Careers Spotlight: Events Industry

Planning events can be a rewarding career for individuals who enjoy working with others and thrive in a fast-paced environment. Event planning has a range of career options to pursue depending on your existing skills and interests. Learning about these may help you create an effective development plan to enter the field. In this article we list 12 attractive careers in event planning, provide their average salaries and discuss the daily responsibilities of these roles.

Careers in event planning may allow you to focus on events as a whole or choose a specific part of the events industry like promotion or supplier relationships. Here are 12 interesting event planning jobs to consider:

1. Catering supervisor

National average salary:£21,075 per year

Primary duties: A catering supervisor monitors the quality of food and supervises the work of catering staff, including servers and chefs. They're responsible for communication between the catering company and the venue or event managers. Catering supervisors typically make sure the staff maintains high levels of cleanliness and complies with food and safety regulations. On a daily basis, they monitor stock and process orders. They may also meet with suppliers and organise tasting events for clients.

2. Wedding planner

National average salary: £23,333 per year

Primary duties: A wedding planner is an event manager specialising in planning and organising weddings. Typically, they work with individual clients who hire them to organise the wedding ceremony, reception and other wedding-related events, such as engagement celebrations or anniversaries. Wedding planners are responsible for all aspects of a wedding, including decorations, flowers, location and entertainment. They often have a network of venues, caterers and other suppliers who they work with regularly.

3. Activities director

National average salary:£21,701 per year

Primary duties: An activities director supervises and hosts programmes and events for groups of attendees. Summer camps, residential living facilities or universities often rely on activities directors and their ability to develop ideas for entertainment events. On a daily basis, these professionals may meet with local businesses and community representatives to identify affordable or free activities. In addition, they may advertise events, estimate budgets, prepare supplies and collect feedback from the audience to learn more about participants' preferences.

4. Event coordinator

National average salary: £24,288 per year

Primary duties: An event coordinator is an independent event specialist who oversees the work of staff right before and during events. They usually communicate with event managers to determine the final event schedule and ensure every element of the show, conference or meeting goes well. When coordinating larger events, they may oversee the work of the production staff, including lighting or sound engineers. Freelance coordinators or those working for small event companies may also organise events, for example, book venues or prepare event proposals for clients.

5. Event planner

National average salary: £26,538 per year

Primary duties: An event planner typically concentrates on planning one event at a time. This makes them different to event managers, who may coordinate several events simultaneously. Planners usually perform most of their tasks before an event, as they're responsible for approving venues, choosing caterers, communicating project updates to clients or even hiring wait staff. Within larger event organisations planners are often mid-level specialists who work independently or as members of planning teams.

6. Venue manager

National average salary:£29,051 per year

Primary duties: A venue manager hires, trains, schedules and supervises in-house venue staff, including bartenders and security officers. They may communicate with event planners to discuss upcoming event ideas, negotiate contracts and connect them with the venue's regular suppliers. Also, they typically make sure anyone who uses the venue complies with health and safety regulations and standards. On a daily basis, they may analyse a facility's performance, prepare periodic reports, allocate budgets and schedule gear maintenance works.

7. Conference manager

National average salary:£29,924 per year

Primary duties: A conference manager is an event specialist who oversees the planning, coordinating and monitoring of conferences. Typically, they work on behalf of organisations or institutions that want to organise large-scale events for their employees or members. Conference managers usually communicate with event planning staff, approve schedules and make sure the activities that event planners propose align with client requirements. Managing budgets and financial plans are key elements of the role.

8. Public relations manager

National average salary: £31,294 per year

Primary duties: Public relations managers promote events. They usually handle communication between event organisers and media, including radio, TV, social media and magazines. On a daily basis, they may write and distribute press releases, inform the media about upcoming events and coordinate interviews. Their primary purpose is to help advertise events and encourage people to participate. There are various niches in event PR, as a public relations manager may promote concerts, festivals, conferences or other private events.

9. Fundraising manager

National average salary:£33,176 per year

Primary duties: A fundraising manager develops and executes fundraising strategies for events. They often build and foster relationships with donors, create updates for supporters and supervise the work of volunteers. As a part of their cause promotion process, they may work with planners to organise events, such as galas and banquets. When they're not planning any upcoming events, they may engage in research to determine fundraising opportunities for future projects. Thanks to coordinating successful fundraising events, these managers can help maintain their employer's good reputation and contribute to raising money for a good cause.

10. Event manager

National average salary: £31,835 per year

Primary duties: An event manager is a senior specialist who oversees event planning efforts, typically for several events at a time. They may manage a team of event planners and coordinators, for which they use their leadership abilities. Event managers usually handle the logistics behind events and regularly meet with investors and clients to discuss event ideas and negotiate contracts. They may also research development ideas for the team or the entire business by networking with business owners and representatives.

11. Sponsorship manager

National average salary:£37,984 per year

Primary duties: A sponsorship manager liaises with event staff and investors who've decided to sponsor an event. They typically coordinate all elements of a sponsorship deal. Their purpose is to make sure the sponsor – usually a brand – gets proper representation during the event. For example, they may work with their team to design, order and install banners with the sponsor's logo. Sponsorship managers are also business experts, which helps them negotiate contracts, set budgets and prepare partnership summaries after events.

12. Director of events

National average salary: £58,287 per year

Primary duties: A director of events is a leading role within an event planning organisation or department. They typically manage all event activities, from planning to execution. Due to their seniority, they may spend more time handling business, budgetary and contractual issues, but they may perform more basic tasks if necessary. Event planning is a hands-on industry where everyone can end up contributing on the day to ensure things go smoothly.

If you want to learn more about the events industry click on the links below

Boosting your CV

So what is a CV?  CV is short for Curriculum Vitae and is a short document which summarises your unique skills, character, experience and achievements.  

For students it can feel difficult to know what to write as you haven't had the time to build up the experience that employers always seem to want.

In this section we will look at ways of making your CV stand out for future employers so you can get that dream job.  So far we have looked at  ideas such as attending after school clubs and work experience placements.  This month we consider what many think of as the core of a CV, your academic achievements.

Make the most of your academic achievements:

Most people list their GCSE and A-level results, but very few make the effort to make their qualifications stand out. For example, if you’ve been highly commended for a particular project or assignment, why not mention it on your CV?

Although your CV should follow a set structure, you should also do what you can to make yourself stand out from the crowd. Think about the order you list your qualifications, putting the best qualifications or the ones that you want to draw attention at the top of the list is often a good idea.

The link below will help you put together your CV

Help for Parents and Carers

When it comes to education and careers, parents and carers have a large influence on a students choices. As an adult you are expected to have all the answers, but in a constantly evolving world it can be a struggle to keep up with the latest options out there.  In this section we will highlight resources that will help keep you up to date with careers and the choices available to young people.

Last month we looked at apprenticeships, this month we consider applying to post 16 colleges.

What is the difference between higher education and further education?

• Further education (FE) includes any study after secondary education that’s not part of higher education, so typically college or 6th forms while higher education involves undergraduate and postgraduate study.

What is the difference between college and 6th form?

• While both options provide students with a pathway to higher education, they differ in a number of ways. Colleges focus solely on educating students aged 16-18. These colleges are often larger than school sixth forms and often offer technical and vocational qualifications.

When do we need to start applying for college/6th form courses?

• Applications can start at any time during Year 11, though typically students start applying during the spring term.

• Any offers made by a college/6th form will be subject to the student gaining the required grades at the end of Year 11.  The specific grades required by each course will be explained by the college/6th form

What if our child changes their mind about the courses they want to do at college/6th form, is this a problem?

• This depends on when the student changes their mind.

• If during year 11 a student changes their mind this isn't an issue, a student can apply to multiple colleges and only has to make a decision about which one to attend once the GCSE results are known in August

• Many students change their mind in the first few weeks of starting a new course.  Colleges/6th forms are used to this and will allow students to move courses as long as they meet the requirements for the new course they wish to choose.

• The longer a student has studied a course before deciding to change the harder it becomes to change to a new course.  This is due to the amount of teaching they will have already missed on the course they wish to change to.

Careers in Hertfordshire: Film, Media & Creative

The creative industries can be divided into 16 exciting career pathways including arts, culture and heritage, design, fashion, film & TV, gaming and immersive technologies, media, music, photography and videography, podcast and radio, publishing, architecture, theatre & performing arts, writing and journalism, visual effects and animation, advertising, PR and marketing. 

Some of the world’s best-known films, including all Star Wars and Indiana Jones films, and all eight Harry Potter films, were made here. Hertfordshire-based firms’ specialist and technical experts have been recognised for their contributions to Oscar-nominated and winning films.

Hertfordshire is a major contributor to a global success story, as the UK has one of the world’s most successful and dynamic creative sectors. Hear from some of our local residents describe their career pathway into the creative industries.

A GROWING TALENT BASE

There were 4,550 firms in Hertfordshire’s creative industries in 2016, involved in activities from film-making to digital content production.

The number of employers has grown by 6.5% per year since 2010. Creative industries employed 17,600 people in 2015. Employment has grown by 10.6% annually since 2010, far exceeding the national growth rate of 4.5%.

The University of Hertfordshire is a key contributor to this creative ecosystem, with specialisms in animation, animatronics and digital media. Its animation school, UH Animation, is among the top four in the world. Alumni from the university are actively involved in world-leading games and animation companies and have worked on blockbuster productions such as Harry Potter, Avatar, Prometheus and the GTA series.

Hertfordshire is home to both Elstree Studios and Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden. Elstree has made three of the top shows on British television: Dancing on Ice and Who Wants to be a Millionaire? for ITV, and Big Brother for Channel 5. Some of the most famous films in the world have been made at Elstree, including Star Wars, Indiana Jones, The Shining, Superman, and Labyrinth. More recently, Elstree has been home to Kick Ass, The King’s Speech and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. Thanks to a £1m Growing Places Fund loan from the LEP Elstree Studios was able to expand its studio space, resulting in it securing the £100m Netflix contract for The Crown.

BBC Elstree Studios has been home to some of the broadcaster’s most popular shows, including Grange Hill, Top of The Pops and Kilroy. BBC Elstree is best known for popular drama programmes such as EastEnders and Holby City.

The £100m Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden, owned by Warner Bros. Studios and opened in June 2012, is the largest studio space in the UK and is known worldwide as the home of the Harry Potter films. Other notable films include Edge of Tomorrow, Jupiter Ascending, In the Heart of the Sea and Man from U.N.C.L.E., as well as numerous TV productions and advertisements.

Its secure, 200-acre site is the only facility in Europe owned by a Hollywood studio. It has more than 250,000 square feet of studio space and hosts some of the largest sound stages in the UK, as well as one of the biggest heated underwater filming tanks in Europe. Its 100-acre back-lot is among the most extensive in Europe and can be adapted for multiple production needs.

In 2019, Sky announced plans for the development of a new major film and TV studio in Borehamwood, close to Elstree Studios and BBC Elstree. The intention is that a 32-acre state-of-the-art facility will house 12-14 soundstages, with the ability to merge and sub-divide multiple stages, providing flexibility to accommodate productions of all sizes. The stages were to be equipped with cutting-edge technology, with the Studios expected to become one of the most sustainable production sites in the world.

Sunset Studios in Broxbourne will be the first expansion of Blackstone and Hudson Pacific Properties’ studio platform outside Hollywood. The two partners acquired a 91-acre site to the north-west of the M25-A10 junction through a joint venture for £120 million. With an expected total investment of £700 million, the facility is estimated to generate 4,500 permanent jobs and £300 million annually for the local economy.

Hertswood Studios is a proposed new studio complex in Borehamwood. Planning permission has yet to be secured, but if built, the 90-acre site will provide a total of 1 million sq ft of film studio space, including 21 stages, supporting workshops and offices, as well as an additional commercial, hotel and film industry college space of 600,000 sq ft, making it the single largest studio in the UK. 

THRIVING DIGITAL MEDIA

 A growing number of digital content, gaming, software and visual effects (VFX) companies have started in Hertfordshire or chosen to locate here.

Hertfordshire’s digital companies produce content for feature films, television, games, commercials, websites and mobile phones. Games production and distribution companies such as Aspyr Media Europe Ltd, Rising Star Games Ltd, and KOEI TECMO Europe Ltd operate successfully from the county, taking advantage of Hertfordshire’s communications links with London and connectivity to key international markets.

For the last ten years, UH Animation’s annual exposé has been a primary recruitment forum for high profile companies seeking out new and exciting 2D, 3D, animation and VFX talent. Companies such as Disney Animation, The Mill, Tandem, Double Negative and Framestore are regular participants.

The University of Hertfordshire is also home to G+VERL (Games & Visual Effects Research Lab), a ground-breaking project linking scientists, artists, clinicians and filmmakers. It brings together the worlds of film, art, technology and computer science to undertake research into digital image-making and high-resolution image technologies. Sharing methods and promoting interdisciplinary understanding, the project brings together world-class research in a wide range of areas, including video art, digital film, visual effects and medical visualisation.

Hertfordshire is strong on promotion too, with corporate and events management companies such as SMYLE helping global brands launch new products or celebrate successes.

For more information please go to www.hopinto.co.uk/ 

Current Opportunities

This month we have an opportunity to learn about careers within the health sector.  The Careers and Enterprise Company, who we work closely with, are running an event in January to help parents and students learn about T-levels and apprenticeships.  There are also opportunities to investigate apprenticeships within the finance industry and the logistics industry.

Free Live Virtual Get into Medicine Conferences

I hope you are well! We are thrilled to share that over 36,000 students registered to our FREE Get Into Medicine and Get Into Dentistry Conferences over the past year. This would not have been possible without your continued support, and we sincerely thank you for helping us inspire the next generation of aspiring medics and dentists.

As we approach the final two Get Into conferences of 2024, we’d like to invite your students to attend this invaluable session, completely free-of-charge. This is a great opportunity for them to meet our team of doctors, dentists and mentors, ensuring equal access to invaluable information for students from all backgrounds as they aspire to enter medical/dental school.

Please kindly forward the details below on to your students and their parents/guardians:

Get Into Medicine Conference:

Sunday 8th December from 9:30am - 3:30pm

Saturday 14th December from 9:30am - 3:30pm

Register here for FREE: https://airtable.com/appgXnyzN5ZD9Iwk6/shry7MZYtt3MGPjvO

Get Into Dentistry Conference:

Sunday 12th January 2025 from 9:30am - 3:30pm

Register here for FREE: https://airtable.com/appgXnyzN5ZD9Iwk6/shrBuiR7SBAcC19kE

Students and their parents/guardians will get to meet and speak with Dr Kennedy, Dr Safiyyah and I, covering everything they'll need to know about personal statements, entrance exams and interviews, and they’ll also get to meet some of our successful students to learn from their experiences. Following the conference, all students will instantly be enrolled onto the free virtual medical work experience programme (with access to speak to doctors and medical students alongside).

All aspiring doctors in years 10-12 / S3-S5 / NI11-13 are invited to register.

These conferences offer tailored advice for medicine and dentistry, covering various crucial topics, including:

- Tactically choosing universities

- Personal statements

- UCAT

- Medical/Dental school interview skills

- National Leadership Programmes

- Awards Programmes

- Extracurricular activities

- Work experience

- Building a CV

- Applying for scholarships

Spaces are limited, so students should register as soon as possible using the link below.

Students and parents can register for free here:

Medicine: https://airtable.com/appgXnyzN5ZD9Iwk6/shry7MZYtt3MGPjvO

Dentistry: https://airtable.com/appgXnyzN5ZD9Iwk6/shrBuiR7SBAcC19kE

Here’s a rough guide on how the day will run:

9:30-10.00 Registration

10.00-11:00 Quick introduction to Medic/Dental Mentor, overview of the day, competition ratios, application timeline, Awards and Scholarships

11:00-11:15 Break

11.15-11.50 Introduction to the UCAS application form and entry requirements

11.50-12.25 Interactive CV building exercise and exclusive access to leadership, research, presentation, publication, prizes and scholarship opportunities

12.25-12.50 Top tips form a successful applicant (medical/dental student)

12:50-13:05 Break

13:05-13.55 Personal Statement: New structure and how to write the perfect personal statement

13:55-14.10 Break

14:10-14.40 Entrance exams - How to ace the UCAT

14.40-15:00 How to prepare for Medical/Dental School interviews

15:00-15.30 Top tips form a successful applicant (medical/dental student) and next steps

Our doctors, dentists and mentors look forward to welcoming your students at the conferences and they will join our network of successful students who have also attended these programmes over the last ten years: https://medicmentor.org/successful-student-journeys-reviews/

If you have any questions at all, please feel free to drop me an email education@medicmentorfamily.org or call our team on 01530 417299. Thank you for your continued support in working with us to make a difference to your students.

Warm regards,

Dr Siva

Chief Mentor

Enquiry Form: https://airtable.com/shrM6UPT8Z2uxx7OL

Medic Mentor Helpline: 01530 417299 (Open 10am - 5pm Monday - Friday) 

Discover Extraordinary Career Paths with an EY Apprenticeship!
Applications for 2025 are now open!

Do you know a young person eager to start their career journey? If they’re curious, analytical, and love solving problems, an EY apprenticeship could be their gateway to success! 

Why an EY Apprenticeship?

At EY, we believe in setting young people up for success. Our apprenticeships in Assurance, Strategy and Transactions, or Tax offer:

 Real-World Impact: Experience working with clients, from local businesses to global brands.
Top Qualifications: Earn industry-recognised professional qualifications equivalent to a master's degree.
Faster Progression: Start earning and developing skills immediately, often advancing quicker than university students.
Practical Learning: Gain real-world experience, backed by expert mentorship and support.
Strong Connections: Join a cohort of peers, building friendships and networks from day one.

Applications are now open.

Browse our programmes and unlock a world of opportunities! 

Explore EY Apprenticeships

Support Their Next Step

Help them shape their future with confidence. Visit the Career Heights zone on our immersive Adventure Awaits platform for resources on:

• Guiding them through the application process

• Helping them prepare for interviews

• Ensuring they make the most of their EY apprenticeship

HOPINTO APPRENTICESHIPS AND T-LEVELS 

Taking place on Wednesday 29th January from 17.30 - 19.00, this free of charge event is specifically for parents, carers and students. Who would like to explore apprenticeship and T Level options available.

The HOP into Apprenticeships and T Levels Virtual Careers Fair is in its third year and has been a successful way for employers and training providers to showcase apprenticeship and T Level opportunities to hundreds of parents, carers and students across Hertfordshire.

The event is a collaboration between Hertfordshire Careers Hub, Amazing Apprenticeships, Hertfordshire Employers and the Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire Provider Network.

Last year's event had 600 parents sign up and over 30 employers and providers.

 Who should attend?

This event is for parents and carers but will be particularly useful for those supporting students in year group year 10 to 13. Students in these year groups are welcome to attend.

Why attend this event?

• Free of charge to attend (fully-funded by Hertfordshire Careers Hub).

• Meet local training providers and colleges to hear about their apprenticeships and T Level programmes.

• Hear from employers about local vacancies available for talented young people seeking their next steps.

• Ask questions and gather information from the comfort of your own home.

• Discover more about the skills and training provision being offered within Hertfordshire.

Young People, Parents and Carers please sign-up here

Currently attending already are:

•        Warner Bros. Discovery

•        Bam UK & I

•        Morgan Sindall Construction

•        MBDA

•        Hertfordshire Building Control

•        Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult

•        Computacenter

•        Eisai Ltd

•        John O'Conner

Training providers

•        HRC

•        iSales

•        Institute of the Motor Industry

•        North Hertfordshire College

•        Skillnet Ltd

•        Educational and Sporting Futures

Apprenticeships with DHL

DHL are the global leader in logistical solutions.  DHL have sites around the UK and are currently offering a variety of apprenticeships in the South-East.  If this sounds interesting please click on the link below to find out more

DHL Apprenticeships