Is Event Planning a Good Career?

If creating special memories and designing lifetime experiences for others is your calling, then consider asking yourself  “Is event planning a good career?”.

Event planning and management is the ultimate mash-up of operations and creativity.

It is the rush of opening night served chilled to a live audience.

It’s about creating living brands and once-in-a-lifetime milestone experiences that excite the senses, performed by the trapeze artists of business management.

This is according to Nicole Venter, ICMS Program Manager (Fashion and Global Brand Management and Marketing), who has seen ICMS Bachelor of Event Management graduates soar in the industry post-graduation.

“Event planners and managers bring to life brand campaigns into 360degree immersive experiences, they create beautiful memories and are the secret curators of fan culture across sport, music, art and big thinking,” Nicole said.

“Highly organised, a great sense of attention to detail, charming and humble, event students are some of our favourites as they are driven by passion. They are also the most likely to have one degree of separation from your favourite celebrity and have a keen interest in the importance of sound business management.”

As an Event Planner or Event Manager, where would you work?

According to the Australian Industry and Skills Committee (AISC) research into the Tourism, Travel and Hospitality industries, the Exhibition and Events sector “is rapidly growing and making significant contributions to the economy”. This trend of continued growth in the future looks set to continue.

The events sector spans both leisure and corporate events, for domestic and international visitors. These include:

• Art exhibitions and shows
• Community events
• Concerts and performances
• Festivals and celebrations
• Food and wine events
• Sports events
• Business conferences and seminars
• Trade and consumer exhibitions.

Is Event Planning a Good Career? Where would you find a job?

Living and breathing the reality that 90% of the execution is in the planning, event managers are visionary, calming and friendly, effortless performance artists, organised and intrigued by the behind-the-scenes of what goes into creating the next day news pieces and photo moments.

A typical day might include networking with community groups, CEOs and talent managers, lobbying for government grants, putting together pitch documents on ideas that transform bland spaces into an escapist storybook experience adding to the culture of Sydney.

It might be translating a bride’s vision into a collection of supplier orders and bookings, negotiating with festival stagehands, applying for permits, packing promotional material for sport event sponsorships and marketing final concepts to ensure a great turn out on the day… even if it rains.

Jobs in the industry include:

• Event Coordinator
• Venue Manager
• Event Manager
• Event Officer
• Event Producer
• Event Director
• Fashion Show Coordinator
• Wedding Organiser
• Incentive Manager
• Festival Manager
• Exhibition Manager
• Conference Manager
• Theming Consultant
• Event Logistics Crew and more.

When considering whether “Is Event Planning a Good Career?” one must consider the qualities that make up a successful event planner.

3 Qualities Great Event Planners have in common:

An event planner or event manager’s role is as diverse as the industry they choose to work in be that weddings, sport, city culture events, not-for profit and so on. What is common to those that love it is:

1. The passion to create living, sensory experiences that are the best part of someone’s day;
2. A love of being the one secretly in control of it all, organised with contingency plans, working financial budgets and tight scheduling documents; and
3. An enjoyment of people, networking and bringing a calm and friendly nature when stressful situations arise. The wholesale discounts and free tickets from partners are a pretty good perk too!

What must I study to get a good career in Event Planning and Event Management?

Event planning and event management is a growing global industry with a broad range of employment opportunities across different industries. This is the ideal career for you if you are organised, sociable and enjoy the satisfaction of seeing a project through to completion.

“ICMS has a long history with producing great event planners and managers and we are proud to continue the tradition with our industry partners, undergraduate and post-graduate offerings,” Nicole said.

View an explanation of the ICMS Bachelor of Event Management here:

Undergraduate degree

For more information on the ICMS Bachelor of Event Management, click ICMS Bachelor of Event Management.

Diploma Pathway

For more information on the Aspire Diploma of Event Management, which is a standalone qualification or a pathway to an ICMS degree, click Aspire Diploma of Event Management.

Postgraduate Pathway

For more information on ICMS Graduate Certificate in Event Management, click ICMS Graduate Certificate in Event Management.

Postgraduate degree

For more information on the ICMS Master of Event Management, click ICMS Master of Event Management.

* The International College of Management, Sydney (ICMS) is a higher education institution with campuses in Manly and Sydney’s business district. Founded in 1996, ICMS is a leader in career-focused, quality education and offers undergraduate bachelor’s and postgraduate master’s degrees to Australian and international students.

Sources:

https://nationalindustryinsights.aisc.net.au/industries/tourism-travel-and-hospitality/events

https://nationalindustryinsights.aisc.net.au/industries/tourism-travel-and-hospitality/events

https://labourmarketinsights.gov.au/