How To Get Started As An Event Promoter

Savannah McIntosh

Aug 21st, 2019

Lifestyle

How To Get Started As An Event Promoter

Being an event promoter is a life filled with excitement, strategy, and plenty of unique opportunities to grow professionally and personally. And, with a growth rate of 4% over the average, event promoter and planning jobs are expected to be plentiful into 2026. But how do you get one?

The role of an event promoter exists in the space between marketing and planning, so event promoters typically have a unique skill set to support them during their daily workflows. So, getting started as an event promoter can seem complicated and difficult. Don’t worry! It’s not as hard as it sounds.

Like any job, you just have to build up a little experience and promote yourself to the world.

Here are some tips to help you score your first job as an event promoter.

Tip #1: Get Your Foot in the Door

As an event promoter, your job is to get people hyped for live events. Whether those be corporate events, monster truck rallies, or musicals, your core focus is getting people in the door. But before you can do that, you have to get your foot in the door. Try volunteering for event planners or event promoting companies. This can be an easy, fast way to build up the experience you need without any experience.

Or, if you want to get paid, try an internship. Your primary goal should be making those first few contacts and learning about event promoting. Are you even sure that it’s what you want to do?

An internship or volunteering is a great way to figure that out. We know! No one wants to work for free... right? Well sorry for our next point.

Tip #2: Do Some 'Free' Work

man in suit and tie icon holding a banner with text "will work for free" That’s right! You might have to do some free work. But that free work can be a great opportunity to promote events with low-risk. Once you work for someone else or start your own event promoting business, failure has serious consequences attached to it. When you’re doing free event planning, make sure you pay attention to everything.

The vendors, the way the event planner is managing the crowd, and the methods of advertising or marketing they’re using to get people in-the-door. Offer up solutions to any issues you see, and try to take in as much as possible. Once you’re doing this for clients, you won’t have time to sit back and watch — you’ll be busy doing.

Tip #3: Get Networking

Every year, there are hundreds of event networking... well... events. You can find these through LinkedIn groups, Facebook, or even Twitter feeds. Here are some great LinkedIn groups to get you started:

There are also plenty of conferences for event professionals that happen each year. Here are a few:

Finally, here are a few event-related groups on Facebook and a few Twitter accounts that can be helpful for networking and staying up-to-date on the latest industry happenings:

Tip #4: Start at the Bottom

No one wants to start at the bottom, but sometimes a few volunteer gigs aren't going to cut it. You need an entry-level job. The good news is that you’ll get paid. The bad news is that you won’t be calling the shots. There are tons of jobs that put you in the middle of events. They may not be as luxurious or interesting as event promoting or planning. But, they’ll help you pay the bills and learn the ins-and-outs of events.

Here are a few position types to look out for:

Tip #5: Learn to Sell Yourself

cartoon man wearing blue suit and tie and shadow at the back Finally, you have to learn to sell yourself. Event promoting is all about marketing. You’re selling an event to someone.

You have to be able to sell yourself to sell an event.

Dress well (41% of businesses are more willing to promote or hire better-dressed people), smile (48% of people think a smile makes the most memorable first impression), and be someone who is constantly willing to improve themselves.

You can take on small jobs around an event and work your way up. Or you can start your own business and immediately start tackling events. Either way, you need to sell yourself to clients or employers.