaries of event planner vary depending on the employer industry, geographical location and the year of experience professionals carry. If you land up a job as a full time social event planner, you can earn an annual salary ranging between $20,000 and $40,000. A corporate event planner's job fetches a salary of around $39,000 annually. The average annual salary of a meeting and convention planner is $70,000.

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