Events Co-ordinator

Co-ordinators can be involved in a wide range of events, though many specialise in one area. You will be involved in most aspects of planning, marketing and running events on behalf of a client or your own organisation.

Events can include exhibitions, conferences, promotions, product launches; parties, awards ceremonies etc, and in larger organisations, roles are often divided between marketing, sales and operations. The marketing team researches a sector, identifies a need, and organises a campaign to promote the event; the sales team is responsible for promoting the event to potential exhibitors and attracting sponsorship; and the operations team oversees the practical details, such as booking the venue and catering and equipment hire.

Event organisation involves a wide range of tasks, which may vary according to the size of the organisation you work in. Although big event organisers will undertake the majority of the work themselves, dividing the tasks amongst specialist teams, some may sub-contract certain tasks if they have lots of events at one time. Tasks typically involve liaising with clients, finding out their precise requirements and producing detailed proposals for events (including timelines, venue suggestions and budgets), often to very tight deadlines.

You are likely to be responsible for securing and booking a suitable venue for the event and creating a publicity campaign to promote it to the public. You may liaise with newspapers, TV, radio and other media, and write press releases or briefs in order to gain maximum advertising coverage. If you require several participants to present their services at your event, you will need to sell stands or exhibition space to them, promoting the ways in which they can benefit from attending your event.

As a member of the event organising team you may need to liaise with clients and designers to create a brand or “look” for the event - co-ordinating venue management, caterers, stand designers, contractors and equipment hire. Sometimes you will also be requested to arrange accommodation for exhibitors and/or delegates.

With so much going on, you will need to keep an accurate record of client requirements and bookings, making sure that tickets, posters, catalogues and sales brochures are organised, and that any delegate packs and papers are prepared in time. It is also essential that you organise insurance and security for the event, and ensure that health and safety regulations are adhered to. The team will also co-ordinate everything on the day of the event to ensure that all runs smoothly, that the event is 'broken down' efficiently and the venue is cleared on time, leaving you to evaluate its success and produce reports for the client.

• Events