What Does an Event Planner Do?

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Event planners find work as part of corporations and businesses and sometimes they are self-employed.  They can work in any field where someone is need to plan any kind of event.  Some event planners specialize in weddings, corporate events, seminars, or trade shows, while other event planners do a variety of events.  Event planner jobs can be full-time, part-time or freelances.  There is a lot of room for choosing the kind of work that you want to do with the proper training.

Some event planners are hired on contract to do a specific event. These are usually large events that have many thousands of people attending.  Event planners may take care of a specific facet of the event or they may organize everything.  They would be hired, on contract, for a specific period of time and they would have specific requirements.  They would also have to work within a set budget, in order to accomplish all of their goals.  Event planners make sure that runs smoothly and they are present during the event, in case something goes wrong.

Some of the typical things that event planners might be in charge of for a business type of situation include: setting up meetings to plan for the event, arranging for attendees to register, and meeting the various needs of those who will be attending.  That could mean setting up hotel reservations, arranging for meals and beverages, inviting speakers, sending update letters, and more.

Skills

Some of the skills that event planners must have include:

• Organization skills: Obviously, the event planner must know what is going on at all times. An event planner should know what has been completed and what is left to do.
• Communications: Event planners must be able to communicate well, both verbally and in the written word.  The event planner will spend a great deal of time talking on the phone, presenting information, answering and asking questions via text and email, and making sure that the appropriate persons are kept up-to-date with the situation.  A smartphone is likely a necessary tool for the event planner on the go!
• Research:  When the event planner is choosing businesses to work with to arrange the event, there must be appropriate research done.  A food service cannot be choosen randomly from the phone book.  The event planner will have to consider factors like cost, location, and reputation and in order to get that information, the planner will need to do some research and make comparisons between a few different companies.

Training

There are some people who become event planners without any schooling that is focused on this but with proper training you will be able to build a career much faster.  You can take a course on event planning and receive your diploma and start work in less than a year.  At Robertson College you even get the opportunity to do a work practicum before you enter the work force and gain valuable experience.

Earnings

As an event planner, in Canada you can expect to earn between $31,800 and $55,200 per year.  Of course, this amount can vary, depending on whether you find full or part time employment.  If you run your own business as an event planner, your earnings can be even higher if you learn to market yourself well!