Career Pathway
There are many areas within Special Events that will be open to you upon completion of one of the Academy courses and below is a list of just some of the opportunities that will become available to you. This is not an exhaustive list but it certainly covers the main avenues and pathways.
Independent Wedding Planner: as an independent Planner you will start your own consultancy working for yourself. This is what many of our students aim to do and the thought of starting your own business and being your own boss can certainly be very tempting. A planners strengths lie in their organisational and logistical capabilities and their ability to negotiate on behalf of their client.
Venue Coordinator/Planner: this role is not the same as the Independent Planner as you will not be required to go into as much detail for your client and will be working from the one venue. Your role will be to look after your client at the venue from which you work and won't get involved in the overall budget or sourcing of suppliers such as transportation, invitations etc. You will however be required to have a good knowledge of the food and beverage side of things as this role is more within hospitality than outright planning.
Event Manager: most event managers work either for a corporate company where their role is to organise all the events for their company from a sales conference to the annual staff party, or they will work within an event management company. The events worked on within this role tend to be more corporate and can include: teambuilding, conferences, awards nights, product launches, exhibitions, golf days, incentive events and many more.
Event Designer: this is someone who will design and execute an overall look for an event and is a far more technical role than a stylist. They need to have a good working knowledge of lighting, sound and staging. The type of events they work on can include: weddings, product launches, fashion shows, conferences, exhibitions, gala dinners, corporate functions & festivals. Some designers will also plan, consult and coordinate but more often than not, they will limit their services to design and decor.
Wedding Stylist: a stylist works on the aesthetics and overall look of a wedding. They assist in choosing colours, putting together mood boards, designing tabletops, and ensuring that all the details like stationery, flowers, china, linens, lighting, etc. work well together visually.
Professional Conference Organiser (PCO): this role does exactly what it says - organises every aspect of a conference. This can include venue selection, travel, accommodation, conference registration, gifts and merchandies booking speakers and securing all the AV requirements. It is a corporate role which doesn't work within private or social events at all.
