A Beginners Guide to Event Planning Certification

Up until recently, event planning, although a very promising career stream, was not considered as a very concrete or profitable career path. Volunteers and committees used to organise special events and paid only a few people involved. Such events were mostly taken care of by the marketing department or the administrative wings.

So, there was never a formal training for events. Most people learnt it on the job, by getting into the grind and gained practical knowledge. Slowly more and more companies have learnt the value of a professional and well-organised event and appreciated the quality of it. The industry is still sprouting but these days almost all good and well-known companies have their event planning teams in place. The work of organising events is mostly outsourced to a firm, an agency or an individual with the appropriate skills and qualifications. Such agencies and individuals hold an expertise in organising professional events and corporate shows.

Event Planning Certification

Appropriate certifications leverage the growth and path of an event planner and can provide greater opportunities for those looking for more desirable and higher paying job opportunities. Gaining qualifications and experience can help potential event planners to learn the basics of event planning extremely well. The main advantage of gaining admission in event planning certification programs is that one gets the opportunity to interact with those that are experienced in the industry, as well as allowing you to interact with fellow students, where ideas can be shared and tricks of the trade can be learnt.

As an event planner, one gets handsome remuneration along with a sense of job satisfaction. Being an event planner can involve lots of fun and entertainment, but it also demands shouldering many responsibilities and dealing with problems that may arise. An event planner starts gaining respect in the industry when they have successfully completed a variety of different events to their clients satisfaction, and word of mouth will play a great role in drumming up future business.

A lot of event planning certification programs are currently present in the market and students pursue them after their graduations. These certifications can surely be useful for those who are looking for a long-term career in this field and wish to get to the top position fast.

What Does an Event Planner Do?

There is a wide genre of events that an event planner has to organise. There are corporate conferences, exhibitions, large scale events, shows, Weddings, seminars and so on. Each time an event is planned, people look for some new additions in terms of elements and creative ideas. Right from arranging drinking water for the invitees to the final good bye, an event planner has to think of all the small elements involved. They also need to be ready for the worst and most unexpected situations that can arise at the venue on the day of the event. Crisis management is also one branch where it is imperative to gain additional expertise. Besides this, one needs to have presence of mind, effective communication and great interpersonal skills, to make the event a big success. They should be of an outgoing personality and have respect for the deadlines set.

Many event planners start their career by taking up any job in order to gain experience and set up their own firm later on. The self-employed event managers earn better than the employed ones.