Event Management involves planning, creatively organizing and executing an event – a product or brand launch, an exhibition, a concert, a show or even a conference. Event Management is the most intimate form of marketing. It is a controlled activity aimed at the target audience. It is also called 'experiential marketing', or ‘niche marketing’, where the environment is controlled to suit the needs of the product or the show being showcased. Today it is much more professional and more organized a sector than a decade ago. Event management started the moment multinationals started pouring in when our markets liberalized in the late 80s. Events can range from international celebrity appearances, music concerts, fashion and charity shows to brand launches.

The events management industry encompasses conference and banqueting facilities within hotels, museums, stately homes, tourist attractions and other venues, dedicated event venues such as theatres, conference and training centers, exhibition halls and sports stadium. Segments like music, culture, sports, fashion shows, bollywood-based shows and award ceremonies are emerging as the main growth drivers in the sector.

Sunrise Industry

Event Management is looked upon as a sunrise industry in the service sector. The word 'Event' now needs to be re-defined in view of the manifold growth of the various 'happenings' in the ‘commercial’ as well as in the 'non-commercial' world. Be it private happenings or public events, everything now is done on 'big scale'. 'Image' is the key word today. This 'image' building exercise today needs a professional manager, either an individual or an organization, depending on the size of the exercise.

Secondly, the stupendous growth of Event Management industry is due to the sudden spurt in Live Entertainment Shows (domestic and international), corporate events (product launches, dealers meet), various exhibitions, seminars, conferences, carnivals regional and national festivals. More than 200 companies have forayed into events. Growth is therefore 200% annually. FICCI has estimated event management to be a 5000 crore industry by 2008. This shows a giant leap in terms of progression from the early 90s events spend of a mere 20 crores

Recently, a study on Live Entertainment industry was done by Pricewaterhouse Coopers to study and evaluate the untapped opportunities in the Indian Entertainment Industry. The report unfolds the story of gradual growth in live entertainment shows and the consequential growth in the Event Management Industry. The positive side is the growing acceptance of professional event management in both public and private sector. Events are playing an increasingly important role in the marketing and communications mix for all companies. Today, Event Management has become an integral part of any marketing plan. A large number of companies have really started to recognize the benefits of direct marketing through events. Events can be considered as a means to advertise or build a brand. Any event management company would have personnel specializing in visualization, creativity, planning and venue management.

Specialization

There are four major types of events that an event manager can be called to work upon:

• Corporate event management
• Organizing publicity through media (TV coverage for Instance)
• Parties and weddings
• Sports event management

There are many sub-categories within the industry that one can specialize in, depending on one's aptitude and inclination. The tasks involved in managing an event may come in three stages:

Pre-Production: This stage is the conceptual level with sub-tasks including planning logistics, marketing and public relations. Proficiency with numbers or a CA degree can lead to a satisfying career in Event Accounting.

Production: The most crucial and creative part, frequently involving TV coverage for a fixed slot/duration.

Post-production: This principally revolves around public relations and media publicity, but requires planning right from the pre-production stage

Why Popular Career Choice

The fact is that the event management industry is approximately eight to ten years old in India and is still gaining momentum. In today's frenetic, time-chasing world, event management has actually become a viable career option. With each year passing by, an increasing number of job openings are available. As a matter of fact it offers immense scope for the youth. As events cannot be managed single-handedly, companies have structured their organizations to employ people in various departments required to organize a successful event.

It is in this light that event management has become one of the most strongly emerging careers in Indiatoday. Event management is considered to be a fascinating and thrilling profession that requires a lot of toil and energy. Industry experts see enormous job opportunities in this field.

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