Event Management Career Opportunities: A Guide for You

Are you someone who loves creating awesome experiences and bringing people together?

If that sounds like you, then there are many event management career opportunities out there for you to explore.

In this guide, we’ll go deep into the world of event management jobs.

We’ll talk about all the different kinds of jobs you can do, the skills you’ll need, and the fun challenges you’ll face when planning amazing events.

Whether you’re thinking about trying out a new job or just getting started, this guide will give you lots of helpful info and tips to understand and succeed in the world of event management.

In this guide we focus on event management career opportunities. If you want to find out more generally what event management is all about, click here.

Click links

• Career Paths in Event Management + Average Annual Salaries
• Educational Requirements and Skills
• Internships as a way into the event industry
• Diverse Opportunities 
• Event Management the key to a global career

Career Paths in Event Management – with average annual salaries

About the salary figures: The salaries below are indicative figures drawn from the sources linked alongside each occupation. They reflect information available at the time of the original research and should not be interpreted as current salary estimates or guaranteed earnings. Refer to the salary data sources and reporting dates provided below.

When you’re thinking about working in event management, it’s important to know what you’ll be responsible for and what skills you’ll need.

Here are a few examples of career paths in event management.

• Event Manager: Makes sure that events run smoothly and are successful. They organise the budget, logistics, and coordination to create memorable experiences.

Average annual salary: AUD $75,000 to $95,000 (Seek).

• Event Producer: Responsible for planning and managing events from start to finish, including the creative parts and making sure everything runs smoothly.

Average annual salary: AUD $94, 000 (Indeed).

• Event Director: Provides leadership and vision for events. They make sure that events match the goals of the organisation and provide great experiences for everyone.

Average annual salary: AUD $145,500 (Jooble).

• Venue Manager: Take care of event spaces, like booking, maintenance, and making sure customers are happy. They ensure that venues run well and meet the needs of clients.

Average annual salary: AUD $80,000 to $95,000 (Seek).

• Exhibition Manager: Organises art, trade, or public exhibitions. They handle logistics, work with exhibitors, and make sure visitors have a good experience.

Average annual salary: AUD $75,000 to $95,000 (Seek).

• Conference Manager: Plans and organises conferences, seminars, and business meetings. They take care of logistics, scheduling, and make sure attendees have a good experience.

Average annual salary: AUD $90,000 (Talent).

• Fashion Show Manager: Manages all aspects of fashion events, like choosing models, planning the runway, and making the show look great.

Average annual salary: AUD $60,000 (Indeed).

• Festival Manager: Plans and manages large festivals and cultural events. They handle programming, logistics, and coordination for successful festivals.

Average annual salary: AUD $75,000 to $95,000 (Seek).

• Wedding Organiser: Plans and coordinates weddings, making sure every detail contributes to a couple’s dream celebration. They handle vendor coordination, budgeting, and logistics for seamless weddings.

Average annual salary: AUD $76,000 (Glassdoor). 

Other event management careers include: 

• Theming Consultant
• Event Logistics Crew
• Special Events Manager
• Sponsorship Manager
• Social Media Manager
• Public Relations Officer
• Corporate Event Planner
• And more!

Watch ICMS alumna Melissa Coller speak about her ICMS industry training at the Four Seasons Hotel in Sydney where she spent nine months working in their Banquets Department while still a student.

At the time of this interview, ICMS alumna Melissa Coller was working as an Event Manager at cievents.

Educational Requirements and Skills

People enter event management through different pathways, including relevant degrees, vocational qualifications and industry experience.

A degree in event management, hospitality management, marketing or business can help students develop knowledge and skills relevant to the profession.

It’s also important to be good at talking to people, organising events, and solving problems.

You’ll need to understand how to plan events, manage money for them, work with different people who provide services, and know how to promote events.

Being good with computer programs for managing projects, running events, and using social media is also really helpful.

Lastly, you should be able to do lots of things at the same time, stay calm when things get busy, and be very careful about little details to do well in event management.

To read more about where an Event Management degree can take you in Australia, click here.

Build Industry Experience Through Internships

The ICMS Bachelor of Event Management incorporates Work Integrated Learning (WIL), giving students opportunities to apply their learning in professional settings.

ICMS has worked with organisations across the events industry to provide practical learning experiences. Placement arrangements depend on the degree requirements, participating organisations and individual circumstances.

In the video below, Ange explains what it’s like studying a Bachelor of Event Management at ICMS, which comes with an internship built into the degree.

She also explains the benefits of small, interactive classes and how you get a front row seat to Masterclasses featuring event industry leaders. 

@icmscampus Event courses within ICMS – Where can they take you ?? #event #management ♬ original sound – ICMS

An Event Management degree offers Diverse Opportunities Across Various Sectors

Getting a degree in event management can lead to lots of different job opportunities in many areas.

People with this degree can work in planning events for companies, organising weddings and special occasions, managing events for nonprofit organisations, working in marketing that focuses on creating experiences, running trade shows and exhibitions, and even planning sports events.

The skills you learn during an event management program, like managing projects, handling money, marketing, and working with different people, are really useful in other industries too, like tourism, public relations, and entertainment.

These transferable skills may be relevant to career pathways across events, tourism, public relations, marketing and entertainment. Employment opportunities depend on individual qualifications, experience and employer requirements.

If you are interested in working in Australia, this is a good read for a close look at the event management industry Down Under. 

Exploring International Event Management Careers

Event management skills can be relevant to international conferences, exhibitions, festivals and corporate events.

Professionals working in international events may coordinate activities across different locations, work with culturally diverse teams and manage projects involving overseas clients or suppliers.

For students interested in international career pathways, event management offers opportunities to develop transferable skills in communication, project management and cross-cultural collaboration.

International employment and travel opportunities depend on factors including experience, employer requirements and relevant visa or work authorisation conditions.

To find out more about the ICMS Bachelor of Event Management, click here. 

Disclaimer: Salary figures in this article were sourced in 2022 from SEEK, Indeed, Jooble, Talent.com and Glassdoor, as linked throughout the article. Figures are indicative estimates based on information available at the time of writing and may not reflect current salaries. Actual earnings vary depending on experience, qualifications, location, employer and market conditions. Salary figures do not guarantee employment or earnings for ICMS graduates.

Career opportunities, international employment and professional placement experiences vary between individuals and are not guaranteed. Work Integrated Learning arrangements are subject to degree requirements and individual placement circumstances. Students should refer to current ICMS course information for details.