Events organisers plan and co-ordinate a wide range of corporate and social events, making sure they run smoothly and to budget.

The Work

The range of events includes trade fairs, product launches, company away-days including team building exercises, fundraisers, sports events, antique fairs, music festivals, weddings and parties.

You could be:

• discussing clients' needs and selecting and booking suitable venues
• assisting with the production and distribution of promotional material and tickets
• liaising with a range of suppliers to ensure all equipment and services are provided on time, such as marquees, catering, transport, accommodation, lighting and sound systems and any special equipment or services such as computers and internet access
• checking that health and safety regulations are complied with and arranging security
• taking registrations and payments, sometimes online
• keeping records of bookings and arrangements
• managing the event on the day to ensure that it runs smoothly
• making sure an event meets the budget and is completed to schedule
• evaluating the event and producing reports.

You may organise more than one event at a time.

Pay

The figures below are only a guide. Actual pay rates may vary, depending on:

• where you work
• the size of the company or organisation you work for
• the demand for the job.

The starting salaries for events organisers are in the range £16,000 to £20,000 a year. With experience, annual salaries can rise to between £22,000 and £35,000 or more. At manager and director level the salary could be up to £50,000 a year.

Conditions

• You usually work regular office hours between events but you may have to work long hours in the run-up to an event. This could be 10-12 hours a day.
• You often have to go to events in the evenings or at weekends.
• You may have to travel a lot and spend nights away from home.
• You have to be able to cope with stress and work to tight deadlines.

Getting In

• Most entrants have worked in related jobs in sales, marketing, customer service, hotel and catering or public relations.
• Entrants are usually graduates. It helps if you have a degree in marketing, event management, business, journalism, advertising or public relations. Entry requirements are usually 4-5 Highers.
• Edinburgh Napier, Glasgow Caledonian, Queen Margaret, Robert Gordon and the West of Scotland Universities offer degrees in event management, with Napier also offering festival and event management.
• There are Higher National Certificates (HNCs) and Higher National Diplomas (HNDs) in events management. You usually need 2 Highers and 2-3 subjects at National 4 or 5, including English or equivalent.
• You will need a full driving licence for some posts.
• It can be useful to speak a second language.
• You could get some experience by volunteering or working part time at events.

You might work for an events management company or an individual venue, such as an exhibition centre or hotel.

Job Outlook Scotland

Job Outlook Scotland and UK

  Scotland

2019

5368

1.9 %

RISE

2024

5471

  United Kingdom

2019

65598

2.1 %

RISE

2024

66971

LMI data powered by EMSI UK

What Does it Take?

You need to be:

• outgoing with good communication skills
• self-motivated and enthusiastic
• well organised with an eye for detail
• able to manage your time
• able to keep calm, cope with pressure and meet tight deadlines
• able to work well in a team
• flexible, adaptable and able to sort out any last minute problems.

You need to have:

• good problem solving skills
• good computer skills
• business sense
• project and budget management skills.

Training

• Training is mainly on the job, as well as short courses in areas such as customer care, sales, marketing, IT and finance.
• You may choose to do further training and become a member of a professional body. These include the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), the Association of British Professional Conference Organisers (ABPCO) and the Association for Conferences and Events (ACE).

Getting On

• There is no clear promotion structure. You can progress by specialising in one type of event or moving to a larger company.
• You might move into marketing, public relations or conference production.
• You could become self-employed and work freelance. To succeed, you need experience and a good network of contacts.

More Information

The Creative and Cultural Skills website has careers information on specific types of event management including sections on music for live music event management and heritage for museum and heritage events.

Video

Contacts

The following organisations may be able to provide further information.