Download Part 3 now using the button above to gain access to the final part of our EventMploy E-book for today’s Event Planners. Utilise all planning documents provided to get ahead for your next event.

Who are the right staff for your next event?

The Event Who is the plan about who you will use to help deliver the event.  For smaller events you may do all of the delivery yourself but even so it is likely you will still have suppliers that you will use.  Some of the other groups of people and suggestions about how to build relationships are listed below.

Volunteers

Volunteers are a tricky group to manage, because they are volunteers you may feel as though you don’t have the right to expect good performance, but you do!  This takes leadership skills though and an ability to influence people to get the outcome you need to achieve your vision.  

There are a lot of Apps that help you recruit and communicate with volunteers but they need more information than you think they do.  

The volunteer’s job may be fairly easy but for your event to be a success you will need to give them information about how to do that job well. Try to think about all the different questions attendees might ask them and give them enough information to be able to answer those questions confidently.  

For example, if your event is a community festival and you have volunteers selling ride tickets, create a “ready reckoner” for them so they know exactly what they are charging for two, four, six, eight tickets of whatever packages you have, give them some idea about the rules, can they give attendees a refund, if so under what circumstances?

f you have a number of volunteers filling shifts during the day make sure you have a system where the person off duty is to give the next person a briefing about what they need to do.  

It might seem like you are giving them too much information but if you don’t provide enough information, two things can happen – either they will feel that they are unable to contribute because they don’t have enough information and they may not want to volunteer again or they will make their own decisions that are not in line with the event values and this could damage the brand of the event.

Event Suppliers

Choose event suppliers carefully because they can make or break you event.  If possible ask around and get some recommendations for their services.  

Things to consider, 

• are they responsive to your queries?  
• If they get back to you in a reasonable time this may indicate that they will be reliable.  
• If they are providing additional information on top of what you have requested this is a good sign, as long as it is relevant, this will indicate to you that they know their business and they understand what you are trying achieve.  
• If they offer suggestions for how you might produce the same result or better results with a different approach once again this will help identify that they know their business and they really want to help you deliver a fantastic event.   

Use the table following to make notes about suppliers and services.  It’s handy to keep notes on supplier’s service and prices for future events.

Download the E-book now to access this table and our library of planning tools…

Use the above button to download our Event Planner Notebook Part 2 to access our EventMploy planning resources and tools for you to fill in as you plan. In Part 2 we cover the when, where, and how of planning your next event. Read our guidance on planning for event risks.

When should you stage your event?

There are a number of considerations when determining when to stage your event. These are just some examples…

• What else is happening – research other competing events or other events that may impact the staging of your event, for example if you need to hire marquees it is a good idea to make sure there is not another event in town on the same weekend hiring out all the good marquees.
• Review back to the event vision, when should the event take place to achieve the vision.
• Think about the lead time you have available.  Working out your event timeframe means having a clear idea of all of the tasks and activities needed to be completed. 
• Is your venue available.  Some events might not work if they are not in the right venue, a major sporting event needs a stadium, a couple might have a dream location in mind for their wedding or the event has capacity requirements that can only be met by a certain venue. In these situations the When of the event might be dictacted by venue availability.
• Sporting events might have to occur at a certain time of the year or part of the season.
• How complex the event is

To give you some idea a milestone birthday party can take around a month to organise.  A networking event, customer appreciation event, product launch somewhere between 3 to 6 months and a fundraising gala, trade show or a fete could take 6-12 months.

Finally think about your target market and determine an event time that is most likely to suit.  Family events during the day over a weekend but not too late on a Sunday for example.

Use the planner document in our E-book to determine the best time for your event.

Choosing a venue

Choosing a venue may be simple if you have a readymade venue at your fingertips like a school, however if the choice of venue is not forced upon you these are some of the things you need to think about when selecting the venue: 

• Does it fit with the event concept? 
• Will the venue hold the expected attendance?  
• If your event is a free event can the venue can cater if more than expected people turn up?
• Is the venue available when you need it?
• Does the venue have a good reputation among event managers and customers?  
• What are the technical capabilities of the building like free wifi, ability of the venue to support your audio-visual requirements?
• What does the venue provide, what facilities and amenities are available – parking, toilets, cloak rooms?
• What food and beverage facilities are available?  
• Do they have a licence to serve alcohol?  
• Does the venue provide event staff?  
• Does the venue have sustainable practices?  
• How safe is the venue, do they have an emergency management plan?  

Developing a checklist of these things will help ensure you have all of the potential issues covered, it’s really hard to remember everything so keeping a list like this will be invaluable. 

Accessibility and community impacts

Is the venue or your event easily accessible? Is there public transport nearby? Are there parking facilities? 

The time of your event will impact how people will travel.  An event finishing later in the night will have a higher number of event attendees looking to drive. If it is too hard or inconvenient to get to the venue your attendees just won’t come.  

Also remember that the customer experience includes the journey to the event.  The last thing you want are attendees turning up to the event in a bad mood because there was no parking or bad traffic management which created traffic jams and they were late for the start of the event.

Think about the impact of the event on the local community.  A heavy metal rock outdoor concert will have a higher impact on the community than a classical concert held in an auditorium.  

If you are holding an event on the weekend in a local community, you may need to talk to the local council about road closures and advise residents about the expected increase in pedestrian and vehicle traffic.

Download the E-book now to start using these planning tools and continue reading…

Download our Event Planner Notebook Part 1 using the above button to access our EventMploy tips and tricks to plan your next event. We have included planning resources and tools for you to fill in as you plan. This Three-Part Series will help you break down your Event planning tasks into digestible goals, and support you in brainstorming, contingency planning, and problem solving.

Throughout history our communities have come together to celebrate, to learn, to enjoy theatre, music or sport.  

Event management therefore is as old as civilised society however it remains a small industry of unique individuals who have a huge range of skills and who at times have to work under an enormous strain to ensure that the “show must go on”; people who forego their own weekends, nights and public holidays to ensure the enjoyment of others.   That said it is so much fun.   

Event management can be broken down into seven elements – why, what, when, where, how, who and how well.  Following this process can help what seems like an overwhelming list of things to do become more achievable.

The 7-steps

The 7-steps process while simple can really help identify what needs to be done in order to create and manage a great event.  It doesn’t matter if you are someone volunteering to run your first school fete or sporting club family day or your cousin’s wedding, a product launch or a conference by using the processes detailed in this book, the checklists and the suggested activities you will have all you need to manage your own event.

One of the most challenging elements of event management is focus!  Events are time specific therefore you don’t get the gift of time, all the way through the process you will choose to complete one activity over another competing activity.  Sometimes these will be choices you make and other times they will be forced upon you by suppliers or circumstance.  Using a tool like this book will help you keep on top of the huge number of decisions you must make and tasks you must complete or delegate.

Event managers need to be the calmest person in the room because things can and do go wrong, by planning and using the processes outlined here you will be in a much better position to deal with issues as they arise and still put on a fantastic event.

How this book works

The first section of the book combines information about the 7-step process along with tasks you need to complete.  The second section of the book has all the actionable items repeated so you can use these to manage another two events.

Before you start let’s get the creative juices flowing by thinking about events you may have been to in the past.

Let’s get started!

The 3 Best Events I Have Attended

Event 1 ____________________________

What made it great?

What would have made it greater?

Event 2 ____________________________

What made it great?

What would have made it greater?

Event 3 ____________________________

What made it great?

What would have made it greater?

Let’s talk about vision

Why are you running your event? 

Events are about make an emotional connection and you need to be very clear about what you are trying to achieve.  Is it to raise money, give back to the community or celebrate an important event in your life.   The Why is critical to the eventual outcome.  

People do and buy things that make them feel good.   Your event must tap into something special inside each of your attendees.  A good example of this is if you are running a school fete.  A great way to connect with the attendees is to get their kids involved.  Parents love seeing their kids in the spotlight!

A vision creates understanding about what you are trying to achieve, the purpose of the event and the principles that drive your decision making along the way.

Sometimes you will be the event manager not the event creator so if you are it is even more important to understand why the event exists, this understanding will drive everything you do and help you connect with volunteers, suppliers, customers and any other stakeholders.

It might seem a bit of an overkill to create a vision for your event, however, with all of the competing priorities you will face when creating and managing an event along with everything else in your work and personal life the vision will keep you anchored in what you want to achieve.  When you feel a little lost come back to the vision and remind yourself why you began the event in the first place.

Download the E-book now to learn how to write a vision, and more…

Throughout history our communities have come together to celebrate, to learn, to enjoy theatre, music or sport. 

Event management therefore is as old as civilised society however it remains a small industry of unique individuals who have a huge range of skills and who at times have to work under an enormous strain to ensure that the “show must go on”; people who forego their own weekends, nights and public holidays to ensure the enjoyment of others.   That said it is so much fun.  

One of the most challenging elements of event management is focus!  Events are time specific therefore you don’t get the gift of time, all the way through the process you will choose to complete one activity over another competing activity.  Sometimes these will be choices you make and other times they will be forced upon you by suppliers or circumstance. 

But before you do all of that you need to get your event off the ground.  You may not need all of what follows to get your event off the ground but thinking about the event vision, event concept, creating event goals, knowing how to pitch your event and whether your event is feasible will certainly increase the chance of your event being a success!

Writing a vision for your event

Let’s talk about vision – why are you running your event? 

Great events are about the bigger picture.    Ask these questions…

• Why is the event being held?

• What will engage your audience?

• What do they want to hear, to see, to smell?

• What will make them lean in for more, get them off their devices and shush the person sitting next to them? 

Events are about make an emotional connection and you need to be very clear about what you are trying to achieve.  Is it to raise money, give back to the community or celebrate an important event in your life?  The Why is critical to the eventual outcome. 

People do and buy things that make them feel good.   Your event must tap into something special inside each of your attendees.  A good example of this is if you are running a school fete.  A great way to connect with the attendees is to get their kids involved.  Parents love seeing their kids in the spotlight!

A vision creates understanding about what you are trying to achieve, the purpose of the event and the principles that drive your decision making along the way.

Sometimes you will be the event manager not the event creator so if you are it is even more important to understand why the event exists, this understanding will drive everything you do and help you connect with volunteers, suppliers, customers and any other stakeholders.

Sometimes it might seem a bit of an overkill to create a vision for your event, however, with all of the competing priorities you will face when creating and managing an event along with everything else in your work and personal life the vision will keep you anchored in what you want to achieve.  When you feel a little lost come back to the vision and remind yourself why you began the event in the first place.

It’s important that your vision is simple to understand, to communicate, to inspire.  It should be short and easy to remember for you and your employees.  It needs to be aligned to the organisational or personal values and it should be ambitious, so it challenges yourself and others.

Ask

• Why is the event being held?

• What are your personal or organisational values? 

These will underpin everything you do when managing the event.

Crafting an Event Concept

It doesn’t matter how big or small your event is, all events start from an idea, a concept.  Once you have created your vision it is time to craft the event concept.  The event concept is the way you describe the event.    It may be a community fete, an outdoor festival, food and wine festival, an auction, a trivia night, a sporting event, a wedding, the list goes on and on. 

Event concepts can change over time as you get more information from stakeholders and you understand the environment in which the event will be held, so don’t get too caught up if the concept changes over time, as long as you can connect it back to the event vision that is ok.  

To come up with some event concepts you can use the thought starters following to work through some of your ideas.

3 Ideas that suit this Event Type

• 3 Crazy Event Ideas

• What is expected of this type of event?

• Based on other events what could I do more of?

• Based on other events what could I do less of?

• What would make this event different from other like events?

Event Goals

Once you have your vision and concept you can then create goals to keep you on track during the planning process. Event goals will also provide you with the basis of you post event review.  Checking back against goals that were set at the beginning of the process will help show how well the event performed and whether it should be done again in the future.

A straightforward way of setting goals is to use the SMART model.  Are your goals Specific, Meaningful, Achievable, Relevant and Timely?

Six goals should be enough.

Your Event Pitch

To get your event off the ground you may have to pitch your event vision and concept to a committee, your boss or sponsors, this is a crucial stage of the event. 

Some of the things you will need to consider are your own presentation ability, can you speak clearly and concisely to a group of people?  You may want to learn more about presentation skills.

Make sure you understand your audience, what is in it for them listening to your pitch, how will the event benefit them?

A school committee for example may want to understand the costs of conducting the event and the benefits to the school before giving approval.  A sponsor on the other hand will want to hear the benefits to their brand by being involved. 

When pitching match your tone with the event, if it’s a fun event your pitch should be upbeat, if it’s a serious event be serious, dress professionally.  Be ready for questions you may be asked by your stakeholders and make sure you have an answer.

Is Your Event Feasible?

After your successful pitch, you may need to conduct a feasibility study.  This is when you provide more detail about the event including the concept, the activities, the timing and the venue. 

A feasibility study helps show if the event concept practical and if it can be delivered by the resources available.  Resources include available money, people and time.   A feasibility study will also help you determine if the event will make more money than it will cost to run.

A formal feasibility study includes the following subject headings –

• executive summary – This section is no more than one page long and summarises all of the information in the rest of the report
• event description – details all your decisions to date about the event, it would include the event vision, goals and general concepts.  You would also include a suggested event date or range of dates in this section
• environmental analysis – details the environment in which the event is to be held, also list the potential environmental impacts.  These maybe things such as noise, waste, traffic management and other event arrangements that may impact on the surrounding environment
• marketing strategy – here you would detail the potential purchasers of event tickets and sponsors.  The marketing strategy details how the event manager will go about engaging with the marketplace
• organisational strategy – how the organisation will be able to meet the task requirements of the event.  It will detail what current organisational resources are available to work on the event and also what additional resources, if any, are required
• implementation schedule – the important time frames you have identified for the event.  It will include important milestones
• financial projections – all known event costs and those assumed or estimated costs.  It will also include assumptions about sales and attendances at the event, these projections should be as realistic as possible
• findings and recommendations – a summary of the information included in the rest of the document in the form of a finding or a recommendation as to whether the organisation can confidently proceed with the running of the event

It may not be necessary to do a formal feasibility study; a discussion may be enough to consider if the event concept is feasible. 

Event managers need to be the calmest person in the room because things can and do go wrong, by being clear about your event vision and concept, setting realistic goals, pitching your event to get the support you need and finally making sure your event is feasible will put you in a much better position to deal with issues as they arise and still put on a fantastic event because of you preparation and planning.

Over my time in the events industry, I think I have hired well over 2,500 people.  This is a mix of casual event staff, full time employees and contract positions. Over the 30 years I have been doing it not much has changed in relation to how important a CV and cover letter are for people getting a foot in the door.  Even if I have worked with someone or they have been recommended I will still ask them for a CV in the very least.

CV writing and/or updating can be a tedious and scary job when starting your search for a new gig, especially if it’s your first time or if it has been a long time since you have actively looked for a job. Unfortunately, it is one of those jobs you just must do to give yourself a chance at landing that next gig.

Your CV and cover letter if that has been requested is where the employer makes their first impressions of you and whether you are right for the role or their organisation. 

Knowing how to write a CV and how to highlight the skills and experience needed for the role will help you stand out from the other applicants and get on the shortlist for an interview.

What most people do is write a CV and only update it when they are looking for a new job, and because we use this CV for all our job applications, we don’t vary it, just attach it with the cover letter and hope for the best.  If you are doing this then you are missing a perfect opportunity to demonstrate to the employer how your experience and skills fit perfectly to the job they are recruiting.

Employers don’t need to know everything you’ve done in your career just the things that are relevant to that role.  If you are just starting out and haven’t got much experience to write about then put everything in, this will indicate to a potential employer that you are at least trying to get some experience.

The Importance of a good CV

In the events industry you are probably being hired by the person you will work with, and they are most likely in the middle of planning an event when they need to bring more people on board.  They don’t have time to read through irrelevant information in your CV so keep it brief and to the point.

But remember this is your chance to let a potential employer get to know you and its as important for an employer to suit you as it is for you to suit them so don’t “guild the lily” as the saying goes, be honest about your skills and experience. 

Let them know what value you will bring to the event or organisation and whether you have what is required to be successful in the role.  Make sure your CV is clear about how you can do this and leave the hiring manager is no doubt that you are worth an interview.

Here are our tips for how to get started.  If you don’t know where to start with your CV there are thousands of free samples available online.

10 CV Essentials

1. Contact details – Your name, phone number, email address (make sure it’s a professional sounding one) and LinkedIn profile link.  Make sure your contact details are easy to find on your CV.
2. Professional summary – In a couple of paragraphs describe your experience. Summarise your values, your achievements and what value you can bring to the role.  If you are replying to a mass job advert they here is a good place to use keywords from the job advert to help get you through the automated selection algorithms.
3. Skills summary – List the skills, competencies and systems that are most relevant to the job. Use those keywords here as well.
4. Achievements – List your key career achievements, not what you were responsible for – what you actually achieved.  It is great here if you can back this up with facts or numbers.
5. Work experience –
   1. The most detailed section of your CV, with positions listed from the most recent.  Include employer names, positions and primary responsibilities.
   2. Because we work in a gig economy if you have done the same role for a number of organisations you could list them all in one section.  For example, if you have had experience as a stage manager you could list all the shows here and your experience as an event manager could be in another section.
   3. Wherever possible and relevant demonstrate your achievements with facts and figures.  Once again not what you were responsible for, what you achieved.  For example “delivered a three day festival on budget with 95% satisfaction rating from event attendees. 
6. Education, certifications & qualifications – list the qualification, year of completion, the institution’s name and relevant subjects studied.
7. References – always note referees on request.  This way they will need to tell you they will be contacting your referees, this will give you a chance to pick the right person to talk about your suitability for the role and also call them and explain the job and ideally what you would like the referee to highlight.
8. Format – make sure it is in a well-recognised format such as Word or pdf.  Make sure if you export to pdf that you check the formatting prior to sending as sometimes it is not exactly the same as the original version.
9. Final check – Don’t forget to spell check your CV, in the event industry we need people with exceptional attention to detail, if you aren’t checking your CV for errors I can only assume your work will be as sloppy.
10. Get it out there – Finally, attach or submit your CV and cover letter if needed. At this stage you would not need to provide certificates or qualifications until you get an interview or the job.

In this short video EventMploy’s founder, Lisa Price talks about three event trends that we are now seeing in the events industry. What event trends are you seeing?

Five tips of a corporate event planner

Are you creating corporate events for your clients? As we begin to see the return of corporate events our attention needs to focus on how we can make our corporate events more memorable.  Our post-COVID world is so different from the one we left behind.  Our events need to be different as well.  There is no doubt that most humans like to interact socially and maintain connection. During the world wide pandemic we missed the shared interactions with people and places. Yes, we did have conference calls but there’s only so many one person can deal with.  As life is slowly returning, we look forward to having memorable events and experiences.  I know I won’t take those social occasions for granted again.

Events can be a great challenge to pull off but can be rewarding.  It doesn’t matter whether the occasion is small or large – if you get the little things right your event will stand out from the crowd.  Here are five tips to make your next event engaging and memorable.

Here are five tips to make your corporate event memorable and engaging.

1. Know what your client wants from the event

Understanding your client, their audience and what is the purpose of their event is the first step in planning a memorable event.  What are your client’s values, mission, and their event goals?  Who are their target audience?  Once you know this you can start to create your event.

Using your experience, you can take the client’s vision and match the concept to align with the needs and wants of the guests.  Matching the format of the event to the event purpose is the first step.  Regardless of whether the purpose is to provide information or lead generation or promote a new product or service the best way to make your event memorable is to entertain the guests.  Having fun is not just for children.  Adults also like to have fun and motivation levels are increased when our minds and bodies are stimulated by fun, interesting and novel experiences.  

With that in mind though we need to make sure the event aligns with the event goals, the company brand, and the guest demographic because fun in the wrong context can be disastrous making your event memorable for all the wrong reasons.  For example, if you are creating an event for a younger demographic remember this is a generation who are well informed about sustainable living and healthy lifestyles, they will want to see an event that matches their values.  You might be able to achieve this with choices of sustainable event consumables and less focus on alcohol at social events.  Regardless of the event demographic, you need to think about the vision and purpose of what the event and how you will match this with the needs and wants of the guests.  Start with the end in mind and create experiences that tick the box for both the client and their customers.

2. Craft a memorable theme 

To say that creating an event theme is challenging is an understatement.  After reading the first tip you know we are trying to satisfy the needs of both our client and their customers.  This is not an easy task.  And if you have been working in the industry for a while you will know client expectation is not always matched by the client budget!

Using the art of creative thinking is a key skill for an event creator.  Many of us think creativity is something you are born with, like most things it can be a learned skill.  Having a creative process will help, you could use brainstorming to come up with some new ideas, storytelling or storyboarding to formulate and communicate the ideas to your client and then create parameters around what you must deliver, this will help you think about other more creative ways to get to the end point.

Once you’ve decided on the theme, look at how it can be conveyed through all the event elements.  The more elements you include the more memorable it will be.  You could use event invitations as a teaser, and you can tell the story about the theme through the marketing strategy.

Don’t underestimate the importance of decor to create the right environment for your event.  Décor support the creation of the right atmosphere, use shapes, structures, and colour to continue to support the theme within the venue. 

If your event is catered remember the event menu is great chance to support your theme, if it is a community-based event highlight local producers or a sustainable event could have a menu featuring only sustainable food elements.

If you’re on budget use your creative thinking to come up with some innovative ways to craft the theme.  Taste, sight, and hearing are the human senses normally stimulated at events but think about our other senses to help you create a more memorable experience, could you use smell or touch in your event concept to mix it up a little?

3. Use experienced event suppliers

You don’t need to deliver the event on your own.  This is an industry that relies on suppliers to help you create memorable events.  As you might be unsure about how to execute a particular staging effect for your event, look for a specialist supplier as they will have the expertise you need give you the desired outcome and options which you may not have considered.  As they have additional experience with other events, they usually have connections with venues as well which will help smooth the way through the event process.

When looking for a supplier, find one that with experience and knowledge with the type of event you’re hosting.  Making enquiries takes time but it will help achieve the outcome of your event.  Over time you will develop a list of preferred suppliers who you will go to for all your event needs.  Make the most of the many social networks within the event industry to get recommendations or leads about who can best help you achieve your vision.

Working with a specialist supplier will give you peace of mind as you can leave them to the area of their expertise and then move on to the other aspects of the event you need to arrange.

4. Create a memorable atmosphere

The best way to create a memorable experience is to deliver an event that removes any distraction between the attendee and whoever or whatever they have come to experience.  Unfortunately for a lot of events what guests remember is that the food was cold, or they couldn’t hear the speakers.  Your aim as an event creator is to remove all those distractions with a well planned and executed event. 

Attention to detail will always be necessary in delivering a memorable event.  Have you thought through the customer journey from the minute they hear about the event until well after the event has finished?  What is their first interaction with the event, how do they get to the event – whether it is a face to face or virtual event, what will they experience, how comfortable will they be, will they feel safe, will their needs be met, how will they interact with other people and what will they do when the event is over.  By asking these questions you can meticulously plan each stage of the customer journey.  The more effort you make with the planning, the less effort rectifying issues or placating unhappy clients.

5. Measure How Well

We cannot improve and grow as event managers unless we measure each event we produce and identify what went well and what didn’t go well.  It’s a good idea to get this information from all our stakeholders – our client, their customers, the supplier, and the venue.  After obtaining feedback from each stakeholder, you will be able to identify what we should do more of, what we should do less, what we should keep doing and what we should stop doing.

One of the best ways to obtain event feedback is by observation.  By being actively engaged in the delivery of your event you will see what your client is seeing, you will be able to experience what the guests are experiencing.  Aim to be so organised that on event day you leave space to walk around your event and collect primary feedback during the event delivery.  This information will be like collecting nuggets of gold to help you with your next event creation and plans.

By completing this process, you will develop a continuous improvement program and the ability to create more memorable events as a process rather than just by good luck!

Unlike being in the product business there is no second chance with events, and how each person experiences in their own unique interaction with the event, you won’t make all of the people happy all of the time.  The more your work at your craft the easier it will be to create memorable events that make a difference in the lives of the guests and a satisfied client who will keep coming back for your expert services.

Event professionals; here are the job application tips you need…

Are you looking for a job in the event industry? We know how painful it is to even start writing an application (procrastination, anyone?), so we’d like to help you out with some hints for building a cover letter and by providing resume tips which will make prospective employers think, ‘I must have a conversation with this person!’

Applications

As someone with a background in events, you’d be aware that as events roles are more specific than those in other industries, they require precise descriptions of your achievements.  For example, if you’ve had a career as a stage manager, you should list the events you’ve worked on, the size of the audience, and the challenges you’ve encountered along the way and successfully overcome. For an employer, a solid example of an achievement in the world of events counts for a lot and makes your application real to them.

Below are a number of things to be mindful of when preparing a good application:

Don’t include photos or your date of birth.

Ensure that your online presence is up to date.

Most employers use automated systems to sort through applications. The keywords you use should suit the job advertisement.

The scattergun approach is out: it’s vital to tailor your resume and cover letter to each application.

Put yourself in the role of the employer and take the time to work out what they would need from an employee.

Dot points in your resume make it a quicker and easier read for an employer.

List your achievements alongside responsibilities. If possible, make the achievements measurable, for example: ‘reduced expected installation time by 3 hours.’

Tell the truth, but tailor the description to make it attractive and relevant to the employer.

Proofread your application and ask someone else to have a look, too.

Follow up your submitted application with a phone call to the employer. It not only makes your name memorable when the employer is sifting through many applications, but gives you a chance to demonstrate your politeness and enthusiasm.

Now… interview time!

The event industry is largely personality-based, reliant on teamwork and great communication with your colleagues in order to successfully deliver the event. Whether you are a stage manager or a part of the lighting crew, being able to communicate what is needed to perform your task properly is critical.

Although the phrase ‘emotional intelligence’ is rarely used in the recruitment space, it pretty much sums up what you need to be a good event staff member. Being able to achieve effective harmony when engaged in highly stressful situations is an invaluable attribute. Therefore, if you can demonstrate likeability, a consensual approach to work, and a touch of humour in an interview with your prospective employer, you will already be ahead of the game. A senior event manager does not want to be managing personality clashes while bringing together a stressful event, so demonstrate trustworthiness, cheerfulness and reliability at the first possible moment.

During the interview, make sure you discuss how you roll with difficulties or challenges and provide a number of examples. A good and thorough answer to this question is more vital in an event industry interview than the majority of other industries. General preparation such as gathering knowledge of the event, or similar events, will also stand you in excellent stead and assist you in asking knowledgeable questions about the job.

Remember, the event industry is a small world, and reputation counts a lot. Obtaining jobs through word-of-mouth concretely demonstrates your desirability as an employee. Having great referees proves your worth and also gives you a massive leg up.

Finally, the biggest tip.  Show ENTHUSIASM (yes, with capital letters!). There is very little that works as well as hearing an interviewee’s keenness and excitement  about being part of an event.  Don’t worry about being cool, be eager!

We hope this has given you confidence and guidance when applying for jobs in the event industry. Start using these resume tips today.

Needing to write a great CV? Read our blog 10 CV Essentials for Event Profs.

Good luck!

Spread the word about your event

Spread the word about your event A lot has changed for events since 2020, as social interplay in society was impacted by COVID-19.

Virtual interactions grew in prominence as people stuck in home confinement used technology for social connection.

Many of us in the event industry had to adapt swiftly, augmenting technology to create unique, immersive virtual experiences for attendees.

This year will be a journey of recovery and rebuilding for the event industry, and we at EventMploy are excited to be on this journey with you and provide you with the tools to efficiently manage your events. 

In 2021 we expect to see a consolidation of event technologies, with greater emphasis on creating micro-experiences.

We also anticipate the rise of hybrid events as we move back toward in-person events again, whilst maintaining an element of the virtual component.

To start with, the soirees may be smaller than before but they will not lack charm, style, or affluence.

Whether you are planning a small wedding, or a sporting or business event, there is so much that happens behind the scenes.

As an organiser, your event begins with establishing  goals and objectives; this is followed by organising the date, venue, budget and freelancers.

Other vital elements involved are the creation of a master plan, finding the right sponsors and partnerships, creating a publicity plan, and finally determining the preparations for the day.

Every step of this process is critical to the success of the event. Even the minutest detail matters.

A professional event planner juggles both the creative and management side of the occasion, which includes both budgeting and marketing.

Here are the top creative ways to increase awareness and exposure for your physical event:

• Event discovery sites can help you reach urban audiences who are always on the lookout for the next exciting event in their neighborhood.
• It goes without saying that these platforms can really boost your reach and sales. Most event-goers rely on such sites to build their itinerary.
• Social media is probably one of the most powerful tools to market your event,
• and it requires surprisingly little effort. You can use platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to spread awareness.
• Facebook, with its advanced features, allows you to target ads toward people who have viewed your post but have not purchased tickets.
• This re-marketing tactic is truly effective in convincing people who are interested but are unsure; it’s the little nudge they need to say yes to an event. Instagram ads work similarly.
• Use your social media channels to provide information about the event as well as a platform for ticket sales.
• What better way to engage the audience than to promote your event through a highlight reel.
• Affiliate marketing, more commonly known as influencer marketing, can give your event much-needed clout.
• Influencers carry massive sway over their followers and their recommendations are highly revered by the online community.
• So naturally, collaborating with the right influencers can give you access to their followers and spread the word online.
• Harness social channels to find influencers that align with your brand and use their advocacy to market the event.
• Brand ambassadors can give an unrivaled boost to event awareness and promotion.
• They can be celebrities, influencers, subject matter experts, or popular bloggers.
• Podcasts have witnessed impressive growth in the last few years and are a great medium for promotion.
• Platforms like Spotify rigorously plug podcasts into their audience.
• You can launch your own podcast, or join forces with an existing podcaster as a guest speaker or sponsor.

You might not have the budget to pull off every one of these strategies,

Experiment to find out what works and what doesn’t.

Once you have the right marketing mix in your playbook, you will be able to enact your publicity plan without a hitch.

Responsibility in events

When it comes to responsibility in events, we are undoubtedly masters of handling last-minute changes and crises. As professional event organizers and freelancers,

we deal with abrupt requests, cancellations, and challenges. But since the pandemic, one of the biggest challenges that

we are facing today is dealing with health regulations and minimizing the risk of COVID-19 transmission at events.

When planning a physical event, safeguarding the venue and the event-goers is the top priority for every planner.

As organizers, it’s our responsibility in events to assess and implement strict health and safety protocols at physical events to protect everyone involved. 

The practical way to prepare for every situation is to devise a safety planning session and discuss all elements with your team at length.

Your team will require training to be able to identify possible risks and hazards, and the means to tackle them.

Communicating with all stakeholders as well as attendees will be crucial in flawlessly implementing your safety plan.

What happens if someone gets sick?

As event organizers, we have the moral and legal obligation to take every precautionary measure to prevent community transmission at any event we host. In the worst-case scenario,

if someone falls ill during your event, there is a possibility that you might face legal actions. One way to shield your company is to update your insurance coverage.

We recommend consulting with a specialized broker or a risk consultant to ensure that you have the right coverage.

Additionally, you must prioritize following all national and state health regulations, staying up to date with these at all times.

You must also make adjustments to accommodate the unique needs and demands of the situation.

Here is a guide to all safety measures that event planners must follow to  mitigate risks at events:

• No matter what responsibility in events you are hosting, the most basic precautionary measures must be implemented in line with legislative or regulatory requirements in your area. 
• Face masks, social distancing, temperature screening, and limiting the number of attendees may all be applicable.
• Going forward, we anticipate that vaccination will become mandatory for event-goers, especially for large events.
• A safety plan must be drawn up and shared with all stakeholders. The plan must include essential information such as an FAQ,
• the day’s itinerary, on-premise safety measures, emergency helpline contact information, and health protocol in the event of sickness.
• Use your website or social media channels to communicate with your attendees and let them know about the guidelines.
• Internally, discuss with your team and assign responsibilities involved in each process of the safety plan.
• In the case of travelers attending the event, you may even consider using a tracking/ tracing app to ensure that all event-goers are aware if they have possibly been exposed to COVID-19.
• A larger crowd poses a greater risk. However, a small crowd who disregards safety precautions can be equally dangerous.
• You must think of crowd management strategies based on your event’s size to ensure that everything goes smoothly.
• You should keep track of both local and out-of-state attendees who are on the guest list and anticipate, manage, and assist the flow of the crowd throughout the venue.
• All exits and entries must be clearly highlighted so that people know where to go in case of an emergency.
• As an event planner, you must also identify potential bottlenecks where there is a possibility of crowd-pushing.
• Whether you are providing transportation to the venue or managing traffic flow at the site, you should create a traffic management plan to ensure that there is no congestion at the entryway. Plan the route, marshaling, signage, parking, and dedicated pedestrian access to the venue ahead of time.

• Every element at the venue including equipment and surfaces must be thoroughly sanitized to provide a clean environment and ensure the safety of event-goers and staff. Hand sanitizer and antibacterial wipes should be placed at accessible points for guest use.

• You have an obligation to protect your staff as much as the event-goers.
• While temperature screening and a rapid antigen test should be implemented before an event, you must also ensure that your staff is equipped with safety gear such as masks and gloves.

In-person experiences are an irreplaceable part of events, and let’s face it – we can’t wait to return to more live events.

There will always be last-minute challenges, however, as an event planner, you should account for every outcome to ensure that everything runs smoothly on the event day.