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Event managers organise and run conferences, exhibitions, promotions and business and social events.
You could work: evenings / weekends / bank holidays; away from home
In this job you'll:
You could work in an office, at events, at a venue or at a client's business.
Your working environment may be physically active, you'll travel often and you may spend nights away from home.
You can get into this job through:
A degree is not essential for this role but you may have an advantage if you have a foundation degree, higher national diploma or degree.
Particularly relevant subjects include:
University courses that include work placements will help you get practical experience and develop contacts in the industry.
You'll usually need:
There is no set entry route to become an events manager so many courses would be acceptable. You can gain particularly relevant skills and knowledge through courses like:
Some travel and tourism courses may also include an events planning option.
You'll usually need:
You could get started in the conference and events industry through the following apprenticeships:
You'll usually need:
You could start as an admin or marketing assistant and work your way up through training and promotion.
Companies that would be good to work at include conference management, marketing or public relations.
Volunteer work as a crew member at large events or exhibitions can be a good way to get experience, build contacts in the industry and get to know about vacancies that go unadvertised.
To find volunteering opportunities:
You can apply directly if you can show you have a lot of experience working in areas like public relations, marketing or hospitality.
Employers will usually look for relevant experience and strong transferable skills like organising, budget management and marketing.
It may be especially useful to get any experience you can gain in industries like:hotel conference and banqueting; travel; sales; PR; fundraising
Find training opportunities and make industry contacts through organisations like:Association of Event Organisers; Eventia
You can find out more about becoming an events manager from:Association of Event Organisers; Association of British Professional Conference Organisers
With experience and a good track record, you could run events that have larger budgets and eventually move into senior management.
You could also work freelance or set up your own conference or events management business.
You can find out more about becoming an events manager from: