Event assistant to event manager
An event assistant already meets 35% of what the event manager role asks for. The move turns on 12 required skills not yet in the profile.
68.5/ 100
1 How much of what an event manager is expected to do is already part of an event assistant’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the event manager role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An event manager role treats 7 of its required skills as things an event assistant already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- confer with event staff
- inspect event facilities
- maintain event records
- monitor event activities
- negotiate contracts with event providers
- organise event participants' registration
What stands in the way is 12 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 13 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An event manager role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an event assistant background worth leading with.
- already held negotiate contracts with event providers communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held organise event participants' registration management skills
- already held review event bills management skills
- already held obtain event permits information skills
- already held inspect event facilities information skills
- already held maintain event records information skills
All 13 carried skills, including the 7 the event manager role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 27 missing skills fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn develop event topics required
- still to learn arrange event needs required
- still to learn plan presence at professional events required
- still to learn supervise event staff required
- still to learn coordinate events required
- still to learn direct event administrative details required
- still to learn plan events required
- still to learn plan schedule required
- optional, not held determine event objectives optional
- optional, not held manage conservation of natural and cultural heritage optional
- still to learn consult exhibition organisers required
- still to learn educate on sustainable tourism required
- optional, not held engage local communities in the management of natural protected areas optional
- optional, not held support community-based tourism optional
- still to learn work with respect for own safety required
- optional, not held support local tourism optional
- optional, not held use resource-efficient technologies in hospitality optional
- still to learn evaluate events required
- optional, not held document safety actions optional
- optional, not held write risk assessment on performing arts production optional
- optional, not held food waste monitoring systems optional
- optional, not held augmented reality optional
- optional, not held virtual reality optional
- optional, not held improve customer traveling experiences with augmented reality optional
- optional, not held promote virtual reality travelling experiences optional
- optional, not held use e-tourism platforms optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an event manager role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 develop event topics practise this
- 02 arrange event needs practise this
- 03 consult exhibition organisers practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 13 skills that carry over
- already held confer with event staff skill
- already held inspect event facilities skill
- already held maintain event records skill
- already held monitor event activities skill
- already held negotiate contracts with event providers skill
- already held organise event participants' registration skill
- already held review event bills skill
- already held contribute to the programmer's reflection process skill
- already held liaise with event sponsors skill
- already held manage budgets skill
- already held obtain event permits skill
- already held select event providers skill
- already held solicit event publicity skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held ecotourism optional
15 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held determine event objectives optional
- optional, not held document safety actions optional
- optional, not held ecotourism optional
- optional, not held engage local communities in the management of natural protected areas optional
- optional, not held food waste monitoring systems optional
- optional, not held improve customer traveling experiences with augmented reality optional
- optional, not held manage conservation of natural and cultural heritage optional
- optional, not held promote virtual reality travelling experiences optional
- optional, not held support community-based tourism optional
- optional, not held support local tourism optional
- optional, not held use e-tourism platforms optional
- optional, not held use resource-efficient technologies in hospitality optional
- optional, not held write risk assessment on performing arts production optional
- optional, not held augmented reality optional
- optional, not held virtual reality optional
25 held skills the event manager role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role arrange special events skill
- not needed by the target role contact event speakers skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate catering skill
- not needed by the target role create event-specific menus skill
- not needed by the target role forecast catering services skill
- not needed by the target role identify customer requirements skill
- not needed by the target role identify suppliers skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with advertising agencies skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with guest facilities providers skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with local authorities skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with managers skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with transportation companies skill
- not needed by the target role make logistical arrangements skill
- not needed by the target role manage event structure installation skill
- not needed by the target role meet deadlines skill
- not needed by the target role negotiate buying conditions skill
- not needed by the target role organise facilities for office personnel skill
- not needed by the target role organise on-site amenities skill
- not needed by the target role organise travel arrangements for staff skill
- not needed by the target role process booking skill
- not needed by the target role process commissioned instructions skill
- not needed by the target role project management knowledge
- not needed by the target role promote event skill
- not needed by the target role quote prices skill
- not needed by the target role visit suppliers skill
4 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- optional, not held ecotourism optional
- optional, not held food waste monitoring systems optional
- optional, not held augmented reality optional
- optional, not held virtual reality optional
Common questions about this move
Can an event assistant become an event manager?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An event assistant already covers 35% of what an event manager is expected to do: 13 skills carry over, 7 of which the event manager role treats as required.
What skills does an event assistant need to become an event manager?
12 required skills are missing, plus 15 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by management skills. The single most important is develop event topics.
How hard is the move from event assistant to event manager?
Its learning distance is 68.5 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.