Event manager to tour operator representative
An event manager already meets 23% of what the tour operator representative role asks for. The move turns on 23 required skills not yet in the profile.
79.1/ 100
1 How much of what a tour operator representative is expected to do is already part of an event manager’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 tour operator representative role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A tour operator representative role treats 6 of its required skills as things an event manager already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- ecotourism
- educate on sustainable tourism
- engage local communities in the management of natural protected areas
- manage conservation of natural and cultural heritage
- support community-based tourism
- support local tourism
What stands in the way is 23 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 11 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A tour operator representative role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an event manager background worth leading with.
- already held support community-based tourism communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held improve customer traveling experiences with augmented reality working with computers
- already held ecotourism natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
- already held educate on sustainable tourism communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held promote virtual reality travelling experiences working with computers
- already held engage local communities in the management of natural protected areas communication, collaboration and creativity
All 11 carried skills, including the 6 the tour operator representative role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 31 missing skills fall into 6 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 provide performance feedback required
- still to learn build a network of suppliers in tourism required
- still to learn work in a hospitality team required
- still to learn apply foreign languages in tourism required
- still to learn assist clients with special needs required
- still to learn communicate with customers required
- still to learn create solutions to problems required
- still to learn develop inclusive communication material required
- still to learn handle customer complaints required
- still to learn maintain customer service required
- still to learn provide customised products required
- still to learn upsell products required
- optional, not held implement sales strategies optional
- optional, not held ensure infrastructure accessibility optional
- optional, not held implement marketing strategies optional
- optional, not held negotiate service with providers optional
- optional, not held negotiate supplier arrangements optional
- still to learn collect tourist information required
- still to learn manage visitor flows in natural protected areas required
- still to learn measure customer feedback required
- still to learn process booking required
- optional, not held maintain customer records optional
- still to learn devise special promotions required
- still to learn make logistical arrangements required
- still to learn process payments required
- optional, not held prepare travel packages optional
- still to learn handle personal identifiable information required
- still to learn manage health and safety standards required
- optional, not held manage the customer experience optional
- still to learn self-service technologies in tourism required
- still to learn geographical areas relevant to tourism required
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a tour operator representative role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 provide performance feedback practise this
- 02 build a network of suppliers in tourism practise this
- 03 collect tourist information 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 11 skills that carry over
- already held ecotourism knowledge
- already held educate on sustainable tourism skill
- already held engage local communities in the management of natural protected areas skill
- already held manage conservation of natural and cultural heritage skill
- already held support community-based tourism skill
- already held support local tourism skill
- already held augmented reality knowledge
- already held improve customer traveling experiences with augmented reality skill
- already held promote virtual reality travelling experiences skill
- already held use e-tourism platforms skill
- already held virtual reality knowledge
8 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held implement sales strategies optional
- optional, not held prepare travel packages optional
- optional, not held ensure infrastructure accessibility optional
- optional, not held implement marketing strategies optional
- optional, not held maintain customer records optional
- optional, not held manage the customer experience optional
- optional, not held negotiate service with providers optional
- optional, not held negotiate supplier arrangements optional
29 held skills the tour operator representative role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role arrange event needs skill
- not needed by the target role confer with event staff skill
- not needed by the target role consult exhibition organisers skill
- not needed by the target role contribute to the programmer's reflection process skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate events skill
- not needed by the target role determine event objectives skill
- not needed by the target role develop event topics skill
- not needed by the target role direct event administrative details skill
- not needed by the target role document safety actions skill
- not needed by the target role evaluate events skill
- not needed by the target role food waste monitoring systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role inspect event facilities skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with event sponsors skill
- not needed by the target role maintain event records skill
- not needed by the target role manage budgets skill
- not needed by the target role monitor event activities skill
- not needed by the target role negotiate contracts with event providers skill
- not needed by the target role obtain event permits skill
- not needed by the target role organise event participants' registration skill
- not needed by the target role plan events skill
- not needed by the target role plan presence at professional events skill
- not needed by the target role plan schedule skill
- not needed by the target role review event bills skill
- not needed by the target role select event providers skill
- not needed by the target role solicit event publicity skill
- not needed by the target role supervise event staff skill
- not needed by the target role use resource-efficient technologies in hospitality skill
- not needed by the target role work with respect for own safety skill
- not needed by the target role write risk assessment on performing arts production skill
2 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn geographical areas relevant to tourism required
- still to learn self-service technologies in tourism required
Other moves recorded from event manager
- event assistant 44% covered · substantial
- promoter 39% covered · substantial
- tourist animator 30% covered · substantial
- wedding planner 25% covered · substantial
- specialised outdoor animator 24% covered · substantial
- hospitality entertainment manager 23% covered · career change
- outdoor animator 23% covered · career change
- outdoor activities coordinator 22% covered · career change
Common questions about this move
Can an event manager become a tour operator representative?
Yes, and it is a career change move. An event manager already covers 23% of what a tour operator representative is expected to do: 11 skills carry over, 6 of which the tour operator representative role treats as required.
What skills does an event manager need to become a tour operator representative?
23 required skills are missing, plus 8 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is provide performance feedback.
How hard is the move from event manager to tour operator representative?
Its learning distance is 79.1 out of 100, which is the career change 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.