What You Know: Events Management Top Tips

Our What You Know series provides top tips on various skills & professions. Read on to get some insight on entering the Events industry.

Damilola Onamusi is currently the Operations Manager at Supa Network. She has previously worked as an Event Manager at Gartner, as well as Haymarket Media Group and The New York Times. Damilola studied Politics and International Relations at University, and discovered her passion for event management during her tenure as ACS Promotions Officer and ACS President in her first and second years at The University of Kent. Alongside her full time job, she launched D.A.S.H Events in 2018 and has increased her portfolio to 72 national and international events. She loves to travel, attend events and learn new skills. Here are her 5 top tips for getting into Events Management.

Event Management isn’t as straightforward as popularly thought. Every event, every company and every stakeholder has key specificities which make them unique. Although highly rewarding, event management is often considered one of the most stressful jobs in the UK. Before you enter the industry, or get stuck into managing your own event - it’s important to know what you should expect and how to ensure you deliver on key objectives of your event.

1. Research is King

Research is essential to event management. There are so many segments and roles within the event management industry, that it is crucial you have a basic understanding of these areas. Key to directing your research is figuring what elements of event management appeal to you the most.

Are you a lover of organising and making sure things flow seamlessly? Perhaps the following would work for you:

- Event Manager

- Event Coordinator

- Event Planner

- Events Administrator

- Snr Event Planner/Coordinator.

More excited about the content of events? Take a look into Event Production roles. And, if you’re a lover of ensuring the event message is communicated effectively, you’ll fit right into an Events Marketing role.

Alongside researching specific job titles - ensure you know where in the industry you want to be. Do you want to work in Hospitality Events, Training Events, Corporate Events or General Logistics? Or alternatively, do you want to work behind the scenes on the tech side of things, such as with an AV production company? The opportunities are truly endless. Also, make sure to utilize LinkedIn and connect with people from the area you’re looking to go into. See if you can strike up conversation, and ask them a few questions about their profession.

2. Plan a practical entry route

There are a wealth of possible entry routes into the Events industry. If you take a quick scan of any Events professional on Linkedin or social media, you’ll find hundreds of different trajectories into the space. Having this diversity and access to their journeys will help you with planning your own.

If you’re a student, irrespective of whether you’re studying Events Management, it’s a great time to start thinking about how you’re going to build your events portfolio. Here are some ways you can achieve this:

- Planning an event for a society.

- Volunteering to help at an event hosted by your University.

Whichever you decide, it is important that you document your work online. This can be done via social media, or your LinkedIn profile.

If you’re not at University, in addition to the above, you also need to think about how transferable the skills are in your current line of work. This will help you ascertain whether or not you may need to get a qualification in Events Management or apply for an apprenticeship.

My own journey into the industry wasn’t so straightforward.

After University, I had no idea what I wanted to do. It was only after a friend suggested I look into Events management, that I began to start looking into the industry. I applied for approximately 20 event management roles and was rejected from 19 until landing an interview with Landor Links. Finally, I was offered a role.

After a year and a half, I knew I needed to do something which built on the experience I’d gained, and so I decided to take a course in Events Management with The Event Academy. Fortunately, I received a Distinction, and after 2 years with Landor Links, I decided to start looking for other jobs.

The bottom line is this - it is vital to have a rough plan of your entry point. It won’t be easy because it’s competitive, but having a plan will help keep you focused.

3. Engage with Industry experts

It’s always a great idea to seek out and engage with industry experts. By following them on social media and attending events where industry speakers will be, you’ll put yourself in close proximity to people you can potentially network with and learn from.

Some notable events to attend are Confex, The Meetings Show, The BNC Show and Venues and Events Live. Going to these opportunities and immersing yourself within the events space is a great way to demonstrate your commitment, connect with the latest industry trends, and build your knowledge on the problems Event Professionals across the country are looking to solve.

During my first two years I attended all of the above events aside from Confex (the dates didn’t work with my event schedule), from meeting various suppliers at these events I was able to negotiate better venue contracts for the company as well as gain exclusive rates ahead of others.

4. Build your portfolio

Although previously mentioned earlier on in the article, the importance of building your portfolio is so great, it demanded a separate section.. Your portfolio is ‘a living and ever-evolving collection of records reflecting your accomplishments, skills, experiences, and attributes. It’s also a great way to demonstrate your passion and expertise at interviews.

So how should you structure your portfolio? In whichever way suits you. The most important thing is that it helps you remember what role you took on at each event, as well as the details of your preparation.

For example, I saved a copy of each event programme I had a role in as well as my various responsibilities. This personally worked for me, but you may wish to do it differently - and that’s okay. The most important takeaway from this tip is to document your journey.

5. Be Bold

Don’t be afraid to reach out to potential companies/agencies you’d like to work with. Write an email introducing yourself, what you’re looking for, what you admire about the company/agency and if there are any roles at the moment.

In all honesty, there’s a chance that you will face rejection from some jobs. But don’t let that define you - use it as fuel to land your dream job. Keep reaching out to companies. Sooner or later, something for you will be yours.

All the best of luck - I have no doubt that you’ll be just fine.

Looking for more tips and general expertise on event management? You can connect with me on socials here.

Twitter/Instagram: @mslolaraexo

LinkedIn: Damilola Onamusi