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There aren’t many avenues where one can make a fruitful career without any specialisation or a post-graduate degree. However, event management is one such option where all one needs in terms of qualification is an innovative mind, good networking skills and co-ordinating with client and vendors. ANKUR KAlRA tells you more

Growing at a rate of over 20 per cent and poised to continue the same trend over the next few years (as per a research by Ernst & Young in 2012), the event industry has become a gateway of opportunities. From conducting campaigns at malls, colleges, schools and corporate parks to mega events like the Commonwealth Games, Bollywood awards, IPl, Formula One, concerts and gigs — there is enough to fuel the imagination and meteoric career growth. In the last decade, several specialised below the line (BTl) agencies have established a niche for themselves. 

The industry is about organising professional and focused events for a target audience. It involves visualising concepts and planning, budgeting, organising and executing events. Similarly, with brands looking for new ways to connect with their buyers — experiential campaigns have caught their fancy. HUl, Dabur, Kraft, Nivea, Maybelline, Samsung, Pepsi, KFC are only some of the brands that have committed a sizeable chunk of their marketing budgets to experiential campaigns.

These campaigns involve consumers in the brand experience and create a desire in them to try and buy the product. Now with social media coming up in such a big way, almost each event is further amplified to millions extending the experience across boundaries. It is a process that brings pure excitement and once you’re in, there’s nothing quite like it!

What one can do

To define it very broadly one could get in any of the three key functions in an event management firm:

• Client servicing & business development: It is job of the event managers to get and retain business. The team meets with clients on a regular basis, understands their requirements and ensures that they are fulfilled.
• Creative concept & design: These are the people who come up with  innovative ideas and exciting concepts that form the core of each event.
• Operations: They ensure that promises of the client servicing team are kept and the concepts of the creative team are executed flawlessly. They deal with vendors, venues, manpower and take care of all logistics of the event to ensure the perfect execution.

One can start the career in the event management field either by joining any event management company as a trainee/apprentice or by joining an event management institute as a student. The advantage of the latter is that you can learn things quickly and become a certified event professional too.

Organising events and fests in school and college is a good start. Not only does it give a student a fair idea of what to expect but also help discover passion and potential.

Skill Sets

If you have an appetite for challenges and would like to work in a dynamic, fast-paced environment where no two projects are the same, a career in event management will suit you. Here are some that make for a basic checklist:

• Innovation or thinking out of the box: Each event requires a new theme and concept. It helps to have a finger on the pulse of the audience to create exciting ideas.
• Negotiation skills: You need lots of it — to deal with clients, with managers of the celebs one wants for the event and a host of vendors to get things done.IJ
• Ability to work under pressure: One should remain calm and cool at all times, so that others are not adversely affected.  Remember, it's all about putting up a good show.
• Planning, co-ordination and organisation: There is a lot to be done at each event and everything needs to work like clockwork. Many times you may be handling more than one event at any given time.
• Good networking skills: An event manager needs to build his network. And the more contacts he has, the more successful he will be. One must, therefore, be able go out and talk to people, and maintain that acquaintance.

The starting salary for freshers is generally anywhere in the range of Rs 10,000-15,000 per month. However, within a short span of two to three years, depending on one’s ability, this can increase exponentially. So, the incremental growth prospects in terms of salaries are very high in this sector. Besides, there is also a provision for earning incentives and commissions through business development.

Given the relatively untapped potential in urban and rural markets, domestic and international markets and in the brand and consumer engagement zones, the events industry is on to exponential growth. The organised portion of the Indian events and activation industry is estimated at around Rs 28,000 crore in 2011-12 and has grown at over 20 per cent in the last two years and has expected to grow to Rs 4,375 by 2013-14.

Marketers propose to increase the proportion of their BTl spends from 17.8 per cent today to 19.6 per cent by 2013-14. Sports, weddings, rural and digital are poised to be the sectors that will invest heavily in BTl and the sunrise period for the industry is officially underway. (Source EEMA/E&Y White Paper 2012)

All the large event management companies have come together and formed EEMA — the event and entertainment management association which keeps organsing training seminars and workshops for aspirants who are keep to know more and join this field. One needs to be updated about the latest trends and happenings of this exciting industry.

For those who enjoy a fast-paced life, love to socialise, and don’t mind the unusual hours — there is a lot to look forward to. The adrenaline rush that you feel right after completing an event has been compared to many a gravity and vertigo defying feats by seasoned experts in the field.

(The writer is founder and CEO, Vibgyor Brand Services)