Event Management Certification

Event Management Certification

 What is Certification?

Certification refers to the confirmation of certain characteristics of an object, person, or organization (Wikipedia). It is the “Formal procedure by which an accredited or authorized person or agency assesses and verifies (and attests in writing by issuing a certificate) the attributes, characteristics, quality, qualification, or status of individuals or organizations, goods or services, procedures or processes, or events or situations, in accordance with established requirements or standards. (businessdictionary.com)

One of the most common types of certification in modern society is professional certification, where a person is certified as being able to competently complete a job or task, usually by the passing of an examination and/or the completion of a program of study.

 What is Event Management?

I will present two definitions from Wikipedia and eventeducation.com.

“Event management is the application of project management to the creation and development of large scale events such as festivals, conferences, ceremonies, formal parties, concerts, or conventions. It involves studying the brand, identifying the target audience, devising the event concept, planning the logistics and coordinating the technical aspects before actually launching the event” (Wikipedia).

 “Event Management is the process of analyzing, planning, marketing, producing and evaluating an event. It is a different way of promoting a product, service or idea. If an event is managed efficiently and effectively, it can be used as a very powerful promotional tool to launch or market a product or service. Events Management requires certain core values to be deployed to every element, process and decision to justify professional approach and achieve effective and efficient results” (Eventeducation.com)

 

These two definitions tend to agree on what Event management is all about.

 Defining Event Management Certification

Abstracting from the definitions of Certification and Event management it therefore means that Event management certification is the confirmation by an accredited authority that an individual or an organisation has the necessary qualification and experience to manage an event.

There are various agencies, associations, Organisations and bodies who offer this certification. The acceptance of these certificates as a valid means of proving the capability of an individual as an Event manager varies from country to country and from organisation to organisation.

 Is Certification Important?

This is recurring question. It has been argued that getting a certification does not really make you an event manager however that the experience is what makes you an event manager. So the issue of which one comes first now begs to be resolved. As a person seeking a career in the event management profession you may be torn between getting the experience first before certification and getting the certification first before the experience. It is a chicken and egg situation as some school of thoughts have also reasoned that you can only get certified on something you already know while it is also possible for you to learn and obtain knowledge on something new in order to enable you become certified. The acceptable course work and duration for this to be done is still not clearly defined.

The truth however is that you do not require any specific qualification to become an event manager or planner. The basic set of skills which you need to have or acquire include but not limited to:-

ü  Organizational Competences

ü  Good Interpersonal skills

ü  Attention to details

ü  Diligence

ü  Mission Critical abilities

ü  Timeliness

ü  Creativity

ü  Innovativeness

ü  Note taking and meticulousness

ü  Passion

ü  Team Player

ü  Cool, Calm and Never Panic disposition

ü  Flexibility

ü  Ability to improvise

 

So to answer the question, Yes certification is important however experience is required to make you a good event manager.

 Nigerian Perspective

In Nigeria, there is no accredited or authorized Event Management certification body to the best of my knowledge. Many event managers and planners have qualifications in diverse disciplines. Some began event management service out of their passion while others acquired the experience due to their exposure in employment.

A few people who dabbled into the profession have gone ahead to acquire training and knowledge through apprenticeship, attending workshops, seminars, project management courses, etc.

Generally Event Management is yet to be accepted as a profession in Nigeria because it is still an all comers affair. However the Association of Professional party Organisers and Event Managers of Nigeria (APPOEMN) has taken the bull by the horn to professionalize Event management and bring in some level of structure and discipline into the practice of event management in Nigeria. APPOEMN is driven towards becoming the accredited authority on event management in Nigeria.

Conclusion

The good thing is that all over the world the event management profession is developing rapidly. It has grown into a multi-billion dollar industry. Several efforts are being made to professionalize the industry and make it an attractive career. A quick search on the internet will reveal a lot of certification programs and a few degree courses geared towards event management. Just like any other profession, the real knowledge of event management does not lie with getting the certificate, experience is a vital. As a career startup, getting the certificate is a good way to begin.