Event managers - what did you do next?

[SK0908]

Hi all,

Looking for some advice from anyone and everyone that has had an events related job.

I fell into event management after university and stuck with it for the past 13 years. I’ve been very successful in two corporate roles. I had a baby in 2020, and started a new role last August.

Since returning to the events world, I have just lost any passion that I had for it before. I used to thrive off the stress and working under pressure, and travelling the world but my perspective has changed since returning to work from Mat leave and I’m wondering what’s next. I know there are so many transferable skills but I look at jobs and feel overwhelmed on whether my experience is relevant or not. I am also not in a position to take much of a drop in wage either in order to pay for mortgage, childcare etc.

Has anyone made the transition from events into a non-events role and got any advice?

Any thoughts welcome!

I went to a charity as a challenge event fundraiser- been in the third sector now for centuries 🤣

I moved into Social Housing (then went down the finance route once in).

Tbh I took it mainly to get out of the shift work of events. It was a risk but it's paid dividends!

Project management
Marketing campaigns
Operations management
PA
Creative industries

There are different jobs in events so depends what you did e.g. content, marketing, logistics, combination and what skills are transferable.

Thank you @Cheermonger. How did you find the move from corporate into charity events? Is the level of stress similar or different?

That’s quite the change but an interesting one! How did you market your skills?

@BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz
That’s quite the change but an interesting one! How did you market your skills?

@TinyTroubleMaker that’s a good point. My experience is all in logistics, and that is really what I don’t want to do anymore. I need to think creatively!

Exams officer could be a good route for you OP.

Not me but my friend. She also found events management difficult after having kids. She firstly went for a job as a GP receptionist and is now the practice manager.

Business manager for a small company.
I do everything from accounts, hr, marketing, sales and staging. Loads of transferable skills from events management.

[quote SK0908]@BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz
That’s quite the change but an interesting one! How did you market your skills?[/quote]
I took an entry level admin job with them as I was pretty desperate to get out of shifts (would be 48 hours between seeing the kids - nightmare), and thankfully was able to satisfy the adminny bits enough.

Once in, I just made it my business to pick up as much random stuff extra that I could (basically as so grateful to be 9-5, christmas off etc), and it they were happy to then pay for extra quals etc

@SK0908

Thank you *@Cheermonger*. How did you find the move from corporate into charity events? Is the level of stress similar or different?

Hi that role was some time ago and it was an easy transfer tbh. Prob because I took a lower salary for a part time role with no real travel. This is going to sound arrogant because I didn’t really have to market my skills, they were what the charity needed, event scoping, planning, marketing and delivery then evaluation. Granted the actual events were different but the process was the same.

Events fundraising is still popular and there’s a recruitment issue still, I’m no longer in events but I am still in the third sector, I like it!

Project management in a creative field? Look at APM qualifications.

Ex event managers are some of the best people to have in my experience, they get things done!

My lovely friend was an event manager, then became Practice Manager of a large GP practice.