Knowing where to find event planner jobs is one thing. Knowing how to become one is another thing. But at the end of the day, it’s all about being the right one for the right job, right?
Although it can get physically and mentally challenging sometimes, event planning is still one of the most interesting and fun jobs to do.
Now if you want to pursue an event planning career, and is in fact starting to find for event planner jobs, well, here’s some good news for you. The job outlook shows growth faster than average.
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In fact, as per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics‘ projection, event planning jobs will increase by 33% between now and 2022. If you look at it, the number is significantly higher than the 11% average growth rate for other occupations.
This is great because it only means that the industry is strong, and because of that, opportunities will increase, as well as event planning salaries.
Now, while the number seems to be really promising and enticing, to say the least, breaking into the event planning industry is a totally different story, which is exactly why today, we are going to talk about how to get into event planning and the different platforms where you can look for events planning opportunities.
To be more specific, we are tackling the following:
- What is event planning?
- What does the event planning job require?
- What are the roles and responsibilities of an event planner?
- How much does an event planner make?
- Where to find event planner jobs?
- What are other terms used for an event planner?
So, if you are ready to take all this information in, let’s begin.
WHAT IS EVENT PLANNING?
First and foremost, what is event planning?
According to the International Institue of Event Management, event planning refers to “the process of managing a project such as a meeting, convention, tradeshow, ceremony, team building activity, party, or convention“.
It includes different important aspects of managing an event, which includes:
- Budgeting
- Establishing Timelines
- Selecting and Reserving the Event Sites
- Acquiring Permits
- Planning Food
- Coordinating Transportation
- Developing a Theme
- Arranging Activities
- Selecting Speakers and Keynotes
- Arranging Equipment and Facilities
- Managing Risk
- Developing Contingency Plans
Meanwhile, the official definition of event planning according to the US Department of Labor is that event planning “consists of coordinating every detail of meetings and conventions, from the speakers and meeting location to arranging for printed materials and audio-visual equipment“.
It starts with “determining the objective that the sponsoring organization wants to achieve”. In addition, event planners are the ones responsible in choosing “speakers, entertainment, and content, and arrange the program to present the organization’s information in the most effective way,” as well as in “selecting meeting sites, prospective attendees and how to get them to the meeting“.
If you will look at it — the two definitions are basically the same. It all boils down to managing an event and taking care of all the details and requirements.
Before we continue, we thought you may want to get some insights on how to become a wedding planner from someone who’s in the industry. So, here’s sharing with you a video by Bianca Renee Today, a YouTuber and wedding planner.
WHAT DOES THE EVENT PLANNING JOB REQUIRE?
If you really want to get into this industry and work on landing in any event planner jobs, it is just right that you should be aware of the requirements of the job.
According to industry experts, there are certain skills and qualities required to become a good event planner (in this case, to land in a job as an event planner). This includes:
- Creativity and Thinking Outside the Box — In events planning, you always have to come up with fresh, unique, and innovative ideas to wow and earn your clients’ trust.
- Fast Thinker — Being able to think fast is another skill required for the job. When something does not go as planned, you have to think fast for solutions before the audience or the crowd even notices that there is something going on.
- Calm and Collected — Being calm and collected are another two very important qualities that every event planner must acquire. As an event planner, you are not allowed to freak out when something wrong happens.
- Excellent Time Management Skills — Event planners need to be master of time management. She has to ensure no time is wasted.
- Excellent Communication Skills — Of course, as an event planner, you are going to talk to clients and suppliers, and just like in any other job, communication plays a very important role when planning an event.
- Organized — You are not an event planner if you are not organized. After all, you are hired to be one.
- Excellent Attention to Detail — Details. Details. And more details. As an excellent event planner, you shouldn’t miss a single detail.
- Multi-Tasking – It is given in jobs like this that you must be a multi-tasker given the requirements of every event.
- Passion – Events planning may be a fun job, but you will never succeed at it if you do not have a passion for what you do. Passion will drive you to do your job excellently. At the same time, it also allows you to be limitless – in doing whatever it takes to ensure you give your client the best event ever.
On a more technical side, aspiring event planners must earn the following:
- Bachelor’s Degree — Although it is not required, most well-known events planning companies prefer individuals who have a bachelor’s degree.
- Experience — You can get experience by completing an internship, or working as an entry-level job.
- Certification — If you really want to be competitive in the events planning industry, you have to get certifications. There are a number of them to choose from depending on your interests.
- Develop Essential Skills — We have already mentioned the skills required for the job, and if you already have them, hone them. Otherwise, work them out.
WHAT ARE THE ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF AN EVENT PLANNER?
Of course, when looking for event planner jobs, you also need to consider understanding what the job requires from you.
As an event planner, some of your responsibilities include:
- Work with clients and ensure all their needs are identified and guarantee customer satisfaction
- Organize facilities and details like entertainment, transportation, catering, location, invitee list, decor, special guests, equipment, promotional material, and more
- Event planning, design, and production, at the same time, managing all project delivery elements within the allotted time
- Conduct market research, as well as gather information and negotiate contracts prior to closing any deals related to the event
- Give feedback and periodic reports to stakeholders
- Recommend ideas to improve services and the quality of the event
- Make certain that the event is compliant with insurance, legal, health and safety obligations
- Identify staff requirements and coordinate their activities
- Work together with marketing and PR to promote and publicize the event
- Proactively take charge in any arising issues and troubleshoot any emerging problems on the event day
- Conduct pre- and post-event evaluations and report on outcomes
- Research market, identify event opportunities and generate interest
HOW MUCH DOES AN EVENT PLANNER MAKE?
Based on the data presented by Salary.com, the average salary of an event planner in the United States is over $64,000. This data is as of December 2019. The range, however, can be as low as about $56,000 up to as high as about $75,000. The salary varies depending on a lot of factors like your years of work experience, your educational attainment, certifications, additional skills, and more.
WHERE TO FIND EVENT PLANNER JOBS?
Of course, now it’s time to talk about where to find event planner jobs.
Well, there are a lot of sites online where you can find and apply as an event planner. We, however, chose some of the most popular sites/companies when it comes to event planning. Hopefully, this list will help you land a job very soon.
– Meeting Professionals International (MPI)
MPI is probably the most high-profile site when it comes to event planning job listings. The site is very easy to use. Basically, upon landing on their page or website, all you have to do is look for the meeting and event planner jobs selection in the “Join Our Team” section under “About” on their main menu.
Once you are on the “Join Our Team” page, you may start looking for any job opportunities.
It is worth sharing that on the same page, you will also find the list of perks and benefits of being part of the MPI team. It includes:
- Medical, Dental and Vision
- 401K
- Paid Vacation and Holidays
- Education Reimbursement
- Employee Rewards Program
- Paid Day of Kinship
- Flexible Work Hours
– Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA)
PCMA is known to be the world’s largest network of Events Strategists. Definitely the best place to look for event planner jobs.
On their website, they do have a job section where you can find targeted jobs in the industry you are eyeing for.
More so, they also offer membership programs specific to event planners (say you want to build your own event planning business, this is a great opportunity for you).
Whether you are new to the industry or are looking forward to widening your network, then these group associations would greatly help.
– Event Careers
Event Careers is another ideal job board for those looking for event planner jobs. The site published and handles by Event Marketer.
What’s nice about this site is that it let you look for available jobs in the event planning industry in your local area or region.
Also, you are assured that the jobs posted on this site are from serious, interests, and legit employers only since posting a job vacancy and reviewing applicant resumes are not free here.
As of this writing, Event Careers take pride in having 661 employers on-board, and over 36,000 job seekers using the platform to look for a job.
– American Marketing Association (AMA)
The American Marketing Association, also known as AMA is one of the largest associations for marketers in the United States. Apart from publishing a number of scholarly articles, as well as networking events, AMA also comes with a robust job board that is specially dedicated to marketing positions as well as event planning posts.
What’s nice about AMA is that it is very accessible to anyone, which means you do not need to become a member of the organization to be able to benefit from its job board.
So, if you are looking for event planner jobs, this one’s a good option to look for one.
– Meeting Jobs
Whether you are looking for a temporary or permanent job in the event planning industry, Meeting Jobs is ideal for you.
The website consists of a comprehensive job board that is being updated on a day-to-day basis.
Apart from providing job opportunities, they also hold webinars as well as services that is geared towards connecting talented candidates with respective employers.
– International Live Events Association (ILEA)
Although the International Live Events Association (ILEA) website allows you to use their career section in finding jobs in the event planning industry, it is better if you aim for membership in this organization, too.
Basically, by becoming a member of the ILEA, you get a chance to meet a lot of amazing professionals in your market field or in this case, in the event planning industry. It’s a great platform also to network and connect with the right people.
After all, if you really want to land in a good job, you better look first for a good company. But the reality is, you have to have experience and good networking for this to happen.
Of course, LinkedIn has to be on this list. Apart from the fact that LinkedIn is a great platform for networking and connecting to people in the event planning industry, it also serves as a tool for employers to find employees.
As you know, more and more companies now are using LinkedIn to post job listings — in the same way that more and more job seekers are using LinkedIn in finding a job.
We highly recommend using LinkedIn first in adding connections and growing your network. If you want to pursue a job in event planning, then make connections with people in this field. Networking is ideal in this kind of industry.
Of course, you may opt to use it directly in finding job opportunities. Just head on to the LinkedIn jobs section, and look for event planning job posts.
Do not forget to work on your profile so employers can easily review your qualifications.
– Indeed
Indeed is another popular job listing site. It basically is the place to be if you are finding a job regardless of the type of industry — event planning included.
Indeed, you can upload your resume for free, and let the human resource officers find you.
You can also search for jobs by simply typing in keywords, as well as the location in the search bar.
An added plus for Indeed is that they also provide company reviews, which is very helpful especially if you are not that familiar with the work environments within the organization or company you are eyeing for. Also, this feature will help you know what to expect in terms of the salary range.
– Snag A Job
Snag A Job is an online job listing platform that is great for people who are looking to pick up a few extra event planning hours, usually for building up their resume.
Be updated and receive new job alerts in your inbox by simply signing up on their website. This way, you can respond to job posting faster and ahead of other applicants, which means a better chance at getting that event planner job you are eyeing to get into.
WHAT ARE OTHER TERMS USED FOR EVENT PLANNER?
Apart from “event planner,” there are other terms that companies use but still pertaining to this kind of job. Some of the commonly used terms in lieu of event planner are:
- Conference Services
- Catering Manager
- Convention & Visitors Bureau
- Communications Specialist (Events)
- Event Manager
- Event Coordinator
- Event Assistant
- Event Director
- Event Operations
- Meeting Planner
- Meeting Manager
- Meeting Coordinator
- Meeting Assistant
- Meeting Director
- Marketing Event Manager
- Marketing Event Specialist
- Foundation Program Manager
- Special Events
FINAL THOUGHTS ON EVENT PLANNER JOBS
The event planning industry is no-doubt growing over the years. More and more people and companies are investing their time, money, and effort in helping people with their event’s needs, which also means creating more jobs in the event planning industry.
If you are thinking of joining the industry (are you?), you better do your part and ensure you are on track to be able to get ahead of the game.
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