A day in the life of a wedding planner would be very similar to that of Jessica (the event manager), expect for instead of researching to identify new event optertunites when there are no events in the planning stage, a wedding planner would attend wedding shows to promote their business.
Conference Organiser
Again, just like a wedding planner, a conference organiser has a similar job to an Event Manager. The main difference being that conference organisers only plan the one type of event, and the working hours are different too, there are fewer nights and more weekday and weekend work with conferences.
These jobs are normally done by either freelance event managers or conference organisers working in house for large companies or hotels. The job overlaps with that of an event manager for an event management company, as event management companies also plan conference (normally for businesses not big enough to have a conference organiser on staff). There is a higher percentage of freelancers that plan conferences than events companies (as its small firms that done have the own conference organisers, and there the conference can be to small for an events company to bother with).
The role normally entails:
The Role:
- Liaise with Industry professionals, invite and convince them to speak at your Conference.
- Write the promotional material for your conference and sales letters/emails.
- Research potential sponsors of your Conference.
- Ensure the conference runs smoothly, including management of the conference on the day.
- Networking during conferences to develop future contacts/prospective clients.
Employers usually look for the following key sills:
- Educated to degree level with a minimum 2:1 or above (this is desirable but not essential as lots of experience would suffice instead)
- Experience of conference production– experience (where relevant) in a different industry with transferable skills may also be considered.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills in order to carry out research and to write detailed programmes
- Smart, articulate and ambitious
- Project management skills including control of conference budgets
- Ability to travel internationally to conferences.
- Able to work efficiently to deadlines and pick up the latest trends in an ever-changing environment.
Out of the three roles this one is probably the least busy (on average). While there are a lot of conferences held all over the world ever year it is rare to find a company that holds a lot of conferences close together. Therefore it is only large companies and hotels that can afford to take them on as there is a high enough demand for their services to justify it. Smaller companies however could not have an conference organiser on as they might only hold 3 conferences a year at most, therefore in between times they would have nothing to do, which is a waste of money for the business.
A day in the life of a conference organiser would include many of the same duties as that of the event manager or wedding planner in terms of planning and executing the event. The main difference between the daily tasks is that when a conference organisers has not conferences to plan, if there freelance they would approach companies and hotels about their needs and try to drum up business. If there are in house staff for a large company it will mean one of two things trying to start planning the next conference (if enough information is known) and if not then it would be doing some work in another department until such times as the work is there.
Flowchart
Below is a flow chart that outlines my career progress for the next 10 years, each step marks one year. This flowchart is an approximation. The amount of time spent in sixth form and university is fixed, but the amount of time spent in each job before promotion is available will vary from person to person. The years highlighted in blue are the ones that this applies to. Somebody that is talented and in the right places at the right times could progress very quickly to the top role, however it may take other people longer to do this. I have tried to approximate how long it could take me to get to the senior Event Manager role, this is mostly likely going to be the minimum amount of time it will take me to do.
Flowchart Commentary
All the routes on my flowchart start and end in the same place. They start where I am now (studying my as levels at 6th form), and finish where I hope to be in ten years time (working as a Senior Event Manager).
As an additional Option (route 2a) I could decide to defer university in route two. This would allow me to work for a year before going to do a degree, this could work in my favour when it comes to leaving university as I will have a years experience on my competition when trying to get a job, this should also allow me to enter into work at a higher level.
Route One
This is involves me going to university to study a hospitality degree. It would be a 4 year university course, with a year’s paid placement as year 3, giving me a BA honours at the end. This would then lead on to an Event coordinator job at a hotel or large company. Once I had this experience I could then move on to a job as a junior Event Manager with an Event management firm and then finally on to a job as a senor Event Manager.
Route Two
This route is the most common route into Events management. Through this route I would go to university and study and Events management course, it is a four year course with a year’s paid placement in between. I would graduate with a BA (or BSc depending on the university) honours. From there I would go to work for an Event management firm as a junior Event Manager. I would stay in this job for a year or two and then progress onto a senior Event Manager.
There isn’t really a difference between BA hon in event management to that of a BSc hon in event management. It is mostly to do with the university and whether they consider it to be an art or a science. There isn’t s significant difference between the course contents of either type (the main difference is the order in which things are studied and where or not you chose your units from year 2, but this varies from university to university not just between BA & BSc).
Route Three
Route three is the work-based route. Through this route I would sit my A levels and then leave education. I would then find a job within the Industry, most likely as a support assistance or secretary. Once I have gained more experience I would progress to a junior Event Manager and then finally onto a senior Event management position.
This route is the most difficult to do as everybody wants experience before they will hire you. There are NVQ’s available during this route up to level 4 qualifications. In theory this route should by the quickest and most financially stable (as there are no student debts to pay off), however it is unlikely that it would work that way in reality as competition for jobs is strong and when i will be applying for jobs against graduates i will be less likely to get the job when I’m only educated to A Level even if i do have some experience.
Cash Flow Forecast
See appendix three for Cash flow forecast.
Cash Flow Forecast Commentary
For figure research see appendix four.
All figures shown on the cash flow forecasts are estimations based on current prices of things. This is subject to change, meaning the cash flow forecasts may become inaccurate.
Route One
Route one is where I go to university and study Event management.
Year One
I have an opening balance of £1500, this is money left over from part time work and birthday & Christmas money.
Inflows
My part time work income with be approximately £1000, this figure is based on my approximate income from 2007/2008 year. This is work done during school holidays.
The wage column is empty as I will not complete full time work this year.
The allowance column is made up of money that is given to me by my parents to cover my mobile phone bill, dinner money and sky multi-room subscription.
I have an agreement with my mum that every week I get EMA (education maintenance allowance), she will give me the £20 pw she gets in child benefit. This is an add incentive to for me to attend school.
I get travel allowance from my dad to visit him in Peterborough. He gives me £20 to cover travel costs every time I visit and I approximate that I visit 20 times a year.
I will have no student loans this year.
I will have no loans from my parents this year.
I will earn £1050 this year in EMA payments; this figure is based on me making the payment criteria 35 times in the academic year. This leaves me 4 weeks that I don’t make the payment due to illness.
I have listed £200 of EMA bonus in this academic year; this is based on a payment in Feb and July @ £100 each.
Outflows
For equipment and books I have budgeted £50, this is to cover stationary, ink, folders, paper and similar items that I will need during the course of the year. This figure is based on past experience.
The figure of £250 on clothes per year comes from past experience.
Food, this figure is made up of the money I spend each week on diner money as well as much I spend eating out in a year.
Miscellaneous items that I have budgeted for include my mobile phone bill at £40 pm, and sky multi room subscription at £10 pm.
Next I have budgeted £300 over two years to cover the cost of my UCAS application as well as visits to my chosen universities. The budget covers travel costs and single night accommodation in a B&B.
Bills for this year will be 0 as I am living at home.
Rent for this year is 0 as I do not have to pay my parents rent until I finish full time further education.
I have no tuition fees for this year.
I have included £30 exam fees to cover resits during the course of this year.
I have budgeted £50 for revision materials and courses to cover revision guides and materials such as note pads and cue card to aid my revision.
I have estimated that my yearly amount spent on socialising is £2000, this 40 night out/parties/activities @ £50 each.
My personal travelling costs for this year will be £600; £400 of this is travelling to and from my dad’s house. The other £200 is spent on travelling to and from social Events, shopping trips, visiting relatives and any other activity I do, whether it be on public transport, taxis or by paying friends petrol money to drive me.
During this year I will have approximately £467 in motoring expensive. This covers another 10 lesson at £40 (for 2 hours), and my practical test at £67.
I will have no car costs this year.
I have budgeted £200 for special Event like prom, this is based on the cost of car hire, dress shoes, hair makeup and ticket price to Event.
I have budgeted £300 for holidays this year, I plan on visiting my sister in Spain, £130 for return flights to Spain and £170 for spending money and food. I will stay rent-free.
I will have no loan repayment this year.
Year Two
Inflows
Year two inflows are identical to year one.
Outflows
Year two outflows are the same as year one with the exception of:
Socialising will be reduced as I plan to spend fewer nights out as I will spend more time preparing for my final exams. The number of social Event I will go to will be reduced by approximately 15.
Travel costs will be reduced as I plan on buying a car this year there for my need for other means of transportation will be limited.
I have predicted that I will spend £500 on a car and £1180 on petrol in a year, £400 of this will be paid for by my travel allowance. £173.10 is based on the price of tax and MOT listed on the directgov.org website. And the final figure of £949.20 is a quote from Lloyds tsb.
Year Three
Year Three is my first year of university.
Inflows
I will have £800 from part time work; this figure has reduced because I plan to only work the 6 week holiday after leaving sixth form, instead of working all school holiday as I do now.
I will have no wage from a full time job in this year.
I will no longer receive allowance or child benefit.
I will receive student loans. £3365 to cover maintenance and £3145 to cover tuition for a year. These are government loans and don’t have to be paid back until I’m in work and earning over £15000.
I will receive £300 from the sale of the car I bought in year two as I will not need it when I go to university as I am planning to opt on going back to using public transport.
Outflows
I predict double amount with be spent on book and equipment for university year one than that of either year of sixth form. This is due to the increased volume and price of the books I will need to buy for my course.
I also predict the amount I will spend of clothes will increase as I will now be spending all of my time out of uniform and will therefore need more clothes to compensate for the extra approximately 195 that I will now spend in own clothes as opposed to uniform.
I predict the amount I spend of food each yeah to increase also even though I will be living in catered halls of residence for my first year of University. I have budgeted approximately £3.50 extra a day for snacking.
Miscellaneous items remain the same amount although now I will no long have the £10 multi room subscription to pay for the extra £10 will be for prescriptions that I might need from the doctors.
I will have no UCAS fees or uni visits.
I will have no separate bill costs as the price is incorporated in the price of halls.
The cost of rent is based on the yearly amount paid to a university based on the price of their catered halls (see appendix four).
Tuitions fees is the amount paid to the university to study there.
I will have no exams fees as they are incorporated in the tuition fees.
Revision course costs and materials will also double as the complexity and amount of work has also doubled.
I feel that during university I will be going out more frequently, £2600 is to cover the cost of a night out once a week.
My travel costs will be £600 this will cover the cost of train journeys to and from university. As well as bus journey around the city I plan on studying in.
I will have no driving lesson or test fees as well as no car costs.
I have budgeted £300 for special Events such as balls at university, and a further £300 for another visit to see my sister (holiday).
I won’t have any student loan repayments.
Year Four
Year four is my second year of university.
Inflows
My year four inflows will be the same as my year three with the exception of the £300 from the sale of the car.
Outflows
My outflows for year four will be the same of my year three with the exception of a reduction in rent from £3530.40 to £3367. This is because I plan on moving out of on campus catered halls and into university owned off campus housing. This new rent figure includes all of my bills and internet costs but not food, which is why the figure in the food row will go up to £2600.
Year Five
Year five is my placement year; I will earn a wage for this year and have no tuition fees.
Inflows
My only inflow this year is my wages of £1500 this is based on the figure an assistant would be paid over the year.
Outflows
During this year I plan to move into my own apartment, this will mean I will be paying approximately £2400 in bills, in addition to £3640 in rent. This is based on the price of a one bed room flat on the outskirts of London.
Also I plan to buy a car this year for £500; I estimate £1500 in petrol money over the course of the year due to commuting as well as social use. My insurance premium should have decreased to around £600 for this year, and my tax and MOT is £173.10 as stated on the Dirctgov website.
Having a car will result in my other travelling expenses being reduced.
I don’t have to start my student loan repayments this year as it is a university placement and officially I haven’t finished university yet.
I have also predicted the amount I spend on special Event to go down as well as I don’t expect more than one Event to attend at most.
All other figures should remain the same.
Year Six
This is my final year of university.
Inflows
My inflows for this year will be the same as year three.
Outflows
My outflows for this year are the same as those for year four with the exception of rent and bills which are the same as the previous year (year five).
Year Seven
This will be my first year of work after university; I will be working as an Event co-ordinater for a hotel or holiday complex.
Inflows
My only inflow for this year is my £17000 salary. This is based on research I have done into the average salary.
Outflows
My outflow for year seven is the same as my outflows for year five, with the exception of my car and petro costs. For this year it is £400 this is because I intend to buy a used car for approximately £2000 and then the other £200 will be my approximate full costs, including commuting. Also I have to start my loan repayments. Based on information from the directgov website I will have to pay £312 over the course of the year when I earn £17000.
Year Eight
Year eight will be my first year of work for an Event management company. I will be working as a junior Event Manager.
Inflows
I will only have one inflow this year is my wages which will be £18500. This figure is based on the average starting salary for a junior Event Manager along with a share of commission.
Outflows
My year eight outflows are going to be the same as my year seven.
Year Nine
My year nine is going to be my second and with any look final year as a junior Event Manager.
Inflows
My year nine inflows will be the same as my year eight.
Outflows
My outflows will also be the same as the previous year.
Year Ten
This year I will reach the end of the career ladder and become a senior Event Manager.
Inflows
My only inflow for this year will be my wage of £42257; this figure is based on starting salary plus commission and will most likely include a company car for travelling on the job and travel expenses for trips abroad.
Outflows
My outflows for this year are the same as the previous with the exception of my student loan repays, based on my salary I will have to pay £2448 this year instead of the £312 previously.
Route Two
Route two is where I go university and study Event management.
My route 2 cash flow is identically to my route one with the exception of my income in year seven. In this route my income is £18500 start after university as I would be able to go straight into work for an Event management firm instead of having to work for a hotel first.
Route Two (a)
This route is the same as route two accept that it has an additional year in between the end of sixth form and the beginning of university. This year is costed exactly the same as my placement year. The overall impact on my cash flow is that I have a cash flow deficit for an additional year.
Route Three
Route three is when I would get a job after finishing my A levels.
The first two years of my cash flow forecast are identical to my previous two cash flows as I would be sill doing my at levels at QEGS.
Year three inflows are will be £15000 and will remain this for the following year as well. Year five my inflows will go up to £18500 for 4 years, and then in year eight up to £42257 till year 10. My salary will then most likely stay at this however there will be opportunities for raises (but not promotions).
My outflows through year 3 till year 10 will remain constant except for my car insurance which providing I don’t have an accident should go down in price each year. The rest of my inflows will be equivalent to year 10 of route one.
Overall
Route three is financially my best option. I never have a negative closing balance during this route; however I do for a good majority of the years on my other routes.
For route one the only years I have a surplus of cash are years one and ten.
For route two the only years have a surplus of cash are one, nine and ten. For route two (a) year nine is also a deficit.
Judgement
Based on all the evidence I am able to eliminate route one as I decided that if I was going to go to university I would rather study a course directly related to Event management instead of a hospitality course. Furthermore this would mean that I would not be able to go straight into Event management work I would have to work in a hotel first before I worked as an Event Manager.
I decided to eliminate route 3 as I think that getting to my chosen job as a senior Event Manager while be significantly more difficult without a degree, because although its not compulsory for getting the job, it is preferred and as the field is competitive it would be advisable to give me an advantage over competition. Secondly I would like to go to university, although going to university, compared to this route, will mean I’m in debt longer and it will also take longer to have a positive cash flow. I think going to university will be a positive experience for me that I think will give me industry experience (from my year placement), as well as giving me theory knowledge.
However I think route 2 (a) will be the best route for me; this allows me to go to university and get the best qualifications to help me. Furthermore since I would be take a gap year it gives me a chance to have a break from school while still doing something productive to my future. Although this option is not financially the best for me I feel that I will be happiest doing things this way. My only concern with this route would be that I won’t go back into education after working for a year; this would mean I would end up following the route three paths.
Personal Skills profile
Shown below is a list of qualities I feel I possess.
I am:
- Motivated (CV, appendix one)
- Organiser (CV)
- Work well in teams (CV)
- Creative (CV)
- Good time management skills (CV)
- Good ICT Skills (CV)
- Good attention to detail (CV)
- Good telephone and communication skills (Butlins job, CV)
- Comfortable in stressful situation (Psychometric testing, appendix two)
Event Managers Need:
- Have excellent time management and organisational skills
- Be enthusiastic, self-motivated and outgoing
- Be able to establish productive relationships with people at all levels
- Have good communication and presentation skills
- Be able to gather and interpret information for business research
- Be commercially aware and customer-focused
- Have a positive and adaptable approach to problem solving
- Be innovative and creative to distinguish your Event from the competition
- Have knowledge of sales, marketing or copywriting
- Have an understanding of budgeting and financial management
- Be able to work as part of a team
- Be able to pay attention to detail
- Experience
- Good industry knowledge
This shows me that I have to learn an in-depth knowledge of sales, marketing and copywriting as well as budgeting and financial management. Also I have to learn to be commercially aware. I need experience and good in-depth industry knowledge.
5 Year Plan
Appendix 1
BRITNEY SPEARS
Appendix Two
“Personality Questionnaire Results
My Result:
Extraversion
Some people like lots of stimulation; they want people around them, activity and excitement, whilst others prefer to be able to focus on things in a calm and quiet environment. Most people prefer a blend of the two extremes and your answers suggest that you are quite comfortable in either situation. You can probably cope with things being a bit hectic or a bit quiet but, like most people, you may find extremes in either direction uncomfortable or annoying.
Confidence
Some people make decisions very easily and tend not to worry about them before or afterwards while, at the other extreme, some people are so careful and cautious that the decisions never get made! Taking a cautious approach can be a good thing (do you want to fly with a pilot that is so free from worry and concern that she never checks her controls and instruments and doesn't bother to communicate with air-traffic control?) and you seem to have described yourself as someone who does tend to be quite cautious and careful. This can be very important in detailed work or areas were mistakes can have a major cost although you may find yourself avoiding risks and many cautious people wish they were bolder.
Openness
While some people like experimenting with new things and ideas, others prefer traditional methods and taking a very practical approach to problems.
Your answers suggest that you like to balance a willingness to try new things with making sure you don't scrap an existing approach that works just because it has been around for a while. Like most people you may not enjoy constant change and uncertainty or an environment where nothing develops from year to year, but your preparedness to see the merits of new and old alike can be helpful.
Agreeableness
Most people want to be able to get on with others but to some it is the most important thing in the world, whilst others are quite happy to upset someone else if it means that things get done.
Your answers suggest that you can be firm with people when you need to be but that getting on with others is still important to you. Like most people you would rather avoid conflict but are not prepared to put up with being treated badly by others.
Conscientiousness
Some people like everything to be well planned, tidy and organised, whilst others prefer to deal with things as they come up and appear to work in absolute chaos.
Your answers suggest that you don't like having things too structured or being tied down and you can cope quite well without having to have everything organised. This may make it hard to find things at times or for colleagues to know where you are or what you are doing, but you probably find coping with the unexpected (the things your colleagues didn't plan for!) easier than many.
This questionnaire can't tell you exactly what you are like; it doesn't go into enough detail and only helps you ask questions about the way you behave and make decisions in your occupation. Don't rely on it to tell you what your personality is like but use it to think about the different ways that people go about doing things. Read each description; ask yourself if it sounds like you (and it may not!)
Am
Am Not
Combination
Careers Test Results
This questionnaire is designed to get you thinking about the sort of jobs that might suit your style.
John Holland's model of vocational choice suggests that people with particular interests and styles tend to favour certain types of jobs. Holland described six main types of person:
- Realistic
- Conventional
- Social
- Enterprising
- Artistic
- Investigative
Knowing the types you most (and least) fit can help you think about the types of role that may suit you.
My Results:
Conventional
Your results suggest that Conventional type work might suit your interests and preferences.
Conventional types are happy to work within systems and large organisations and tend to focus on accuracy and efficiency, preferring to know what is expected of them. They tend to like things to be organised and predictable and are often involved in roles that involve recording, sorting, documenting and organising. Typical roles for Conventional types include the range of administrative and clerical roles (e.g. in the government and financial sectors) as well as accountancy, banking, bookkeeping, secretarial work and some inspecting roles.
Artistic
Your results suggest that Artistic type work is less likely to suit your interests.
Artistic types are interested in creativity and art, preferring freedom and independence to following rules and procedures. Self-expression is very important to Artistic types and they may prefer to work alone. Typical roles for Artistic types include artist, singer, designer, photographer, musician, writer and actor.
Social
Your results suggest that Social type work is less likely to suit your interests.
Social types like roles that focus on helping, teaching or supporting others and very much prefer working with people to working with things or ideas. They tend to prefer working in teams and like to feel they are doing something useful. Typical roles for social types include teacher, counsellor, nurse, minister of religion, clinical psychologist or police officer.
Investigative
Your results suggest that Investigative type work is less likely to suit your interests.
Investigative types prefer thinking to action, they like working with information and may prefer working with ideas rather than with people. They tend to like jobs in which they can research, analyse and solve problems (or come up with new problems!) and prefer using their brains to their interpersonal skills. Typical roles that suit Investigative types are scientist, engineer, laboratory worker, computer programmer, pharmacist and vet.
Realistic
Your results suggest that Realistic type work is less likely to suit your interests.
Realistic types generally prefer action to words, they like physical activity and may prefer working with things to working with people. They tend to favour jobs where they can work with their hands or produce things, and often like outdoor work. Typical roles that suit Realistic types are gardener, mechanic, driver, electrician, farmer, sportsperson, skilled trades, labourers and some engineering and military roles.
This brief questionnaire can't tell you exactly what you should do. It only suggests work areas to think about that may match the way you like to work but it can't tell you whether you have the skills and qualifications for these jobs.
To take things further you should consult your local careers service or your local library. Use the right-hand navigation bars at the top of this page to find links to other careers sites.”
Report Extracts
Testcolor.com
“
Today :
Your way :
Your strongest point today :
Your best quality as of today is :
Your creativity and/or your spirituality.
Your second best quality as of today is :
Your ability to take matters into your own hands.
A suggestion :
Your dominating color :
Appendix Three
Appendix Four
Websites used:
^^ Sheffield Hallam University, Catered Halls Price for a 39 week contract.
charlotee house £3367, uncatered.
How it works in practice
Repayment example one: Jane
Jane is employed, and pays her taxes through PAYE. She earns £1,500 a month - £250 over the repayment threshold of £1,250 per month.
- Jane's repayments will be nine per cent of £250: £22 a month
Above shows is a loan calculator I used to calculate my monthly repayments on my student loans once I was earning over £15000.
@ £18500 pa my monthly repayments were £26 pcm.
@ £42257 pa my monthly repayments were £204 pcm.
39 weeks of EMA a year
Used to find out price of car tax and MOT.
Calcualted a car insurance quote of £949.20.
Wages:
Event support assistant:
Event co-ordinator:
Junior event manager:
Senior event manager:
1 bed flat London, rent 70pw
driving test fees.
Flights to spain
Page of Career Planning Coursework
The important thing to remember with the “day in the life of” description is that its very rare that any two days are the same. I’ve tried to give an overview of what could be done, but there daily duties are not confided solely to the things I’ve mentioned as planning events can be very unpredictable.
