10 event planning careers in the event industry.
What is your dream job in the events industry?
The best way to answer this question is to think about all the possible roles available to you. Learn about the opportunities out there for you, and find the one that makes your heart sing the most! For long-lasting success in this industry, you should look for a role that fits well with you, and your unique personality and skillset.
It’s a tough industry, fast-paced and highly competitive.
Keep in mind, it’s not going to be easy. It’s fast-paced and highly-competitive. It’s also well documented that event planning is one of the most stressful jobs in the world. Working in events can be hard, it involves long days and even longer nights. You have to face unpredictable conditions, immediate dangers and high-stakes situations. With this in mind, it’s imperative you find a role in the events industry that you will still love, even after all the guests have gone home and you’re still on-site working late into the night.
In this article, we’ve compiled a list of the top 10 roles to pursue for a career in events. Whether you’re looking for a job or want to be your own boss, our list of event roles and responsibilities will help you spot what you like and find the right opportunities for your event career.
Rachella SAYS
“Choose a career in the events industry that ignites your passion and keeps you motivated even when the lights dim and the challenges arise. Find the role that resonates with your unique personality and skillset, because in this fast-paced world, it's not just a job—it's your dream job.”
10 event planning careers in the event industry.
Event Manager
Wedding Planner
Venue Manager
Business Development Manager
Catering Manager
Digital Marketing Manager
Marketing Manager
Event Volunteer Coordinator
Artistic Director
Production Manager
Choose a career in the events industry that ignites your passion.
1. Event Manager
Type of Event Role
From business conferences to high-end galas, and professional sports races to international festivals… event managers do it all.
Depending on the type of event you’re interested in, you’ll be called all sorts of things: Event Planner, Event Manager or Event Producer. It’s all basically the same thing. You’re in charge.
Perfect for…
This role is perfect for the ‘Jack of All Trades’. Before the big day, event planners plan the event, book suppliers and coordinate the logistics for pretty much everything: venue, food, styling, staff and volunteers, presenters and performers to pull off a flawless event.
Some Event Managers specialise in smaller workshops and seminars, while others lead the charge on large-scale events like trade shows, complex conferences or even high-profile festivals for thousands of people.
Like to be the centre of the action, but also prefer to be the unseen wizard behind the curtain? Then this role is for you. During the event delivery, event planners are the go-to person for problem-solving every outcome, unforeseen change or obstacle. It’s a fast-paced and intense job at times, but the feeling of accomplishment after a great event is priceless!
2. Wedding Planner
Type of Event Role
This role is essentially the same as other Event Planners and Event Managers, except here you specialise in weddings. And it can be a profitable focus! Weddings are multi-million dollar industry. When couples want to make sure their big day will run perfectly, they turn to Wedding Planners. These event professionals know all there needs to be know about weddings from dresses and cakes to sound systems and marriage certificates.
During the planning phase, they help their clients make decisions that fit their expectations and budgets. It's all about ushering the couple through the process. Once the wedding day arrives, the Wedding Planner is actually the glue for the whole show - they ensure the whole thing runs smoothly and without the guests or newly weds guessing for a second that some things didn't go as planned.
Perfect for…
Perfect for someone new to events or with limited event planning experience. Designed to plan and manage special occasions events such as weddings, gala dinners, awards nights, and cocktail parties.
3. Venue Manager
Type of Event Role
Venue Managers are experts on running events on their own event spaces. They know exactly how to execute a great event in their room. Whether it’s an arena, a concert hall, or reception centre, they know how best to design the layout, logistics, and entertainment for events in that space. And similar to Wedding Planners, they help their clients make decisions about their event, based on what works well at that venue.
Venue Managers often are also the sales and marketing managers for the space, helping to bring in new events and promote upcoming shows. They can sometimes function as direct Event Managers, or work closely with the Event Manager when delivering the actual event.
Perfect for…
The Venue Manager role handles A LOT of events. Your venue might have a couple of events scheduled every weekend, and a few during the week. The constant is your venue, that stays the same, but you will be working with new clients every week. This role is ideal for someone who loves the fast-pace of juggling several different events, and clients, all at once!
4. Business Development Manager
Type of Event Role
Sponsorship, supporting partners and funding are essential revenue streams for many events. Business development is particularly important for large-scale events that work with big budgets. The Business Development Manager is adept at recognising strategic opportunities for partners who can support the event financially. This role can range from working on partnerships for large-scale commercial festivals down to community not-for-profit fundraising events.
Perfect for…
This role is all about strategic thinking, networking, liaising and being creative. These professionals know how to cater to the needs of high-level business people and community leaders, and can generate their buy in. It's all about strong professional relationships and thinking big and thinking forward.
5. Catering Manager
Type of Event Role
Catering Managers need a good knowledge of food preparation along with formal or innate skills in planning and problem-solving within an event context. Event Managers rely on the Catering Manager to lead the way in designing the menu and booking the relevant kitchen space or offsite equipment, and then managing the kitchen and front of house operations on event day. It's a big and delicious task.
Perfect for…
Do you love food? Did you pay your way through uni working hospitality jobs? You built a great portfolio of skills that could help you become a great Catering Manager. Whether you need to feed hundreds of people or design the perfect high-end five-course meal for an intimate dinner, your job is important. It's always the quality of the food that guests remember the most!
6. Digital Marketing Manager
Type of Event Role
Digital Marketing is a way of everyday life, and as such, it's an important part of promoting events. It’s also a great way to capture the event day, and continue promotions after the event. Digital Marketing Managers oversee the social media and online promotion prior to the event, to generate ticket sales and gain exposure for the event. They may create unique hashtags, do live feeds, design digital ad campaigns and generate online conversations.
Perfect for…
Digital Marketing Managers are integral to making the event a success. They’re also just as important during event delivery to showcase the event in real-time, and its capture the fun and atmosphere . And as far as Event Professionals go, these guys are at the front of integrating technology into the event design. This type of event role is ideal for someone who loves events and loves social media, in equal measure!
7. Marketing Manager
Type of Event Role
Marketing has evolved significantly over the past 50 years, and these days experiential marketing is a common strategy to launch a brand. If you work for a mid-size company or creative agency as a marketing or communications manager, you might be in charge of occasional promotional events and other experiential marketing. If that's the case, then it will be in your job description to know how to turn a marketing campaign into an event experience.
Alternatively, you could land yourself the coveted role of Marketing Manager for an event agency or a large-scale festival. In this case, you won't need to know how to run an event; instead you'll be in charge of promoting the event. It's an exciting and big role of responsibility, as it's your clever and creative marketing ideas that will generate ticket sales, raise public awareness and make it a must-attend-event.
Perfect for…
This is a big role of responsibility, as it's your clever and creative marketing ideas that will generate ticket sales, raise public awareness and make it a must-attend-event. This role is for someone who is serious about their marketing career and wants to take it to the next level.
8. Event Volunteer Coordinator
Type of Event Role
Events rely on a big team of staff and volunteers on event day. A Staff & Volunteer Coordinator is in charge of recruitment, rostering and logistics related to the team of workers onsite for the event.
Perfect for…
It takes a special person to pull off this challenging role. It’s a tough job to train large sets of workers quickly and encourage productivity. Most staff and volunteers at an event come on board just weeks before the actual event, and have access to limited information. It's your job to brief them, answer their questions and make them feel supported. It's also your job to roster them, and maintain the administration for shifts to cover OHS and payment obligations.
Many times, temporary staff and volunteers lack the knowledge of the event’s inner workings. They’re unable to take initiative when problems arise. This means you need to be able to think quickly and problem solve for unexpected issues as well. But if you have great interpersonal skills, like to work with lots of different people, and love being a part of events then it could be a great role for you.
9. Artistic Director
Type of Event Role
The most creative and colourful of career paths, the role of Artistic Director or Creative Producer sees you dreaming up big, bold and imaginative ideas to bring to life. Whether it is for an Arts Festival, a music concert or a brand activation company - your role is to inspire engaging ideas that entertain and delight your audience.
It's your job to take the client brief (including their strategic objectives for the event) and transform that into an event concept and design. Depending on the type of event, you may work on big vision ideas for event concepts, scope out interesting performers, determine the colour palette and style guide and direct the furniture and props selection for event themeing.
Perfect for…
This is possibly the hardest and most exciting career of them all, because it's your job to bring the event to life! This role is best filled by someone with a vivid imagination and creative vision for the event. This role is highly sought after, and difficult to fill because it requires someone with talent and vision.
10. Production Manager
Type of Event Role
Whether you need to feed hundreds of people or you have to deliver the perfect five-course meal for an intimate dinner, the production manager is at the heart of turning the creative ideas into a reality. You’re essential to making the event site a place where people can come and enjoy the experience of an event. You must have the capacity to sniff out the details, turn them into a workable plan and then problem solve during chaos. Without the Production Manager, the entire event will only ever be just an idea.
Perfect for…
Do you have a knack for technology? Are you excited about a well-crafted run sheet and production schedule? Are you excited about the idea of building an event site from the ground up - bringing in all the stages, rigging, lighting, marquees, furniture and amenities. If the event operations and logistics make you sit up and pay attention, then the Production Manager is the right role for you.
Wrap up.
Unlock a world of endless possibilities and extraordinary experiences by pursuing a career in the vibrant events industry. From planning unforgettable moments to promoting the next big thing in events, this dynamic field invites you to create, innovate, and leave a lasting impact. Embrace the excitement, embrace the challenge, and embark on a journey where every event becomes an opportunity to transform dreams into reality.
WRITTEN BY RACHELLA THOMAS
Rachella Thomas is the powerhouse behind award-winning event consulting agency, Event Kit. With her 20+ years’ experience producing world-class events for high-profile clients and brands, Rachella has honed her skills to create a valuable resource for event planners looking to elevate their events. Her wealth of expertise has established Rachella as the go-to event consultant and mentor for aspiring event professionals and businesses alike.
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