There are a lot of skills required to develop a career in events but luckily, like most things in modern life, you can get assistance to make your career progress easier. Recruiters have a reputation, but they truly help both candidates and employers and they play an important role in our industry. Their core skill is matching skills to roles, like the career equivalent of a dating agency, but industry specialist recruiters tend to know the landscape well and can provide a wealth of advice on career progressions, salary expectations, interview techniques and they’ll even take care of contract negotiations for you.
We’ve put together a list of some of the best recruitment firms in the events industry – in our opinion these are the recruiters that are as passionate about events as we.
esp recruitment
esp recruitment has been placing event profs into roles for around twenty years from board level senior appointments to graduates fresh into the industry with initiatives like The Eventice and an Event Scholarship Programme.
These industry initiatives are designed to support the next generation of event managers into their careers by enabling them to partake in a competition which will see them have two years of their event management degree tuition paid for entirely by generous event industry businesses, who each pledge £1,000 into the scheme. Students who take part in The Eventice even have the opportunity to access up to two event industry job opportunities if they make it to the final stages of the competition.
Albany Appointments
If you’re looking for a role in B2B events that covers production, marketing or sales, the team at Albany could be the recruitment agency of choice for you.
Choosing an agency (or even consultant) who specialises in a specific area of interest can be really valuable for boosting your job search and getting your CV in front of the right people. They also publish useful blog content with advice for improving your CV, how to stand out as a candidate and tips for tackling interviews.
Live Recruitment
The team at Live place candidates in a wide variety of event industry roles from experiential positions in production, A/V and design to sales, project management, venue finding and event planning. Whichever type of events role you’re looking for, it’s likely that Live Recruitment will have something for you.
The team are always updating the Live blog with content on preparing for interview. We recommend swatting up on answering competency-based interview questions and suggested interview techniques, but there is also lots of career advice available on wider topics like giving presentations and building a personal brand. Live really know their stuff which is very useful whether you’re new to the event industry or a seasoned professional.
Regan and Dean
Regan & Dean doesn’t just operate within the events industry, also placing candidates in roles in financial services, HR and marketing, but does work on tonnes of event industry roles in London.
At eve we appreciate how the team at Regan and Dean are dedicated to providing careers support to young people within local communities with mentoring opportunities and coaching to ensure that the next generation of event profs are equipped with everything they need to get started. This gives a bit of insight into the event industry knowledge held by the team and their genuine desire to place people in roles in which they thrive.
RCR Careers
RCR is all about events. The team is made up of people who have spent their careers in all aspects of the events industry which means that there will be somebody there to offer knowledge, support and guidance whichever area of the industry you’re interested in.
You can only ever truly understand an experience if you’ve lived it, right? That’s what these personable recruitment consultants can give you.
eve’s advice for getting in the door
Remember that before you get a recruitment agency on side, you’re going to need to share your CV with them and encourage them to be intrigued to find out more about you. We’ve shared our tips for help to ensure that this happens:
- Don’t just whip your CV off to every agency going and hope for the best. You’ve got to be proactive and nurture opportunities: don’t forget about the companies you’ve enquired with and don’t let them forget about you.
- Pick up the phone. Don’t be afraid to give people a ring if you’ve not had a response to your email or online enquiry – but don’t bug people.
- Come prepared with decisions made on the logistical details within your job search, such as how far you’re happy to commute, hours and flexible working.
- Ensure that your CV is up to date – seems obvious, doesn’t it? You’d be surprised how often this happens.
- Don’t be afraid to give lots of information about yourself. Be honest. The more consultants know about you, the easier it is for them to help you.
- Make sure your CV looks smart and appealing. Get your personality across with the design and layout and, for the love of god, do a spell check.
If you’re looking thinking about your career take a look at our guide to raising your profile on social media as an event prof, or check out our favourite event management books for career development.
