Top 10 skills needed for successful event management

Updated on 13 July 2020

By Event Management

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Updated on 13 July 2020

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To become a successful event manager there are a few skills you’ll need to master. Here are some of the skills successful event managers will possess:

1. People skills

The number one quality shared by successful event managers? People skills. You need to be comfortable connecting with high-level executives, government officials, vendors, co-workers, sponsor reps, customers, supervisors, suppliers, staff, and event attendees. To successfully work with this wide range of people, you’ll need to be able to nimbly resolve conflicts, be a confident but pleasant negotiator, and maintain your sense of humour.

2. Flexibility

Event managers must double up as janitors one minute and fearless leaders the next. Cleaning up messes and making tough calls — quickly, quietly, and efficiently — is part of the job. Stay calm, get it done, then get back to running the show.

3. Listening

The ability to understand what key stakeholders want to from your event is critical. These folks may not be in the event industry, so might not speak the lingo or know what’s realistic. You have to be able to discern their needs and make sure all parties share the same expectations. Pay attention to what’s said — and what’s not said — in key conversations. Tapping into these spoken (and unspoken) needs throughout your planning process will help you stay one step ahead.

4. Organised

To successfully run any event, you need to be able to juggle about 50 things at once. This multi-tasking prowess is required for both smooth planning and flawless execution of an event. The best planners have foolproof systems, step-by-step checklists, and handy tech tools.

5. Passion

With all the stress of the job, you have to really love what you do. Genuine passion helps you overcome bumps in the road and stay cool when all seems lost. It also leads to bursts of creativity and the inspiration to create something great instead of just trying to get through the day. Things like time management can be learned, but you can’t teach passion, and you’ll need it in order to succeed. Being an event manager can, at times, be a thankless job; it needs to be about more than just a regular salary for you.

6. Communication

Clear, firm, and kind communication establishes you as a leader of the team, keeps everyone on track, and ensures that the goals of the event are clear to everyone involved. It also allows you to effectively share your vision and get others excited about it, too.

7. Calm under pressure

Your team will look to you for answers to almost everything. In moments of stress, the last thing they need is a shaky leader who makes poor decisions because they’re cracking under the pressure. Successful event managers stay level-headed and continue to treat everyone with respect, no matter what. Try to remain cool, calm, and collected when dealing with other people, even if you’re a bundle of nerves inside.

8. Problem-solving

Whether it’s tracking down some emergency duct tape or reworking a keynote presentation at the last minute, you have to be resourceful with what you have. No matter how well you plan, something will go wrong. And it will be a lot easier to address if you enjoy finding creative solutions to the challenges that arise.

9. Decisive

Event managers need to be able to make several decisions at once and make them quickly. And, perhaps more importantly, they need to be able to recognise when it’s too late to change those decisions — and have the resolve to stand by them.

10. Experience

It will be a lot easier for people to trust you if you have a significant amount of experience. And your job will be easier for you once you’ve seen the range of challenges an event can throw at you. Plus, the experienced manager has a network of trusted professionals to call on when things get tough. If you don’t have a ton of experience yet, don’t worry — just give it time!

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MBA/Management