Well, here’s a Wikipedia definition for you:
“Event management is the application of project management to the creation and development of small and/or large-scale personal or corporate events such as festivals, conferences, ceremonies, weddings, formal parties, concerts, or conventions.”
Made sense? It did not for us either. For us, event management is a medium through which we touch multiple lives, and create extremely memorable moments for people. Think about it, how many 25th Anniversaries, of 50th Birthdays, or live concerts with the finest artists in the world do you think cross most people’s lives?
Everyone is an Event Manager
But no one really acknowledges that! We are sure that you have been a part of planning a birthday surprise for a friend, or maybe planning a vacation for the gang or even the wedding of your sibling. If you have been in the thick of adrenaline, excitement, stress, budgets, vendors, surprises, and that mad desire to make the plan successful in the end, you have been an event manager and an event planner in your life.
We know you have enjoyed it all, even the stress. That is because the end result is so worth all the effort that goes behind converting an idea into reality. We know it because as professional event managers, we feel that feeling every single time. What makes this so much more rewarding is the fact that the result of our hard work is immediately visible, in form of people’s smiles, laughter, and quite often, tears. Every single smile, every single compliment, and every single moment of appreciation exponentially increases the satisfaction we derive from our work. The gratification is immediate but lasts a lifetime.
Needs more than IQ
You might have been the JEE Advanced topper, and we can tell you that it will be of no use if you do not enjoy the process of creating a memorable experience for someone else. It goes beyond IQ or EQ. It is a feeling that cannot be described, or like the Gen Z today says, if you know, you know.
How do we quantify this to help you understand? Ever worked super hard on something, failed several times, faced multiple setbacks, be so on the edge that your adrenaline needed adrenaline, and then saw the result of your hard work come out? The motivation to earn that blissful feeling, in the end, is what it takes.
What keeps you going?
People. When you are working in such a dynamic environment, where everything is dynamic, you are bound to get frustrated and angry at times. The sheer diversity of people you have to interact with: from CEOs of large organizations to vendors that supply furniture, it amazes you every single time. It even annoys you at times. One moment you are telling a vendor off for not being on time, the next moment the same vendor surprises you by delivering excellent value.
With the amazing people from such diverse backgrounds, that chaotic energy is so infectious that you push through all the difficulties and make things happen. Of course, the frequent trips to exotic places, free entry to concerts, direct meets with your favorite Bollywood stars, a quick Vada Pav and Chai breaks, and a joke shared with a teammate on the venue are great motivators as well.
You see, we might be managing events, but we are in the people’s business, where we create lifelong relationships. People see the stars on the stage, we see them backstage, where their human side comes to life.
For us, the people we interact with might have different labels, like clients, teams, vendors, labors, etc., but in the end, they are all people. It is the people that we work for and with.
We do not create events, we create experiences.
Should I think of a career in Events?
I don’t know, does the above description excite you, or gives you stress, or a little bit of both? The last alternative is the best-case scenario for you if you are looking for a career in events. What scares you a little, makes you grow as a person. And that is what matters to us the most; remember, we are in a people’s business!
It boils down to this, continue what you are doing, survive on the weekdays and live on the weekends; or join this mind-bending fast-paced industry that will make you think on your feet and challenge you every single day, and feel alive forever. Your choice. No pressure.
How do I enter?
Is there a college course? Can someone teach me? Do I need to have a degree?
The short answer is yes and no. Yes, there are colleges offering degrees, but honestly, the most amount of learning will only happen when (and if) that college does events(like fests, etc.).
Events is that one industry, where you will never learn unless you are in the thick of the action, getting bewildered with the madness that goes around.
Should I just jump in then?
You can. In fact, most industry professionals never received any formal training in the events business. They just jumped in. A big part of the reason is that there weren’t any institutes until a while ago for events.
Is it scary? Hell yes! It is very scary. But with the right kind of team and guidance, it will get easier for you to transition into this wonderful industry.
So make sure to choose the team you work with very carefully. We have often found people turning away from this industry because they fail to find the right conducive environment for growth.
Keeping this in mind, we started the Entre Nous Event Management Program (ENEMP), which is technically 6 months long. We say ‘technically’, because out of the six months, you spend three months working directly with Entre Nous’ amazing team, in its robust environment. You can call yourself an intern these three months, but we really don’t differentiate and treat you just the way we would treat our team.
But if that is too much of a commitment for you, you can always take the shorter, online version of the course, which will only ask for 3 weeks of your time and can be completed at the ease of your home.
Hit us up for any queries! [Check out ENEMP]