Job Description of an Event Director

Become an event director if you love excitement and multi-tasking.

Talk about responsibility: Check out job descriptions for event directors and you'll quickly discover why companies will do just about anything to retain a great one. The list of responsibilities is enormous, regardless of the industry in which an event director works. If you function more efficiently with too many items on your to-do list rather than too few, are a master at multi-tasking and a self-admitted excitement junkie, see where you fit when you read event director job descriptions. Keep this in mind: Salaries in this field aren't huge--another reason you must love this field.

Preparation

Revisit your resume to determine how your history coincides with event director job descriptions. You’ll need solid customer service skills; basic business skills, including planning and project management; command of written and spoken English; sales and marketing experience; and an understanding of computer programs used to communicate and design. And if you’ve spent time dealing with the media, you’ll made a great candidate.

Education

Train to meet criteria listed on job descriptions for event planners by taking the right classes. Qualify for event director jobs by matching these classes with your career goals: organizational psychology, event planning, crisis management, food and beverage law, supervisory skills and creative event design. Educators recommend communication, budgeting, marketing, license and permit acquisition, public relations and staff management courses as well. A bachelor’s degree gets you an interview. A master’s may be overkill in tough economic climates.

Physical Requirements

Job descriptions for event directors rarely mention the physical demands of an event director's job, but you'll definitely be called upon to tackle physical work--even when setting up a union-run hall where electrical, construction and other tasks are handled by laborers. Typical physical tasks required of the event director are transporting boxes of materials to sites; overseeing room and booth setups; provisioning workshops, seminars and training rooms; and generally being the person with the clipboard making the rounds of the event site late into the night.

Considerations

Anticipate handling contract negotiations, reception and party caterers and interior decorators. You'll also interact with news reporters and guest speakers if there’s no PR staffer assigned to the event. You'll find some aspect of these responsibilities in the job description: legal oversight, budget tracking, expense report compilation, event wrap-up and post-event analyses.

Future

Keep an eye out for job descriptions under the headings of: event planners, managers, coordinators and directors. Budget cuts, downsizing and streamlined staff numbers, often the result of a poor economy, regularly mean the elimination of management hired to stage special events, so keep this in mind when you read those job descriptions. Of course, if you're adroit at pulling rabbits from hats on next to no money, you'll keep your job no matter how badly economics play out.

References

• CareerPlanner.com: Job Description and Jobs for Meeting and Convention Planner
• The Job Explorer: Events Coordinator Duties and Responsibilities
• Page Rank Studio: Info