An event organisation specialist works in one of two places. At an event agency they run client projects. In a company they are responsible for internal events: corporate parties, conferences, company days, off-sites. The role is often combined with HR, marketing or executive assistant work.
Below are the duties of such a specialist, the skills needed in practice and the tools that save time. We work with these people every week: they book our show for their events.
Duties
- Planning. An annual events calendar, goals and budget for each
- Brief and concept. Gather input from management, come up with or approve the idea
- Venue and contractors. Search, negotiation, contracts, deadline control
- Budget. Estimate, approval, closing documents
- Programme. Script and timing together with the host
- Attendee communication. Invitations, registration, reminders, logistics
- On the day. Coordinating contractors, solving sudden problems
- Wrap-up. Attendee survey, photos and video, a report to management
Skills needed in practice
- Keep dozens of tasks in mind and never miss a deadline
- Negotiate with contractors and read estimates
- Stay calm on the day when things go off plan
- Understand basic tech: sound, light, screens, riders
- Manage money and explain to management why it is needed
How an events department works
In a small company one person handles events. A large one has an events department or centre: a head of events, project managers, coordinators, sometimes an in-house production team. The department runs internal events and the company’s presence at external ones: exhibitions, forums, sponsorships.
Tools
- A script table. One table with timing, host text, sound, light and owners. How to build it, in the article on the event script
- A task tracker. A board with tasks for each event and contractor deadlines
- Registration services. Forms, guest lists, QR codes at the entrance
- Polls and voting. For interaction during the event and feedback afterwards
- A contractor database. Proven venues, hosts, technicians with prices and reviews
A ready-made number without extra coordination
What takes most of an event manager’s time is contractors who need setup, a separate technical rider and venue approvals. Our light show works differently. Guests scan a QR code, raise their phones, and the whole room’s flashlights flash to the music. No equipment, the signal travels via ultrasound through the venue speakers, and the host or DJ launches it on cue.
After the show guests get a poll or a prize draw in the browser, and the organiser gets a number for the report: how many people took part. From 10,000 ₽ per event for up to 100 guests. If you organise events for clients, there are partner terms: hosts and agencies.
FAQ
What is the job called? Variants include event manager, event organisation manager, event marketing specialist, event coordinator. The work is the same.
Where should a newcomer to events start? As a coordinator at an agency or a venue: that is where you see fastest how events work from the inside.
Preparation steps in the article on event organisation, working with agencies in party organisation services, budgets and contracts in budget and risks.