EventCamp 2019: Owners’ Expectations of Event Managers

Event planners have a general idea of what it takes to succeed in their industry, but the venues they work for often have expectations in mind for what particular skillsets and traits are a perfect fit for their workplace.

To help event professionals get some insight on what owners are looking for in the right employees, we gathered a panel of experts for a discussion at our recent EventCamp conference. The Owner’s Expectations of Event Managers session was moderated by Jonathan Morse, CEO of Tripleseat. The panel included Chris Blair, Founder, Listening Room Cafe; Claire Crowell, COO, A. Marshall Hospitality and Co-owner, Hattie Jane’s Creamery; and Gina Peper, Vice President of Sales & Marketing, North Point Hospitality.

Panelists said that the screening process begins during the first exchange of communication.

“I just look at just even the way they respond to the emails, and the grammar that is used and how that response looks, in addition, to do they bring a resume into the interview, just those small little pieces but they make a huge difference,” Peper said.

The in-person interview is more than a discussion of skills, according to the panel. It’s a look at how the candidate will interact with staff and clients. When asked “What traits are you looking for in an event manager?” Crowell responded:

“People skills, obviously. That outgoing personality. Connects with people really well. I think when interviewing somebody, I’m always testing their conversational skills. Are they naturally smiling? Have that positive energy? Are they the kind of person that somebody will go ‘I want to work with them.’?”

Job candidates are still being evaluated after the in-person interview is over. Blair said the followup helps determine if the candidate moves to the next step in the hiring process.

“I’ve had some really good interviews that I just don’t hear from. And to me that kinda turns me off. And some that are good but maybe they weren’t at the top of the list, but they’re not even in their car and I got an email that says, ‘Hey, so nice to meet you.’ That tells me how they’re going to treat the client and that’s pretty big,” he said.

The panel also discussed the importance of the events business to the venue’s overall revenue, the reports they want to see from event managers, how they feel about collaborating with competitors, budgets, commission, and investing in technology. You can view the full discussion below: