Careers Service Occupations

Event Management & Hospitality

Event Management & Hospitality

About

The event and hospitality industry is fast-paced and requires strong customer service skills. Working hours are often long, and can require evening, weekends and shift work. However, working in this industry also offers benefits such as networking opportunities, and being part of an exciting and vibrant sector.

Careers advice 

General 

Event management 

According to Eventbrite the UK events industry is worth £39.1 billion and events are responsible for 35% of the UK visitor economy. 

Opportunities in event management are available all over the UK, often in larger cities where events and conferences are regularly held.

Hospitality 

The hospitality sector is the UK’s 3rd largest private sector employer - with 3.2 million people or 10% of the workforce in over 180,000 businesses across the UK according to UK Hospitality.

Industry news

Event management 

Hospitality

Professional bodies

These represent people working in the sector, providing training and networking opportunities. They often provide careers support for students and graduates.

They also provide development for people already working in the sector. Follow them on LinkedIn, or visit their websites for news, contacts, work experience and vacancies.

The main professional associations for this sector include:

Event management 

Hospitality

Find professional bodies outside the UK on GoinGlobal by selecting ‘Professional and Personal Networking’ on each of the individual country guides.

Making contacts 

Making contacts is essential for success in this sector. Many jobs in this field come through networking and speculative applications. You could start with Newcastle alumni on LinkedIn – find out what our graduates did after graduation and contact them for advice.

Social media, particularly LinkedIn and Twitter, is useful for making contacts, finding employers and opportunities. Find out more about how to use social media for your career 

For event management subscribe to our Event Management Twitter list and see Eventbrite’s article on the top 116 event-related Twitter accounts to check out. 

Events

Recruitment fairs, open days, talks and events give insights and opportunities to make contacts. Regular events organised by the Careers Service include Employer & Sector Insights and Recruitment Events.

Related sectors

You may also be interested in Leisure, Sport & Tourism, Marketing and Public Relations.

Or see our other Explore Occupations pages for more options.

Roles & Skills

In event management and hospitality there are a wide range of careers available, ranging from entry-level positions to management roles with opportunities for training and development.

Have a look at the job profiles in this sector on Prospects and Careerpilot to find out more about what these roles involve and how to get into them. These are just some of the profiles available:

Roles

Get inspiration from people working in the industry  

  • LinkedIn’s Alumni tool can help you find out what Newcastle graduates are doing after their degree, where they’re working and in what role. You could ask to connect with them, to gain advice and insights into their career. See Newcastle Alumni on LinkedIn to help you get started.
  • Attend alumni events, such as Newcastle Develop from NU Advancement to hear directly from our graduates. 
  • Sign up for mentoring support with Graduate Mentor and The 1 Hour Project. These aim to match students with industry professionals who can provide invaluable insights. Register to be connected for a one-hour meeting. 

Skills employers look for

Event management

  • excellent organisational, project management and planning skills
  • flexibility and the ability to work well under pressure
  • a customer focussed approach
  • strong communication, interpersonal and negotiation skills
  • creativity, initiative and strong problem-solving skills
  • an ability to lead and work effectively in teams

Hospitality

  • excellent communication, interpersonal and customer service skills
  • flexibility and the ability to think on your feet and use your initiative
  • a tactful and diplomatic approach
  • the ability to motivate and manage people effectively
  • organisational and planning skills with the ability to manage a budget
  • an up-to-date knowledge of health and safety and licensing legislation

Gaining Experience

Event management is an expanding and popular area. It is competitive at both entry and top management level, so gaining experience is valuable. Work experience is also an essential requirement in the catering and hospitality sector. Customer service experience in particular is beneficial.

Event management

Entrants often have business qualifications with related experience, but this area of work is open to all graduates who can demonstrate relevant skills. Work experience can be invaluable in developing relevant skills and demonstrating commitment to recruiters.

Finding work experience

Experience in sales, marketing, retail, tourism, or a customer service setting could help to demonstrate key organisational, interpersonal and team-working skills to potential employers. Search for vacancies on MyCareer

Finding experience in the North East

Organising events for an NUSU university society can help to develop relevant skills. You can also gain experience by taking on a voluntary role or organising events for a charity. Volunteering offers Newcastle University students volunteering projects. See Volunteering for more opportunities.

Gain experience by working or volunteering at local events. See North East England and What's on North East  for regional event listings.

Jobs On Campus, an on-campus jobs agency, offers temporary and casual work assignments in the university to current students. Assignments can include events support roles. These include graduation marshals, alumni promotions, exhibition assistants and assisting at open days.

Internships

The Association of Event Organisers members sometimes advertise student placements.

Charities such as Cancer Research (paid internship) and Macmillan (voluntary internship) offer summer internships in events. 

Search for internships on My Career or see Internships, placements & shadowing for more internship sources.

Specialist recruitment agencies

Finding companies

Smaller organisations often don’t advertise opportunities. You can contact them with a speculative approach. This is a common way of gaining experience and building contacts in the events sector. Find organisations that interest you and get in touch, always with a named contact. Be specific about why you are writing to them and what you’re looking for. 

Show your enthusiasm for the sector and highlight any relevant skills. Don’t give up if you don’t get a reply – follow up with a phone call or email to show that you’re keen.

See Researching Employers for more ways to source and research companies.

Hospitality

Finding work experience 

TARGETjobs: getting a graduate job in hospitality: suitable work experience gives ideas for related work experience in this field. 

A part-time job in a restaurant, hotel or event catering is a good way to gain experience of the sector. Use My Career to search for both work experience and part-time jobs.

Jobs On Campus is an on-campus jobs agency offering temporary and casual university work assignments to current students. Assignments can include working in on-campus cafes and restaurants and helping out at catering events, drinks receptions and graduation ceremonies.

See also Internships, placements & shadowing for more sources of work experience.

Specialist recruitment agencies

Finding companies

Smaller restaurants and hotels often don’t advertise opportunities. You may need to contact them with a speculative approach.

Find companies that interest you and get in touch, always with a named contact. Be specific about why you are writing to them and what you’re looking for. 

Show your enthusiasm for the sector and highlight any relevant skills and experience. Don’t give up if you don’t get a reply – follow up with a phone call or email to show that you’re keen.

See Researching Employers for more information on finding companies.

Finding Jobs

Competition is strong, especially for entry-level positions. Use the following resources to find advertised vacancies and research employers for speculative applications.

Event management

Vacancy sites

Specialist recruitment agencies

See graduate jobs for more vacancy sources.

Find jobs and additional vacancy source websites outside the UK on GoinGlobal.

Finding companies

Find organisations that interest you and get in touch, always with a named contact. Be specific about why you are writing to them and what you’re looking for. Show your enthusiasm for the sector and highlight any relevant skills. Don’t give up if you don’t get a reply – follow up with a phone call or email to show that you’re keen.

See Researching Employers for more ways to source and research companies. 

Hospitality

Use the following resources to find advertised vacancies and research employers for speculative applications.

See Prospects: getting a graduate job in hospitality and events for more information.

Vacancy sites

Graduate schemes & entry level jobs

Find jobs and additional vacancy source websites outside of the UK on GoinGlobal

Specialist recruitment companies

Finding companies 

Not all jobs are advertised. You can approach companies or find work through networking in the industry.

Find companies that interest you and get in touch, always with a named contact. Be specific about why you are writing to them and what you’re looking for.

Show your enthusiasm for the sector and highlight any relevant skills. Don’t give up if you don’t get a reply – follow up with a phone call or email to show that you’re keen.

Try the following sites to find companies to approach:

See Researching Employers for more information on finding companies.

Find jobs and additional vacancy source websites outside the UK on GoinGlobal.

Self-employment

Being self-employed or working as a freelancer is common in the events sector and in the hospitality or catering sector.

In the events sector, you can gain work as a freelancer through websites such as Upwork and Freelancers.com. The Association of Independent Professionals and the Self Employed (IPSE) have created some resources to support freelance members of the association.

In the hospitality sector there is the option of opening up a franchise or running your own pub or restaurant. See Greene King: How to run a pub for an insight into managing your own pub.

START UP in the Careers Service offers activities and support for eligible Newcastle University students and graduates interested in self-employment, freelancing or starting a business.

COBRA provides factsheets and reports on starting up and running a business. COBRA can only be accessed through a University computer on the Newcastle campus. 

If you’re an international student, on a Student or Tier 4 visa you are unable to be self-employed or work as a freelancer. For more information, visit the Visa team website.

For more information and advice on self-employment, visit Work for Yourself.