We’re often faced with enthusiastic, fresh-faced young business professionals looking to get into the business of eventing, and it’s encouraging to see people keen to dive into our world. But while we can understand the draw of a career that seems to be filled with meeting celebrities and sipping champagne, the reality is far different – something that these enthusiastic new event managers quickly discover! If you’re thinking of taking on a career as an event manager, here are the truths you should know before you take the leap, direct from our own Worx Group Projects Team.

The hidden truths of being an event planner

1. You’ll be the alpha and the omega – the first to arrive, and the last to leave - at every event.
2. You’ll experience sleepless nights before events, and unavoidable stress. You need to be able to think on your feet when things don’t go as planned – but the reward is seeing the happiness in your client and the guests enjoying themselves.
3. Patience and calm is key – as is kindness.
4. No two events are the same – you need to be able to adjust to anything.
5. You’re everything to multiple different people with different requirements – so be ready to juggle and know which ‘you’ to tune into at an appropriate time!
6. You will dream about the event, so keep a notepad and a night-light next to your bed. You never know what you might come up with!
7. If admin is not your thing, events are not for you. It’ll be at least 80% of your event, and the onsite work is really only 20%, so get ready for endless, evolving lists, and countless notes.
8. The level of anarchy that takes place once on site is more often than not in direct correlation to the work you’ve put in during the build-up. So don’t take shortcuts (but work smart) because you will get found out.
9. Passion will differentiate you from others, and will always impact the results of your event. You can’t survive the industry without passion for it, and it’ll show in your work.
10. No successful event is the result of any one person – it takes a talented and supportive team who share the same values.

Bonus truth: If you do decide to become an events manager, you’ll also get the chance to experience unparalleled teamwork, incredible satisfaction, and you’ll definitely have a whole lot of fun along the way.