The event industry is worth over £45BIL to the UK economy every year and growing, with more than half a million people in full-time employment in the sector, 10,000 venues to choose from, and over 1MIL business events taking place every year! Now that is a big industry…

So ‘how can I get a job in the events industry?’…

Or ‘how can I change my job and move into a different part of the sector?’…

Before I can answer that question, it’s worth looking at the different types of event management structures in existence, to explore the pro’s and cons of these disciplines to help you work out which one would suit you best.

Promoted Events

‘Promoted event’ is a term used to describe an event where the event manager/business owner aims to sell tickets to an event, which makes up the majority of their revenue. Obvious examples include music festivals, conventions like Comic Con and independent business seminars.

Most of these events are organised by independent businesses where ticket sales and sponsorship make up the owner’s sole revenue stream, but sometimes these events can be run by small or large businesses as a way to promote or cross-sell an additional service or generate an additional revenue stream.

For example, Quickbooks recently organised a business conference for the purpose of building their brand, generating new data and ultimately – to sell their accountancy software.

If we’re talking about a promoted event run by a large company, typically, that company’s internal events team will organise these, and the marketing team will help with their campaigns. However, they may use an agency (this can also fall under the category of ‘internal event’).

But for an independent event or small business with a small team, there tends to be the ‘start up’ approach to getting the job done, with everybody getting their hands stuck in and chipping in towards the greater goal.

If you like variety, this can be quite exciting, because you’ll get to do a bit of everything including booking speakers and/or entertainment, logistics, venue sourcing, floor planning, and promo.

However, due to the competitive nature, it can be a risky move and it isn’t always a sustainable career, as we’ve seen in recent years with the closure of music festivals such as Sonisphere. But if you’re looking for experience, it’s a great start to get an idea of how events work from all angles.

Internal Events

‘Internal events’ is the term used to describe an event used inside an organisation to benefit that organisation’s goals, such as yearly employee award shows, recruitment fairs, yearly sales conferences, incentive trips, shareholder meetings, and so on.

Typically, the internal events team will organise these events, but they may use an agency to help out as most of the work is logistical (there is no marketing required, so the landscape is entirely different, and the risk is lower). But, these events aren’t always as exciting as promoted events, and they may be small scale, so you may find organising them less exciting in comparison to promoted events, but for career stability, it’s a good option.

Also, depending on how big the company is, you may only be in charge of certain tasks such as venue organisation, as there tends to be a collective team effort, which is good for some, and bad for others. If you are an expert in certain areas of the event process, this may work well for you.

Or, you may be in charge of liaising with agencies, making you an account manager as opposed to an actual event organiser.

Event Agency

Event agencies charge to organise an event on behalf of their clients, so working in an agency can put you in front of lots of different industries, companies and event types and give you great exposure and experience with all types of events like we do in LS4 Events.

But, depending on the company you work with, you may be silo’d to certain tasks, or you may find that you are not passionate about certain clients, so it’s not for everyone. Agencies tend to take on the more experienced event managers who have experience of working with large-scale events with big budgets where the requirements are much more complex.

If diversity and variety is what you are looking for, then the agency environment might work for you, however each agency is different, so it might be worth asking how they manage their event portfolio to find out whether you’d be working on multiple clients or one, and if you’d be an expert in one area or work in all areas of the event process.

A large chunk of the event industry is made up of agencies so once you’ve got your foot in the door with one, you’ll find that your career gets stronger, however it’s also worth noting that a lot of these businesses are very small, so if you’re looking for a more corporate role, internal events might be a better option.

Private Events

‘Private events’ is a term used to describe any event organised by, or on behalf of an individual as opposed to a business. Examples include weddings, birthday parties, stag and hen events, or celebrations such as anniversaries. Lots of party planners work for themselves, but there are agencies that offer this service, too.

It’s worth noting that organising a wedding is completely different to any other type of event, and the expectations are much higher, so having a high attention to detail and being able to understand your customer’s needs and come up with creative ideas is crucial. You may find that because they are spending their own money, they can be quite demanding and the buck stops with you if anything goes wrong.

However, if you pull it off, they’ll be more grateful than any other client type. Often people specialise in either private or corporate because the two client and event types are entirely different. If you’re a show stopper, or not a natural party goer, it may be difficult to understand what makes people tick.

How To Get A Job In Events

As the event industry is highly competitive, the best way to get your foot in the door is through volunteering. Like most industries, the event industry is a ‘who you know industry,’ so the more events you volunteer at, the more likely you’ll be to leave an impression, make good contacts and ultimately find a job.

Internships are also a good place to start. There are plenty of local charity events being organised every year, and it’s easy to take up one of these opportunities where you’ll be given a chance to help with the organisation, and it’ll make your CV look good. If that doesn’t work, try organising your own events to demonstrate your enthusiasm.

If you organise your own events, be sure to get customer testimonials, videos and photos as a way to boost your CV. It’s up to you whether you’d prefer to specialise in a particular sector such as music festivals or gain experience at lots of types of events to be seen as an all-rounder. Both are valuable to companies.

And if you’re struggling to land that job once you’ve got that experience, I’d avoid recruitment agencies and apply directly to small companies that’ll give you a chance. Ultimately, it’s enthusiasm that will land you that job, and even if you start off on a low salary, it’ll be worth it in the end once you have demonstrated your skills.

Good luck!