Is event planning on your list of potential career choices? Then you must have done your homework quite well. How to become an event planner is indeed a popular question these days. Keep scrolling to gather your own clues on this.
Event planning is one of the most dynamic fields that you can think of today. So why become an event planner is already known to most of us. But to figure out if event planning is right for you, a little more digging might be necessary.
You will soon get to have enough insights on that here. Reasons, why you should become an event planner, the necessary skill set, career-building roadmap, pros and cons, everything, comes into the story while making that decision. So keep reading to get started on the right note!
Table of Contents
What is Event Planning?
Before jumping onto how to become an event planner, let’s learn about what Event planning is. Indeed, it is one of the trendiest businesses that you could land today. Different corporations, educational institutions, personal celebrations, promotions, etc., want to host events suited to their needs from time to time. So with the social media culture expanding like never before, events will not be out of style anytime soon.
‘Is Event planning right for me?’- must be the question bouncing around your mind right now. For answering this, first go through these tasks you will likely be doing as an event planner:
If this list doesn’t intimidate you, rather if some of these things thrill you, then you can rest assured. It is highly likely that you should pursue Event planning with a lot of hope.
How to Find Your Niche as an Event Planner?
Event planning is as broad an umbrella as it is exciting. So finding your special corner is crucial. What that means is, targeting all types of events at once is not the ideal way when you are trying to figure how to become an Event planner. At least not in the beginning.
If you want to diversify your portfolio, you will need to prove your credibility across different kinds of events, which will take time. Hence, starting with one focus is a good strategy, you can try and diversify later once you already have built your name in the market somewhere.
A good example of a niche can be corporate events. Corporate events can be a great choice if office environments match your productivity rhythm. Also, the opportunity to receive exposure from other corporations is great in this area. With steady performance, growth can be fast. But, the workload in this culture is usually gigantic.
Doing wedding events can be another criterion for example. You will likely be in business mostly in the seasons in that case. Therefore, on staying active, those times can pay a great deal, but wedding planning can be overwhelmingly hectic too. Though all of these are often compensated by how exciting weddings are! Check out this course’s outline if you’re thinking about wedding planning. It’s been designed with comprehensive and yet digestible sections of important lessons.
Or targeting smaller-scale events and parties can be another niche. One single event will usually pay less than the usual corporate events, but will also account for much less time and effort to organize. Also, if adding that personal touch is your thing, then this could be your ultimate calling!
If you are looking for someplace in between, then non-profit is a great field. Working for these events will require targeting the right outreach strategies on one hand. On the other hand, there is that humane fulfillment with every successful event. It’s a great blend between scale and personalization.
Diploma in Event Management
Diploma in Event Management
How to Become an Event Planner?
Can anyone become an event planner? Probably yes. But can anyone become an event planner without building the right credibility and skills? No, no one can, ever. Even if you can make your business by getting everything else done by others, that itself is an important skill to have. And if you are willing to do a lot of work by yourself, then investing in them is mandatory.
Check below to learn more about how to become an Event planner by building your credibility and investing in the right skills.
Building your Credibility
A lot of people have organized some event of sorts at some point. But people still turn to event planners when in need, why? Because there are certain values that event planners are especially capable of providing. Therefore, to prove that you have those special qualities, earning your credibility is important.
The most important piece of document in proving your credibility is going to be your portfolio. So the first days in your business will take some hustling for, working through your work record. To put it another way, in your personal checklist of ‘How to become an Event planner’- make sure to keep portfolio at the top.
A degree in event planning will certainly ramp up your game, but it’s not indispensable. Though, getting membership and certification from regulating bodies will make you inarguably legitimate to be in the business. So that’s worth being uncompromising with.
Building your Skill set
In any given field today, the first thing the discussion starts with is usually skills. It’s your skills that make you a valuable asset no matter what you are doing. Here is a selected list of skills that are necessary to cover while planning your answer to how to become an Event planner.
Organizing and Strategizing skills
The unique value that an event planner brings to the table is his/her ability to organize. Tons of different things keep going on in an event. As a matter of fact, synchronizing and orchestrating so much is what will make you a valuable professional. In addition, managing your team, stakeholders and clients is an indispensable part of an Event planner’s job. But it’s a learnable skill. So are making realistic plans and delivering on time.
Design and Creativity
That creative flair in the work that you are doing is what makes it unique. Otherwise, event planning can become a boring, repetitive job that machines can get done. So the way you will stand out from the crowd is the creative style you will build for your events.
In essence, creativity and design specialty trickle down to every small detail of events. Space decor, props, packaging, costumes- the way everything is weaved together with that special creative touch is what people will remember from the events in the long run.
People skills and Networking
What is the hardest part about event planning? Without a doubt, it’s the coordinating and juggling part. The multitude of people and tasks pipeline you will deal with is the speciality that you have to offer. And the only way to cut through this complexity is by being a people person.
Your event will work when the vendors, decorators, band musicians, client, caterers, and all the other people involved will work in sync with you. Hence, your relationship with all the stakeholders will make or break your game.
Your expertise in networking will also generate new connections that will help you find more business. So this is a soft skill not to be taken for granted if you are heading towards a career in event planning.
Multitasking
Event planning, simply put, is oodles of work. You can delegate tasks for sure, but the master of orchestration at the end of the day is you. So, juggling between the crazy workflow happening all around will only look like your regular workday. Being a multitasker is no more just an option if you’re willing to learn how to become an event planner. You certainly have to put your multitasking skills to practice to become a successful Event planner.
Cost-cutting skills
Event planning can sometimes get hard and in unthinkable ways. For example, your client will expect you to make their dreams come into reality, and often on unfairly tight budgets. Therefore, the only way to stay ahead of the game is to know how to get the best deal at the least price.
A cost-cutting strategy has many parts to it. To explain, negotiating, budgeting, and keeping market knowledge is at the heart of any cost-cutting strategy. So a proper event planning guide is necessary to keep all the activities under check. Therefore, getting good at these will get you ahead of the frugality game.
Is Event Planning a Good Career?
Probably, you are weighing the pros and cons of event planning as a career already. ‘Is event planning right for me?’- answering this question will only get easier if you look at both sides of the balance altogether.
So keep reading to know what makes Event planning such a great career choice. The challenges involved with event planning have been covered here too.
What Makes Event Planning a Great Career Choice?
Well, that was a quite some discussion on how to become an Event planner, now comes the why. Undoubtedly, Event planning today is one of the most dependable career choices that you can make. Here’s why:
What are the Challenges of Being an Event Planner?
Yes, the perks and benefits of being an Event planner are endless! But that doesn’t make it a line of work that comes without challenges. And face it, without some challenges, what fun is it really?
So here are some of the challenges that you’ll have to face head-on to become an Event planning whiz:
Closing note
Deciding on a career path is a difficult walk to walk any day. Therefore, if you are currently dealing with the crossroads of career choices, then event planning deserves to get your attention. The promises that come with this trendy line of work, are not offered by most other professions. So your efforts in learning how to become an Event planner is well worth the time.
With the right start to building the relevant skills and knowledge base, event planning will hopefully come with many rewards in your coming professional life.
Diploma in Event Management
Diploma in Event Management
