An event planning career is something that is relatively new, being recognized as a management profession just a little over a decade ago. An event planner can also be called a conference coordinator, a convention planner, a special event coordinator or a meeting manager. As corporations have grown and expanded worldwide, the logistics of company meetings have become much more complicated. People must now train for an event planning career in order to efficiently handle all of the tasks involved in such an undertaking. This is a complex service that requires professionalism.
If you are interested in an event planning career, you must be prepared to learn an assortment of duties. The event planner must choose a suitable site for the event. He or she must make travel, accommodation and food arrangements. There will be registrations to oversee and programs to be planned. Preparation for an event planning career will train you to negotiate, plan and coordinate conventions from the municipal level to the international level. You might have to organize a small inner-company meeting, or you might have to organize a convention involving thousands of people from all around the world.
Some event planners are freelancers who are hired by corporations and organizations to arrange big events. They might even hire out their services for things like family reunions, weddings, school reunions or birthday parties. Many large corporations have event planners permanently on staff. Some people who have chosen an event planning career work for hotels or large centers where conventions are held.
Young people interested in an event planning career are advised to take business courses. At the very least a Bachelor’s degree is required. Some professional associations for people in event planning careers offer certification programs. You are also going to need very good English and communications skills. Learning a foreign language will also be very beneficial. You will need strong management skills, and you will need leadership qualities. Successful people in this field have good marketing and sales skills and are very strong in public relations. This is one area where it certainly pays to be a “people” person. In an event planning career you will be working at times with hundreds of people doing a great variety of tasks, and that means the possibilities of problems arising are infinite. You will have to be a trouble shooter who can think fast and find solutions. You will work mostly indoors, but unless you are employed by a hotel or some other center where conventions are held, you will likely have to travel. You might find that you want to specialize in either event planning or event coordinating. Event planning is a growth industry. It is also one in which women have been very successful.
There are really two major pieces to the process of college career planning. The first part is more an individual assessment and self-study, while the second piece brings in more formal programs and career planning systems from private companies and universities.
One of the things that young folks can do to get started is take some sort of assessment test that can help identify personal interests, values and skills. One key element in the college career planning process is determining just who the person is and what personality traits fit with which college and career paths.
While engaging in this more personal part of the process, the individual, along with friends and family, should begin to look at certain colleges by location, cost and so on. During this time, students and teachers can help clarify which majors are strong at the school and how those majors may lead into careers in the working world. This is also the time to put together a resume, list of activities, interests etc. to use as a personal portfolio. Using the Internet is a great idea, and one that has grown in popularity over the past couple of decades. The Internet offers a lot of resources for those involved in college career planning.
Then comes a second part of the process, in which the individual determines which college/career path will allow use of the skills, abilities, interests and values that are strongest. The amount of information uncovered in college career planning can overwhelm the first-time searcher. But with a focus on certain questions and areas of interest, the search can become a bit easier.
Helping to narrow the choices and focus attention are some excellent formal programs offered by both private companies and universities. Young job seekers often make use of a formal system to assist with college career planning. These systems range from skill assessment and interest testing to personality analysis and education searches.
A university may also offer its own college career planning program. The university plans may have extensive information and assessment material designed for those choosing a college-to-career path. These can be an excellent activity for recent high school graduates and community college graduates. Some of these systems that can be shipped to the individual for use at home. Other companies offer their program as a Web-based, interactive system. Most, if not all, have one goal – helping the applicant or job seeker find a rewarding position as part of a continuous college career planning effort.
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