IT'S HAPPENING: EVENT MANAGEMENT

Published In : Education Times
(Times of India)

It includes organizing everything from kiddie parties to wedding extravaganzas, but event management is no child’s play. LIGHTS, camera, action...waves of applause are heard as the curtains of any function rise. But not many see the effort put in to organize a fantastic show. The pains belong solely to the event manager - a profession that’s gaining much importance right now. India being the third biggest event country owing to numerous festival celebrations explains the growing need for event managers across the nation.

Event management in itself is a very broad idea and covers a wide range of functions. The field is broad enough to include various components as its bifurcations. These functions range from getting clients, marketing events, organizing events/ functions, seminars, etc, to handling the technical aspects of the function like lights, special effects, etc. Events organized by managers can be broadly classified into five different categories of events, which are as follows.

Hallmark Events:

These are the bigger events held on a larger scale, hence requiring greater efforts to be put in. Some of the examples that aptly describe this category of events are the World Cup matches.

Educational Events:

These are events that can be described to be of educational interest or for the exchange of knowledge. Various types of trade fairs, corporate events, seminars, etc fall under this category of events.

Marketing Events:

These events aim at creating awareness about a product or creating a market for a new product. Events held for the marketing of products, product launches, etc fall into the category of these events.

Celebration Events:

These events are the single biggest events in the market. They may be award functions or festival events etc. The Navratri functions etc. describe this category of events.

Miscellaneous Events:

Some events cannot be categorised into any of the types named above and hence these are slotted in the last category of miscellaneous events. Some of the examples are hospitality events, marriages, parties, tourism events, etc.

Functions:

An event manager is like a circus leader who has to perform many different functions. The various functions handled by event managers are organizing seminars, exhibitions, concerts, cricket matches, road shows, functions, events, etc.

An event manager is like a circus leader who has to perform many different functions. The various functions handled by event managers are organizing seminars, exhibitions, concerts, cricket matches, road shows, functions, events, etc.

The major functions remaining relate to executing the event by creating publicity hype and also marketing the show, guaranteeing awareness among the public about the show to ensure its success. The hype can be created through the print media, TV, etc. The venue has to be booked and properly organized for the show. Other outsourcing aspects like lighting, food, stage, stalls, electric equipment, ticketing etc are to be taken care of. Performers have to be booked in case of marriages or parties according to requirements.

Courses:

Event management courses offered by various institutes are generally either diploma courses or postgraduate diploma courses. Diploma postgraduate diploma courses for event management can be pursued by undergraduates & graduates on a part-time basis for a period of one year. Institutes that offer event management courses in india is NAEMD Academy of Event Management & Development.

Eligibility Criteria:

The general eligibility criteria for a career in event management are HSC or a graduate to pursue a diploma course in event management and PG Diploma Course in Event Management respectively. The student should have good communication skills, inherent marketing skills, be ambitious, bold and outspoken and further hone his skills on a regular basis. An event manager has to put in loads of hard work.In other words, it spells being content with four hours of sleep after working 10 days at a stretch.

Scope:

The positions depend upon the company that the individual joins. One can initially start as a junior event executive then progress as the senior event executive, event coordinator, assistant event manager and event manager which is the general structure in a normal company. The salary structures offered in the industry could range from Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 and would increase depending upon the performance of the individual in the company.

Special Features:

In an environment where marketing companies concentrate/ spend more on seminars etc than on events in the print and radio, the career offers great scope for creativity. In this field, one gets the fabulous opportunity to do many things at one time - in other words, juggling many tasks at one go as it breaks free from the shackles of being a monotonous nine to five job. Anyone can, if desirous, also pursue the career on a freelance basis which is an added advantage. It is a performance oriented field where non-performers get eliminated very fast. So do you intend to master the field categorized as the one-man-show tribe?