Does graduate output equal quality?
I’m often asked my opinion on what I think the quality of students graduating from event management courses in Australia is like. There is no doubting the number of courses and education providers in the area of events management has grown exponentially in recent years.
When Sold Out Events was started 25 years ago, it was hard to find an events management course at any level of tertiary education – they simply didn’t exist. Now there is a huge number, but given the number of graduates that institutions are pumping out, is the quality of a high standard?
There are more people coming through, but they don’t necessarily have a good understanding of what working in the events industry actually means or the broad range of tasks they might be doing, particularly while they are starting out and gaining hands-on experience.
As such, I believe the effectiveness of graduates has been compromised because of the sheer number of students that are now graduating from event management courses without a clear understanding of the industry, and we have experienced this on countless occasions with graduate students taking a sharp learning curve in the workforce.
I believe people approach the events industry in two ways. There are those who get in and get their hands dirty, and there are those who like to be in the event world. At Sold Out Events, our staff get in and get their hands dirty. They are the first on-site and the last to leave, and that’s everyone from CEO level down. Our staff will be doing everything from unpacking trucks to developing strategies and plans.
Having said that, there are many facets to events from client management to producing and delivering bespoke experiences. From executive dinners to marathons and community events. From weddings to kid’s birthday parties, ‘events’ is a very expansive industry. There is such a broad range of event categories, we know there is a place for everyone, they just need to find their passion.
For us, we deliver large-scale and high-profile events which require people who are doers, and we have been lucky to attract the right people for our business every step of the way.
Thomas B. Staunton
CEO
