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Events organiser: Sarah

This Case Study belongs to Event organiser.

While studying for a BSc in Information Management at University College London, Sarah threw herself into organising events for the societies she joined. Keen to maintain the skills she had learnt during her gap year, she joined a society called AIESEC, organising everything from social events to a major conference.

She also arranged social events for Nightline volunteers (a listening and information telephone service at university) and became the social secretary for her halls of residence, organising parties for occasions like Christmas and Valentine’s Day.

Sarah’s interest in event organising began in her gap year before university. She worked for IBM and was involved in organising a training course for the intake the following year. Although challenging, she also found this fun and rewarding and began to think that this might be a career she would be suited to. Thinking back, she also thinks she must have been a born event organiser, having always been the one to organise get-togethers for her friends.

Sarah did not do any formal work experience in events, but learnt a great deal from all the activities she was involved in. She is convinced that this experience was key to gaining her first job in events. She also developed vital customer service skills while working at a theme park during her university vacations.

After graduating, Sarah joined PricewaterhouseCoopers’ graduate scheme as a public sector auditor, auditing accounts for bodies such as universities, local government and the NHS. She heard about the scheme while at university and believes she got the job because of the thoroughness of her preparation. She researched the career and the financial sector, prepared for the tests and presentations, and thought about how her course and other experiences at university had equipped her for the role.

When she decided on a change of direction, this thoroughness and her extracurricular activities while at university were crucial in achieving her next position, as event organiser for the University of Southampton’s Careers Service. She is now responsible for working with employers to organise activities showcasing the opportunities open to students and graduates. This can range from organising large-scale careers fairs with hundreds of employers, through to small employer presentations. She is responsible for all aspects of event organisation, including producing marketing material, developing and sticking to budgets and ensuring health and safety guidelines are followed. She is also involved in maintaining sections of the Careers Service website and advertising job and placement vacancies to students.

The job requires high levels of organisation and attention to detail, the ability to communicate clearly and deal with a wide range of people, and a willingness to sometimes work outside office hours. Patience and the ability to keep a cool head in a crisis are, say Sarah, amongst the most useful attributes for working in events.

Sarah enjoys the challenge and variety of her work and the satisfaction she feels when she comes to the end of a successful event.

In the longer term, Sarah would like to move to a role organising a wider variety of events, preferably still within the public sector. She would even consider starting her own events company one day.

For anyone interested in becoming an event organiser, Sarah suggests that it is vital to get involved and get as much experience as possible, in addition to your degree. You should also be prepared to start at the bottom. Sarah took a pay cut to get her first job in events, but she knows that the experience she is gaining will be crucial in developing her career.

Case Study sourced by Katie Williams of University of Southampton, 15 October 2008.