Have you ever been to a seamlessly run event and thought, “Hey, I could do this”? Even though a good event manager makes it look effortless, there are many complexities of the job that can only be seen from the inside.

Here are the 5 most common misconceptions about event management.

Most work happens on the day of the event

People see event managers working hard on the day of the event and think that they are being paid to work only on that day. The reality is that most of the work regarding the event happens weeks or months before the event ever starts. This includes research, designing, marketing, and much more. The event is the representation of all of an event manager’s efforts. If an event manager really left everything for the day of the event there wouldn’t be much of an event to work on.

Event management work is easy

Event managers do not get the recognition they deserve. If everything goes flawlessly, attendees will not give a second thought to the event manager. But if one thing goes wrong, that will be the lasting impression for everyone at the event. People mistakenly think event management is easy because they just see the event manager working on getting the decorations up and ensuring that food is served. What they don’t see is the days of haggling with vendors, managing the venue owners, solving the hundred problems that come up when an event is happening, and much more.

Event management doesn’t require networking

People think they can just start an event management business without having any contacts in the industry. While yes, you can start event management without knowing many people who work at events, it will be very hard for you. In order to be an excellent event manager that can deal with small problems immediately you need a trusted network of suppliers who are willing to help you out because of your prior connection.

Event managers aren’t necessary

Since many people think that event managers  work only on the day of the event, they may not see the value in hiring a professional. You aren’t paying your event manager just to ensure that the festivities go according to plan on the day of the event – you are paying them to ensure that no problems happen during the event because planning has already solved them. The expertise and experience an event manager provides can take your event from ordinary to extraordinary.

Event Management is glamorous 

There are people who might think that event management is a glamorous job. This certainly depends on your definition of glamourous. Sure, an event manager might be surrounded by high end food and drinks, bright lights and famous people, but before any of that can happen there are hours of research, organizing and tracking. For an event manager, there are few things more satisfying than knowing hundreds of people loved the event due to the work you put in.