With the expansion of event management as a profession, a dilemma which is often faced by aspiring event managers is to choose between joining an event management firm and venturing out as an independent planner. The decision is difficult as both career paths have great prospects to offer along with certain limitations. A careful analysis of the pros and cons of both the choices can help you figure out the best option to suit your long term goals.
To decide between a company and an individual setup, the foremost thing to examine is your current qualification and status. Venturing as an individual planner, no matter how adventurous it sounds, might become very taxing for fresh graduates with no experience. It is imperative to know the dynamics of event management at a practical level to start a venture. The best option for fresh graduates is to join an event company to get firsthand experience in event planning. It would give them the opportunity to learn the dealings of event planning in various dimensions. It would give them the platform to interact with clients and build a relationship with them. Also, starting out as an individual might also not be very successful as your credibility as an event planner is not yet established.
There is however the other side of working as an independent event planner. Working independently has its own charms and benefits. It allows you to express your own creativity in the events and gives you the leverage to work about things own way. As an individual event planner you can give a personal touch to your events and build lasting relationships with the client. You can hire people to do specific jobs according to your taste. It is important to note that you can succeed as an independent planner only if you have prior experience and insight into the working of event management industry. A new endeavor also requires capital and professional contacts to push its way into the industry. Independent event ventures are thus recommended to experienced planners who have worked in an event company for long. They can build an independent setup and cash on the skills and relationships they have built in their prior experience.
Both the paths of event management are very popular amidst aspirants; it is just the matter of right guidance and self analysis that can turn your career in the right direction.