Congratulations! You've followed these steps to land your first event job and you're ready to ride this amazing job into the sunset before you retire in 30 years with a gold watch and engraved pen right?
Wrong! It's 2013 and a workforce of Gen Xers and Millennials have made this vision virtually impossible. We (I can't talk about the generations without including myself) want flexible work schedules, a virtual workspace, a true mission and reason to care about our work, room to grow quickly and to take a year off to "find ourselves" while we teach English classes off the coast of Spain...that's just what we want and we've all but dared employers to tell us "no" because if they do, we'll simply start our own empire. We are a bold bunch aren't we? By 2020, 70% of the workforce will be swarming with members of both Gen X and Y. All that to say, we are already looking past retirement and defining our future now. To make sure a job is the right "fit", we have to try on a few in the process.
It's now the end of year 2 on the job and you've been working at a trade association managing board retreats and small meetings. You love the mechanics of event planning and you know you want to stay in the industry. You've learned to work with virtually all of the departments in the company, able to identify and recruit speakers and contribute to marketing campaigns to drive attendance. You've learned the basics of planning and slowly being given more challenging tasks but something is missing. You find yourself reaching out to contacts on LinkedIn to see what else is out there.
*sigh* Okay, so now, you're officially on the hunt for another event job but unsure of what to do next...
Do you continue to plan smaller meetings for another association or do you want to branch out and try your hand at special events like product launches, sporting events or festivals? How about trade shows, city wide conventions, or high-level government summits? Or maybe you've been thinking about full time social event management since helping to coordinate a friend's party. Lucky for you the event industry showcases a variety of career options and work environments.
Before diving headfirst into your next position, take inventory of what you love and didn't love about your past or current job. Then create a 3-5 year career plan if you haven't already. Decide what you'd ultimately like to be doing in the next few years and work towards those goals by gaining experience in a specialty area.
Let's take a look at some of the different type of events and areas of specialty available...
Conferences and Conventions - Conferences are usually defined as business meetings which may include multiple learning sessions/formats presented by experts in the topic being discussed. Conference planners typically join associations such as Professional Convention Management Association or Meeting Planners International.
Whether it is a 200 person conference to train corporate employees or a 10,000 person convention to provide education and networking opportunities for professionals, these meetings are invaluable. Conference planners typically work in corporations, academic institutions, and trade or professional associations. If you like working with business and industry leaders, appreciate a formal business environment, and working with hotel venues, conference and convention center suppliers, then this specialty area may be for you.Special Events - According to FabJob.com, "the term special event can describe a broad range of affairs including sporting events like the Super Bowl, state fairs, major public events like Mardi Gras or New Year's Eve in Times Square." This area usually allows the planner a bit more flexibility to be creative depending on the type of the event. Special event planners can work for media companies like Google, advertising and marketing firms, state and local governments, corporations like Sony and Coca Cola, or non profit organizations. If you enjoy working with different types of people and vendors, a variety of event types, are an out of the box thinker with a marketing and communications edge, and prefer working with and in unconventional and unique venues/spaces, then special events may be your next big move! The International Special Events Society (ISES) is an excellent resource for everything Special Events and Biz Bash is dedicated to being THE go to resource and community for special event professionals.
Incentive
Team Building
Product Launches
Grand Openings
Festivals
Book Signings
Concerts
Award Ceremonies
Air Shows
The list goes on!!!
Social Events - Social events can be classified as the warm and fuzzy side of special events. When most people think of social events they immediately think of wedding planning. Social events encompasses more than just weddings though. Reunions, receptions, religious activities, holiday celebrations and birthday parties all have one thing in common...they need an event planner! Many event and meeting professionals get their start in planning by coordinating social events for friends or family. My colleague once told me that she got her first taste of the event industry when she was only 18 years old. She planned and promoted a graduation party for her senior class and it was so well organized and attended that people noticed and started asking her to plan their small events. She did this part time for many years while working her way through college and finally become a full time special event professional and later started her very own event business with a focus on social events. Planners who possess the 3 Ps will get far: personality, patience, persistence. Interacting with people during very personal events can be as stressful as it is rewarding. With the exception of wedding planning, training is usually not required to try your hand at some social events, but most clients will request recommendations and evidence of your experience.
Non-Profit Events & Fundraisers - These are special events on a mission...a true mission! Have you ever participated in a charitable fundraiser event like a marathon or other grassroots activity and wondered if you could plan it? Charitable non-profits like American Diabetes Association hire Special Event Managers who not only plan the logistics of the event but also work extensively with volunteers and donors to raise funds for the organization. These planning roles are seen as essential to the health and stability of the organization and for that reason, most non-profit event planners already bring a basic fundraising, sales, development and donor relation background. For these type of jobs, add Idealist to your career search.
Exhibits, Expositions & Tradeshows - It takes a special kind of skill and passion to coordinate tradeshows. Companies that hire tradeshow or exhibit planners/managers will expect some knowledge of expo floor plan design, marketing, and logistics. Managing a show floor isn't like managing a small 50 person meeting. A Trade Show Manager will manage a company's event marketing strategy and participation in other industry events. They play an integral role in a company's overall branding and marketing strategy. They research industry trends and identify and recommend exhibit opportunities so that the company can market services/goods and gain maximum exposure directly on a show floor. The planner may even travel with, set up, and/or staff the exhibit booth or assign other personnel to staff the booth. An Exhibits Manager is usually part of a much larger event team. They oversee the tradeshow portion of a larger event and will work closely with designers, shipping and exhibits vendors. In the latter case, the planner may be responsible for creating marketing materials to recruit exhibiting companies, selling floor space, and managing the logistics placement of exhibitor booths. They may also manage sponsorship opportunities. If you are a true people person, good with building and nurturing relationships, generating sales leads, and/or have a background in marketing, this area of specialty may be for you! Visit the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) to learn more about this career path. Event Marketing - Planners that coordinate and manage event marketing programs are involved in creating a buzz for a company's product or service through event sponsorship or in person marketing. If you're a Trade Show or Exhibits Manager, you are very familiar with this concept! You may see event marketing teams at concerts, malls, and conferences and sporting events. If you are more interested in sales and marketing, have the ability to manage people with different backgrounds, and enjoy coming up with creative ways to market and advertise, you'll want to focus on this area. Planners who have a strong business background, thrive in a fast paced environment, can effectively collaborate across all teams (sales, marketing, communications, etc.) and like to travel, take a look at what event marketing has to offer.
Federal Government Events and Protocol - Government meeting professionals coordinate meetings, trade shows, and other special
events for government agencies as a government employee or government contract employee. Planners working in this arena should be well versed in both federal and agency specific regulations and guidelines. Most if not all events have to be routed through a chain of command and approved at a department or agency head level. That said, agencies are bound by budgets, certain restrictions, and scrutiny that other companies and sectors don't face. Government planners may also be asked to act as a Protocol Officer. Protocol Officers are keenly focused on international etiquette, the importance of precedence and rank, and how to properly host international visitors during an event. An Event and Protocol Officer may plan a United Nations Summit or a small dinner featuring heads of state. Planners that enjoy working with high ranking officials, in a government and/or military environment, have experience with a diverse population, the ability to stay on top of ever changing guidance and updated regulations, and thrive under pressure given the sometimes extremely short lead times (as little as days - 2 weeks in some cases) would do well with this specialty. For more information on Protocol, visit the Protocol School of Washington and the Society of Government Meeting Professionals (SGMP).
Stay tuned for the next blog dedicated to the supplier side planners. I didn't forget about my conference services managers, convention sales and catering sales managers, and venue coordinators!
