Should You Choose Event Management to Study After 12th?
It is more by chance than by choice, that Indian students end up becoming event managers and I want to break that trend through team.i.
As a passionate Event Manager first and a mentor soon after, I look for youngsters who join the course to become rockstar event managers.”
Interacting with the generation next has been an integral part of my life even before team.i. On an average, I talk to 1-2 students a day about their career choices after 12th standard. Many of them don’t mind pursuing event management studies and even love the “fun tag” it comes with, but it’s only a few of them who have the conviction to say that I want to be nothing but an Event Manager. Let’s dig deep into this subject.
Hi! I am Arvind Jyot Sabhaney and in this post I present my take on what it means to choose event management as a career option early in life. I cover the following topics.
- Myths about event management as a career
- The reality
- Who fit in (and who don’t)
- What to expect once you get started
- How to achieve growth and success
- Names of some famous event managers in India and more.
Why is Event Management not taken seriously as a Career Option?
Most of them are myths. Let me list some common reasons I hear.
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Cannot be a mainstream career
I have met so many who look at Event Management as a part-time job – a good source of income during college or even high-school. This image and perception stays at that even later; so it doesn’t easily make it to the top of the list of full time career.
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It is Stressful
Coordinating for many things and multi- tasking mostly, the event manager’s role is considered full of stress and anxiety.
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No future / Regular income
A fly-by-night business opportunity which cannot be counted on for future security and a source of regular income
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Event Managers are party planners
A very common notion, party planners is the most used synonym for an event manager.
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Entertainment industry is not safe
Nightlife, Parties and the entertainment industry sucks you in and if you are a girl, it’s not a “good”place to be.
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It’s for school and college drop outs
Event management does not require any skill sets. The best option for the ones who are not interested in studies
If I missed any myth worth a mention, please comment to remind me..
If the above are not true, then what is the actual state and scope of a career in events today?
# Even after entering the event industry, EVERYTHING you knew about event management from the outside- is just a tip of the iceberg. There is so much more to it!
# It’s serious business and a very lucrative one at that! Event management companies like DNA Networks do more than 50 events a year and counting!
# It is not a joke to pull off an event like Roger Waters, IIFA awards, Echoes of the Earth and more. Its the army of event managers behind it that make it such a big success.
# It requires some amazing skill sets to ideate visualise, market, produce, sell events. You need to think ROI for your clients and make it an experiential marketing platform
# Formal education,training and perseverance is needed to learn the tricks of the trade and master it
# There is a huge learning curve, simply because there are so many aspects of event management to be understood.
But once you have crossed the threshold, you are nothing short of a magician who can create experiences for people and naturally you will be the most sought after- by clients and event management companies both.
Roger Waters Concert in Bangalore
IIFA US
Echoes of Earth 2017
Pro Kabaddi Champs
How to evaluate if Event Management is the right career choice for you?
Look out for a detailed post coming up on this very soon, but here’s a snap shot.
Event management is not everyone’s cup of tea. It is demanding, can be stressful and needs meticulous project management skills. I would look for a mix bag of the following natural personality traits
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Planning and Time management
You need to divide your day into tasks, and shuffle them up for what is the priority over the other. Your life happens between those tasks! It is very easy to fall behind schedule and find it difficult to cope up with it.
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Think on your feet
An event manager doesn’t have the luxury to just react and do nothing about last minute glitches. He knows how to change tyres of a moving car. That’s one thing you can count on an event planner. He always has Plan B, C, D up his sleeve.
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A Clutter-free mind
At every point in time, your mind has a dozen or more things to coordinate for. You need to keep your calm, stay organised and clutter free there. You need to work towards a successful event without failing any of the moving parts. Forgetting to add one thing or One error can cast you dearly.
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Attention to details
This is a big one. One over sight in the planning can bring the event down. Taking into consideration every minute detail and stitching it together into marketing, production and operations is the key.
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People Management Skills
Event management is project management all the way. And at every stage there are multiple teams of people working with you. Team management and getting each one deliver their bit on time for desirable results requires hero- level people management skills
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Multi- Tasking
There is nothing called one after the other in the event industry. Everything just happens at the same time and the event manager has to don multiple hats to get it going. Multasking stands at No. 1 in the list
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Negotiation Skills
You don’t call yourself an event manager if you do not know how to strike the best deal with vendors, clients, sponsors and the team. Creating win-win situations for all involved, without losing your profit requires master negotiation skill
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Cool headedness
Staying on top of things while keeping calm makes you take better decisions during event management
How to Join the Event Management Industry?
If you are sure, join early.
Network among your friends and relatives and get an internship opportunity.
Or join a vocational certificate course in event management by team.i and get trained, get volunteer roles as well as internship at top event companies in India.
Get access to the huge alumni network and Event Management community to seek guidance from.
What to expect after you decide to join the Event Management Industry?
Once you decide, there are three ways you can get started with, not in any particular order. But it would be a wise move to get to a sweet spot after you have gained necessary skills from all the three spheres as below
| Phase 1.
Volunteering
Volunteer to take on different roles at various events. Nothing gets you better prepared to join the industry. It offers you a slice of life in the particular role, and helps you choose which vertical in the event industry you are best suited for.
Event Internships
I would recommend to take this as second step always, since its a slightly longer association with the event management company as compared to the volunteer program
Event Management Certification
That’s the icing on the cake. An Intern with a certification in event management studies is most likely to be placed better than one without certification
At team.i , we help you get started in all the three ways. Visit www.teami.org to know more.
| Phase 2.
You work on ROI and collaborate with the client for achieving marketing goals.
You think an entrepreneur, marketer, brand consultant, designer, architect, engineer, PR officer and many more put together without losing sight of your star quality of an event manager.
You are popular, well connected, rich, successful and really sought after as a professional and that when life gets very very interesting my friend!
Event Management Success Stories
Just lead this good list from explara which talks about event managers who have made it big –- prolific event managers from India.
Roshan Abbas and Sanjeev Kapoor from Scorpio have been my friends and associates of team.i for more than 10 years now.
I would add some more names to this list – Oum Pradutt of Phase 1, Harisha Prabhu from DNA networks, Geo Thomas from Acme Events and Jay Mundra from Beep Experience Management
At team.i, we use industry expertise and practical training as an integral part of our academia and some of the magicians above have been mentoring our students, taking special sessions and offering them volunteer opportunity at their events
Summary
Event Management is a very challenging yet an extremely exciting field to get into.
The best part is it embraces every one with wide arms and there is always an opportunity for one more.
Having said that, its not every body’s cup of tea as well. People who have made it big are the ones who have not compromised on excellence and paid attention to the smallest details for improvement.
“ If you are persistent you will get it, but if you are consistent, you will keep it”
This keeps me going.
At team.i we ask Do You Have It in You at every stage of our event management training period.
If the answer is YES, dive right in! There is nothing else like Event Management for you then!
What is your biggest motivation to join the event management industry? Write back in the comment section, would love to know.