So You Want To Be An Event Planner...

When I pursued my internship with Philadelphia Magazine, I had hopes of learning the in’s and out’s of a magazine, particularly the marketing aspect. I had no idea of the emphasis they placed on event planning to market their magazine. Now I understand that the marketing team puts their greatest amount of time, energy, and resources into events and uses that as their marketing approach. Through this working experience, I have learned SO much about event planning. In the grand scheme, it is an important skill to have but it is also something I have learned that I am not passionate about turning into a career. But for those of our readers that are greatly interested in this area, I wanted to list the advantages and disadvantages I have come across to  being an event planner.

PRO’S

• The numerous awesome events you get to witness. Each event that you execute, you also get to be apart of and enjoy. Although you will be working your butt off at the event, you will always get to take in some portion of it.
• The networking opportunities at events are endless. You never know what incredible people may be there or the doors that could be opened by the people you meet at an event.
• Sponsors always provide lots of swag and free goodies at events. Plus, the event planners usually walk away with leftover food, flowers, or other upscale décor.
• The priceless and incredible feeling of accomplishment. Once the event is finished, people are raving about the event and thanking you for the opportunity to attend, it is a fabulous and fulfilling feeling!

CON’S

• The hours involved with event planning are practically endless. Not only is there a great amount of prep work (months of work), the day before and the day of an event is usually stressful and filled with hidden last minute surprises. The shifts are long and usually very early in the morning or into the wee hours of the night. Also, events are typically held on weekends or after typical working hours (to ensure people can attend) and therefore it cuts into one’s personal life. Being an event planners is definitely an over 40 hours a week kind of job.
• The line between a personal life and work life is very blurred. To be a great event planner, you have to know a lot of people and you have to give up a lot of your time. It may seem that your bosses, colleagues, peers, and friends begin to overlap and there is no longer a divide. This can be a great thing, but it requires you to remain poised and professional in front of everyone, at all times.
• Event planning is so not glamorous. Heavy lifting, cleaning, setting up, and other unstimulating and time-consuming tasks are always present. Whether you are assembling gift bags for hours, putting up signage, or getting on your hands and knees to clean the venue, you are going to definitely break a sweat.

Overall, being an event planner is not a job; it is a lifestyle that you have to wholeheartedly want.