Top Skills for an Event Planning Career at Lewis

Are you interested in a career in event planning? Keep on reading to find out what skills you need to have to be successful as an event planner, and how you can find the right role for you.

When planning a corporate event, capturing the attention of people and keeping it focused on the message can be a challenge. It often requires the event planning skills of someone organized, savvy, and creative. You need to understand why people act the way they do and what appeals to them.

Job Responsibilities:

Here are some of the responsibilities that come with an event planning job at Lewis:

• Creating, organizing, and running small to large creative/athletic/fun events for a variety of demographics (young to old).
• Marketing events to Lewis community residents and the public, as well as internal event marketing for Lewis employees.
• Tracking budgets, expenses and other records/documentation of payments.
• Working with internal departments and external vendors on events & event marketing
• Traveling to communities and other local Southern California venues to assist with events at other properties
• Helping to promote and manage the various community amenities such as 24-hour gym, computer lab, game room, movie theatre, BBQ areas, junior Olympic-sized pool, and much more.
• Managing onsite vendors (e.g. fitness, after-school club).
• The right candidate will have an energetic, respectful, professional, and proactive personality.  
• Managing, promoting, and creating content for the Social Media networks such as Instagram and Active Building (Lewis’s Resident Portal)
• Developing relationships with the General Manager, property staff and corporate staff to help build and maintain The Lewis and Homecomings brand.

From Lifestyle Directors to Event Planning jobs, there is a role at Lewis for you. Read on to learn more about the top skills to succeed at event planning.

1) Leadership

If you look at an event planning job description, you will note that a large part of the role is coordinating with event staff, vendors, and different departments in the company.

While it might seem like a simple task, you need to have strong leadership abilities to be able to coordinate all these different groups. People might push back on orders or deadlines, but you need to stand strong in front of aggressive or difficult personalities by showing leadership skills.

Each group will have different interests and goals and may not always see eye to eye. But to have the perfect event, you need to make sure that they are able to work together and meet deadlines. Whether you are just starting out or changing your career path, your leadership skills can get you the best event planning role.

2) Communication Skills

One of the most important skills needed for event planning is communication skills. When you are managing such a large group or event, you need to communicate your interests and goals clearly. You need to manage the expectations of management, clients, customers, and vendors.

If you have event planning career goals, make sure to develop and highlight your communication skills. It’s not just the way you speak, but how you communicate by email or any other means of communication. No matter who you are dealing with, strong communication skills can help manage relationships, expectations, and deadlines.

3) Organizational Skills

One of the biggest mistakes you can make when planning a corporate event is choosing the wrong venue. You can also end up overwhelming guests with speakers or not offering the best food options. These mistakes can be easily avoided if you have the right attitude and great organizational skills.

There are more than a hundred things to do to make sure an event goes smoothly. Breaking down the tasks into simpler and smaller tasks allows you to tackle each task easily and not get overwhelmed at any point.

Whether you use new online tools or a paper journal, your organizational skills can help you get an amazing job and help you plan the perfect events.

4) Creativity

Corporate events can include conferences, team-building events, executive retreats, and client appreciation days. To plan a successful event, you need to bring a level of creativity and focus to every event. Your event will be remembered when you ensure that each event has a unique theme that resonates with the attendees.

You can let your creativity expand and grow as an event planner with the right company.

The only things people will remember are the venue you choose, the theme of the night, and the food. Adding your creative spin on these elements can ensure your success as an event planner.

5) Social Media Experience

Your social media can help you stand out from other applicants for an event planner position. With most people getting their information on social media, you need to show that you can assist with social media advertising on Instagram and flyer creation on Canva.

Each corporate event must send the right message to the right group. An in-depth understanding of social media and how to advertise the right way are essential skills for event planning. People adopt the ideas of someone they like or trust, so using Instagram to build trust can help you in the long term as an event planner.

6) Understanding People

A part of being an event planner is understanding people and what appeals to them. Your job is to make an event memorable while ensuring that everything runs smoothly. Managing people’s expectations requires an understanding of their needs and interests.

For example, think about the principle of reciprocity where if someone does something nice for you, you have a natural tendency to want to do something nice for them.

Giving a gift at an event, even a small one like a handwritten note can go a long way towards establishing reciprocity. Doing something so simple will ensure that people are more receptive when you ask them for something.

7) Creating Energy

Your job as an event planner is to create the right energy for every event that you organize. You need to create passion and interest in a team-building event at the office. You need to provide energetic and service-oriented activities for clients and customers.

This energy and attitude are not something that can be faked. It needs to come from a passion for your work, for people, and for planning events. If you can show this passion during the hiring process, you will stand out from other applicants.

Bring Your Event Planning Skills to Lewis

Event planning skills include leadership, organizational, and communication skills. Your job will include social media advertising and coordinating with various groups. Developing the right skills will make your transition to event planning smooth and simple.

Are you interested in taking your event planning skills to the next level? Apply today to see all open positions for event planning at the Lewis Group of Companies. We are one of the largest real estate developers in California and offer a stable, growing team that will feel like a family.