Module 1: Introduction to Event Planning

About Events 
Management  as  a 
Career Why you should become an events manager

About what you’ll be doing when you’re working
What the benefits
of having a diploma are

In this module
you will learn:

A little about the course ahead

One or two myths about the events industry

Whether working
in events is really as glamorous as it seems

What it takes to become a successful event manager

1.1  : About Events Management as a Career

Everyday events management is a diverse and challenging field.

This major new events management diploma will help you fully explore the multi-disciplinary nature

of events management, and provides you with all the practical
skills and professional knowledge needed to succeed in the events industry. From planning a corporate event through to structuring the perfect wedding,
you're going to learn and explore it all.

The course covers every type of event studied on an events management course, including areas as diverse
as sports, music, the arts, corporate events, tourism, and the public and voluntary
sectors.

It introduces all the key issues facing the contemporary events industry, from health, safety and risk management to sustainability and developing a market-oriented business,
with every topic brought to life through vivid case studies, personal
biographies and examples
of best practice from the real world of events management.

Written by a people who have an inside knowledge
of the events industry, it is ideal for taking you from those beginner
stages through to learning how to manage an event.

1.2  : Why Become an Events Manager?

So, you are wondering what career you should get into. Here are some reasons why you may become an events planner.

It's a job that you may enjoy, but it will take a special kind of person, not everyone will be able to handle this job. It involves
high stress in some cases, and you'll need to be a person who is organised, and doesn't mind working a lot of hours. But the benefits can be many when you pull off an event and everyone simply loves it.

Decide on the Types of Events

Event planners work in many fields; you may want to specialise
in an area, like weddings.
Or you could become a more general event planner.
Though when you first start out you may want to sit down and consider the various options
and which sounds like it would be more fun for you. Involving yourself
in planning of many kinds of events may make it more hectic than enjoyable. Some options, besides weddings, are corporate events,
sports events, or birthdays.

If you decide to follow a more general approach there are benefits too. It could mean that, as your beginning, you'll still be able to find an event that needs planning in your area. As you can handle just about anything,
you won't have to turn possible clients away because you're not sure how to plan their event.

Some of the events you'll plan if you go down the general event planner route are weddings,
corporate events, fashion
shows, celebrity parties,
diplomatic events, fundraisers, conference, sports

events, openings, birthdays, product launches, Open days, anniversaries, business launches, celebrations for companies, government
events, commemorations, and more. People will expect you to know exactly
the right steps to plan each and every one of these types of parties.

You should decide on if travelling is something you want to do or not. Because
there are some events you may have to set out and head to another city and plan. If travelling
is not for you, you should stick to something
that is more specific and will not require travel or at least not as much.

Understand What the Event Planner Does

Before you decide to go into this field, you should also understand all the duties that you will need to do as an event planner.
If you are not sure if it's something for you, try taking an assessment of your abilities. This will help you to understand if you'll be able to handle the stresses of the role of an event planner.

Some things to consider are how well organised you are, and if you are creative?
Are you a person who thinks outside of the box? Can you work with a team well, or do you have to always work on your own? Are you ready for long hours?

If you decide this is something you want to do, try and get experience by working in hotels and help to plan events. You will also have to get
formal training, and try and keep pictures and details of any events you plan so you can build a portfolio
to show to future possible clients.

1.3 
: Becoming
a Realistic Events or Wedding Planner

 We've all seen the films, we've been to the festivals, and we've heard

the
stories.

Events planners lead a spectacularly glamorous life, right?
Well, the job can certainly be fun, but at the same time you'll find yourself facing your fair share of difficult situations.

This might come in the form of a portable toilet not arriving on time, a bride deciding that she's not happy with your level of service, or a vendor falling through at the last moment.

As an events manager, you won't just be walking into the world of events and finding your feet immediately. Unless you have some great connections, the chances of that  happening 
are  pretty much non-existent. You can, however,
take what you learn from this book and use it to get your foot through
the door.

1.4  : What You'll be Learning

 It's quite simple really; this diploma takes a realistic
approach to helping
you explore the world of events and weddings.

On the events side of things, you're going to learn about the skills required. You'll also focus on the many different
types of events,
such as sports, celebrity, fundraising, and much more.

What you need to recognise
is that many of these events have a lot of similarities. At the same time, they have their own unique differences that can really make or break whether your attempts to get organised are successful or not.

You'll also learn about the logistics of events, as well as legalities and what you need to do to make sure weddings are legal. The weddings section of this diploma goes into great detail about how to organise a wedding, how to meet the unique needs of all of your clients,
and how you can make sure you organise a wedding so that it's legal in accordance with your country's
regulations.

Finally, you're going to explore the wonderful
world of business
management. Setting up a business
as an events planner is rarely easy. This is a highly competitive field you're exploring, which means you need to expect to put in some hard work. However,
if you have the right amount of dedication and commitment, you should see your efforts come into fruition.

1.5  : What are the Benefits
of Having a Diploma?

 When it comes to most occupations across the globe, having some form of qualification is going to set you apart from other candidates.

Whether you intend to find employment with an actual events management
company, or you'd like to set up your own business, having this diploma shows that you're dedicated
and it places you ahead of those who have not bothered.

1.6  : What You'll be Doing When You're Working

Events managers
are responsible for organising and running all kinds of promotional, business and social events.

You would control the whole project, from planning at the start to running the event on the day.

Your job would normally include:

discussing what the client wants

coming up with original
ideas for events

agreeing budgets
and time-scales with the client

researching venues,
contacts and suppliers

negotiating prices with suppliers
and contractors

booking venues,
entertainment, equipment and supplies

hiring and supervising contractors such as caterers
and security

publicising the event

making sure that everything runs smoothly on the day

ensuring that health, safety and insurance
regulations are followed

managing a team.

When you're an event planner there are
several types of events that you may organise. Of course, it depends
on whether you've decided to specialise in certain events or go down a more general route so that you can handle even more types of events.

Some people like to enjoy the fact of specialising in weddings, because they focus on the one thing. Plus there are a lot of weddings that take place each year, and they may find they stay quite busy, especially after they've gained a reputation as one of the best event planners
for weddings in their local area.

While other people would rather stay with a more general approach so they can take on various events throughout the year. This will ensure that they never grow bored of planning only one type of event. Switching it up can be a great way to make sure  that 
you  never  experience 
any  sort  of burnout in your career. But it can also be quite hectic, especially
if you have several types of events going on close together
and the planning overlaps leaving you so busy you barely have time to stop.