How to be a Great Event Manager?

Here are the must-haves for a great event manager; irrefutable truths that will help transform your potential into great performance and impeccable results.

Planning: This is pretty much the foundation stone on which you must build other necessary skills. Events, big or small, should commence with detailed planning. Take into consideration all vital parameters and make sure you go into the nitty-gritty’s; detailing is of immense importance. Have a Plan B in place and be ready for the unexpected. As paradoxical as it may sound, the unexpected is what you have to be ready for. Having a plan in place is just the beginning, there’s much more to do.

Methodical: If you’ve made a plan but your paper-work is all over the place, it will serve you no good. Be ready for things like filing, making proper folders on your computer, keeping a chronological record of all the correspondence you’ve had with the client and your vendors, in-voices received, bills dispatched etc. It may sound a bit geeky to you but this is an indispensable part of event management and will help a lot.

Budgeting: Be sure you know how much you’re spending on an event. Know the costs of each item, service or human resource that will be used in your event. This will help formulate your costing, be competitive in the market and give your client the best possible quote. Your ability to compute costs quickly will always impress your clients and know where you stand in terms of profits and the amount that you need to invest in terms of cost and energy in the event.

Composure: If you are a person who is easily rattled by stressful situations, it’s an area you need to work upon. There will be several instances when you will feel extreme pressure either from the client or from things not really shaping up the way you planned them. In such scenarios, maintain your calm and don’t give in to anxiety. Develop the skill of thinking of solutions rather than becoming anxious. This will help you go a long way.

People’s person: Event management is not a task conducted in isolation. For the better part of your job you will be interacting with people from various walks of life. Build a wide network. Some of these may not be the exact kind of people you’d like to associate with but this is not something that you can conveniently delete from your job profile. That said, please do not infer that you have to give into flattery or keep people at an arm’s length. Follow the middle path by being a courteous and compassionate person. Respect your colleagues and the people you deal with while maintaining your professional attitude. In the process, you may make some great friends or come across people who are not a delight. Do not get carried away or deterred by either, rather, just take it as something that comes with your job.

Thinking on your feet: Planning, budgeting, composure and social skills are important but there will be times when you will need to think on your feet. Problems may surface at the last minute and you will be the person who will have to take a call. Develop your faculties of thinking quickly, logically and in line with your objective. This will ensure quicker turnaround. These skills may not come naturally to all and some may have to put in the extra effort but this is part of your quest to become a great event manager.

Leadership skills: Being a manager you will have a team of people with varied skill sets working with you and your job will consist of inspiring your workforce with your leadership skills. You will need to be compassionate and caring but some situations may also demand you to be firm and put your foot down. You will have to lead by setting an example in all aspects of your work. Above all, remember, that people working with you are not completely rational beings and will have their set of shortcomings. As a leader, you must motivate them to overcome these and give their best.

The above must-haves are simply a very short introduction to the particular subjects. There is plenty of reading that you can do to improve your understanding and hone your skills. Treat this as a beginner’s guide and not an authoritative article on the above-mentioned skills. All the best. If you wish to apply for a job or an internship, visit us at http://imespl.com/yash.html