After getting your feet wet as an event coordinator, you'll be ready for the next step. Your time spent planning and executing events likely taught you many things and challenged you in ways you didn’t expect. You learned how to think on your feet, communicate clearly, and be confident in your decision making. Now, it’s time to take all those skills and take on more responsibility as you become an event manager.

And you’re going to need all the skills you can gather because managing events is a high pressure role. It can also be incredibly fun. 

With that in mind, let's take a look at what you need to do to land a job in event management.

What is an event manager?

An event manager in the hospitality industry is someone who organizes and executes events for a hotel, restaurant, or other venue. Depending on the establishment, they may have an in-house events manager or they might contract an independent company to do it for them. 

Regardless, if they work for the venue themselves or for an outside entity, the job of an events manager will be more or less the same. The goal is to put on an event that satisfies everyone's needs and makes the venue money. 

It’s at the top end of the event planning career path, which means it will also require you to manage people. To truly succeed in this role, you must be comfortable with telling people what to do and when.

What does an event manager do?

The event manager is the ultimate person responsible for everything that happens relating to their vision. They may not be involved with every decision that is made while planning the event, but they have final approval. If something goes terribly wrong with an event, it falls on your shoulders as event manager. This means it’s a high pressure position that requires you to be highly organized and adaptable.

Depending on the size of the event, you will likely be managing a team of event coordinators. They are there to help you coordinate and execute your vision for the event but they will need guidance. 

You are the captain of the ship, so you must be able to delegate duties to your team with confidence. If you take on too many tasks yourself, you’ll get caught up in the minutiae and lose track of the bigger picture. You should trust your team and empower them to make decisions on their own. It will help them grow as an event planner and make your job easier.

Your duties as an event manager will change depending on the nature of the event you’re currently planning. Not all events are created equal. A wedding requires a different approach than a business conference and so on. 

Some of the common job duties you may encounter are: 

• Coordinating transportation for guests, entertainment, or VIPs
• Negotiating prices with vendors and venues
• Arranging all necessary paperwork for contracts
• Acquiring insurance for the event
• Maintaining close contact with all key stakeholders
• Communicating clearly and constantly to avoid confusion and stay aligned
• Collaborating with the catering coordinator 

This is by no means an exhaustive list. The world of event planning is incredibly dynamic and you never know what you may need to do to get the job done.

What is the career path of an events manager?

This role is almost at the top of the event planning career path. After 1 - 3 years as an event coordinator, you’ll be ready to step into the role. Once you’re an event manager, you’ll have options in front of you.

You could start out at a smaller venue or company and then move on something bigger. Building your experience with more modest events will allow you to learn and make mistakes with less risk. After a couple years, you’ll be ready to run a much larger venue. Once you gain experience with larger scale events, you could move on to a job as a director of conferences.

If you’re tired of working for others, you could start your own independent event management company. This would allow you to be your own boss and take on the projects that you are most passionate about. You could also change the industry entirely and start working in sporting events or music festivals. There is always a party that needs to be planned!

In terms of education, you should have a bachelor's degree in event management, communications, or something related. It’s not impossible to work your way up the ladder without a university degree, but having one certainly helps.

A career in event management can be incredibly rewarding if you have the right personality for it. If you think you have what it takes to make big plans and execute them, then check out the open event manager jobs available on Hosco today!