Are you always the one who organises parties, meetings and trips? If you have a talent for organising and a passion for delivering a great experience, a career in events could be right up your street.
The events industry has grown substantially over the past 10 years, and is one of the most exciting and vibrant sectors in hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism. The Event Industry Alliance estimates that there are 500 trade fairs and exhibitions in the UK every year, attracting 17 million visitors.
The events industry consists of some medium-sized companies and a lot of small (one or two person) companies. Generally speaking, businesses fall into the following categories:
- Event organisers
- Venue providers
- Exhibitors
- Event suppliers
- Temporary structures
This industry can take you as far as you want it to – you could stick to smaller scale events, such as community gatherings, meetings and weddings, or help to put together global conferences and exhibitions in international locations, like Dubai or New York.
Events companies have a hand in a vast range of areas, including:
- Business events
- Conferences and meetings
- Exhibitions
- Incentive travel
- Corporate events and hospitality
- Festival, fairs and cultural Events
- Community Events
- Entertainment, concerts, theatre and shows
- Sports events
- Charity and fundraising events
- Party/wedding planning and special events
With a career in events, you could find yourself working anywhere from Glastonbury to the Brit Awards, the Edinburgh Festival or even the 2012 Olympic Games!
Alternatively, you could work for one of the major exhibition and conference venues in the UK - including the National Exhibition Centre (NEC), the National Indoor Arena (NIA), the ExCel Centre, Earls Court, the O2, the Edinburgh International Conference Centre and Cardiff Indoor Arena.
If you're more practically-oriented, you could also work in temporary structures – organising staging, lighting, tents etc. for shows and exhibitions.