24-Hour Party People: How To Become An Events Manager

If you love people, have energy to spare and have superb organisational skills, being an events manager could be your dream job. After all, who doesn’t love a great event and helping others to have a good time?

With the rise of social media, the boundaries between the social and the professional are becoming increasingly blurred, and businesses in both the public and private sectors are turning to events as a way of increasing their reach, marketing their products and services, and creating a sense of community and fun – which in turn help to build business.

These events don’t organise themselves but require planners and coordinators of the highest order – people who can manage staff, pull together teams from different industries, manage budgets, keep a tight rein on schedules and attend to the tiniest of details. It’s not a career for shrinking violets, but if you’ve got energy and initiative, it can be an ideal career choice.

Working in events

Events management involves more, of course, than just throwing parties – and being a party animal is not a sufficient core competency.

A successful event needs to be planned and coordinated with military precision, and event planners need to be methodical and practical, as well as dynamic and creative. You must be able to juggle many tasks at once and be an expert networker and project manager. You must also possess the ability to understand and deliver exactly what clients want, providing dynamic events that follow their objectives and business culture, as well as their budget.

For any one event, you may need to coordinate things like venue choice, professional speakers, catering, themes and decor, technology, staging and lighting, audiovisual equipment, photography, media exposure, safety and security, graphics and multimedia materials, traffic and parking, entertainers and equipment hire – all within budget constraints! The challenges are many, but so are the rewards.

Events management can be a financially rewarding career, and you can find yourself working in a wide range of industries. Strong jobs growth has been predicted in the hotel and resorts industry, as well as not-for-profit organisations. 

Events management skill requirements and courses

The key skills required to be a successful events manager are organisational skills, creativity, flexibility, a love of people, time management skills and a willingness to work hard. Some of these qualities are innate, but most can be learned. You just need to find the right course to receive the right training.

The Certificate III in Events and Diploma of Venues and Events offered by Martin College are unique distance education courses that allow you to study events management from the convenience of your own home, according to your own schedule. You can qualify to become an events coordinator in a shorter amount of time than through other courses (30 weeks of study for the Certificate III and 80 weeks of study for the Diploma), with 10 start dates throughout the year to give you maximum accessibility.

What’s even better, the Diploma of Venues and Events is a VET FEE-HELP course, which means that Australian citizens can receive an interest-free loan to study this course. In other words, you can study now and pay later, once you’re earning a certain level of income – and you don’t need to have completed the Certificate III in Events as a prerequisite. The road to becoming an events manager could not be easier!

These event management courses will teach you everything you need to know about staging a successful event, covering the fundamentals of event and venue management, budgeting, communications and marketing, as well as industry-standard event management software. You will be well supported with personal tutors and teachers who are events experts with substantial industry experience.

In addition, Martin College provides students with invaluable work experience as part of the curriculum – and it’s that real world experience that will distinguish you from other students and get you noticed by employers. The Martin College Starter Program is an exclusive jobs portal with access to over 250 employers looking to hire graduates and students of Martin College, for everything from balls to conferences, wedding expos and music festivals – and it’s available to every student to help them get started in their career after graduation.

According to Karen Sharp, Graduate Placement Coordinator at Martin College, 'Internships and volunteer roles are designed to provide you with an opportunity to apply your theoretical knowledge to real-life situations. They give you experience of working in an events office and being a part of the process from planning through to delivery. Meeting people and creating a network is integral to your career in the events industry, and by volunteering and completing internships, you will be fast-tracking your career development and facilitating your transition from study into the paid workforce'.

Tracy Holmstrand studied the Diploma of Venues and Events at Martin College – and for Tracy, the course was ‘life-changing’.

Tracy was able to gain work experience at the Cancer Council of Australia through the Martin College Starter Program, working her internship around her schedule. She now works at the Cancer Council as a full-time events coordinator.

‘The experience I gained at the Cancer Council has put me a step above most people at my level. I believe that employers are more willing to hire people who have worked as volunteers and interns, because it shows that you’ve put in the time, hard work and effort to gain experience. I think this makes you more employable because it means you can contribute more to the business,’ says Tracy.

‘I’ve gained insight into the industry that has prepared me for what to expect in the “real world”. It’s not all glitz and glamour, but I have certainly had my passion ignited to begin a successful career in this industry.’

If you would like to ignite your passion for a successful career in events management, check out our range of event management courses.