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"An event manager must be innovative and good at organising "

The phenomenal growth of the event management sector has opened the floodgates for those inclined towards a career in it. Vineet Pathania, Director of Entertainment Solution Provider (India) Pvt. Ltd, gives a peek into the industry. Excerpts from an interview:

Event management is a very interesting line of work. And there are myriad of options for various kinds of people, especially for the young. If you are an idea person you can enroll in the creative section; if you are good at numbers and logistics, then you can opt for operations; if you are a good presenter, then client servicing could be up your street; and if you are a technology guy, then stagecraft and lighting would be just right for you. But, whatever the flair, you need to be creative and a good organiser.

Of late, certain institutes are giving formal training in event management. The event management companies, too, have reconciled to textbook learning and are on the lookout for talent. Many students from mass communication institutes are also coming into this field. But success is a matter of hands-on-experience.

A fresh graduate from an event management institute can draw anywhere between Rs 5000 and Rs 8000, depending upon his personality and performance. As you go up the ladder, the salaries spiral. A guy with six to eight years experience can get anywhere between Rs 20,000 and Rs 40,000.

The industry still doesn’t have any forum and the only one that exists is the Event Management Association of India under the aegis of FICCI. The latter is hardly active and the industry is still in a nascent stage. — Biswajiban Sharma