You do not need to fork out dollars to become an event planner. There are many pathways to becoming an event planner without a degree. In this beautiful blog post, we will discuss how to become an event planner without a degree.  

First, going to school to be an event planner was not in vogue until recently. Tomas Pernecky who edited Approaches and Methods in Event Studies stated that it was the growth in the event industry, both locally and internationally that necessitated the inclusion of Event Management as a Course of Study at the University. He further noted that though a university degree is one of the easiest ways to break into the Event Industry early, the Best Grades in Event Study do not guarantee success as an event planner. He expressed a bias that the classroom was not a sufficient place to learn the nitty-gritty of event planning. Since the core skills in Event Planning are Strong communication and a Problem-solving mindset, you can become an event planner without a degree.

We believe that this write-up, though, is about how to become an event planner without a degree, we do not discourage you from having a degree in event planning if you have the resources to pursue a university degree. Now let us get to the reason we are here. Here is how to become an event planner without a degree: 

How to Become an event planner without a Degree 

• Try and Fail, and Never Give Up. 

The first way to become an event planner without a degree is to try your hands at planning small events and fail. When you have small hiccups with small events, you learn from your failure. Seth Godin, the author of “The Big Moo: Stop Trying to Be Perfect and Start Being Remarkable,” had this advice to give you when he said, “Fail fast and cheap. Fail often. Fail in a way that doesn’t kill you. This is the only way to learn what works and doesn’t.” What this means is that you cannot be perfect unless you fail and learn from your mistakes. There is no way you can always get things right. When you learn to embrace this part of your humanity, it helps you to use your mistakes to improve for better opportunities. 

Expert Tip: Note down your mistakes on what you did not do well in your last event and devise ways to avoid them in your next event. 

• Invite Event Planning Professionals for a Coffee. 

There is no other way to learn to be good at event planning than by learning from an expert in event planning. It is one of the easiest ways on how to become an event planner without a degree. Thus, it is imperative to invite top professionals in the event planning industry out for coffee to learn from their wealth of knowledge. If you are contemplating how to explain to them the reason for the invite, do not be afraid to inform them that you are just starting out and you would need to learn from them, It would be hard for them to turn down your invite, except they are busy. 

Expert Tip: Compose a list of the top 10 Event Professionals in your locality or state. Get each of their contacts and send them emails with a brief introduction about yourself and how much you admire their work and would love to hang out for a coffee to get insights about how they were able to start out in the industry and many more. Keeping your email short and professional is the pro tip. Though you may not get a response from every one of them almost immediately, give it a few days since many of them are busy, and some will definitely reach out to you in their free time. 

Professional Event Planner Coffee Hangout

• Adopt eventplanner.tv as your go-to learning platform. 

What is the greatest innovation the era of the global internet age has bestowed on humanity? It is the ability to access free learning courses in the comfort of your home. Event Planner has a plethora of resources you can always use to learn and make reference to. They have a Podcast channel where they share great content on event planning. 

Expert Tips: Since improving yourself requires a lot of sacrifices, you should set out time from your schedule for learning how to become an event planner without a degree. 

• Volunteer as Event Planner. 

There is no better way on how to become an event planner without a degree than by volunteering in your church, at your school, community, among your peers organizing birthday parties, parlor parties, wedding parties, etc. You gain a wealth of experience from these volunteering opportunities. 

Expert Tip: Volunteering is a way to add to your portfolio and gain extra knowledge without a college degree. Thus, apply as much to event planning volunteering positions. 

• Internship 

Just like Volunteering, an Internship or apprenticeship under expert event managers is a great way to improve your Curriculum Vitae as an upcoming event planner. Zippia noted that this might be free or paid. If it is not paid, you will need another job to keep your body and soul together while you learn the ropes.  

Expert Tips: This position though not paid, could offer you the opportunity of a retainer or employment after the program. Thus the need to take them seriously and dedicate all your resources to the successful completion of the program. 

While the above-stated are the best routes on how to become an event planner without a degree, My eLearning World suggests picking a niche and sticking to it. Since there are different event planning, choosing one that best interests you will aid your quick learning.  

If you are finding it hard to get the most important breakthrough internship in event management/planning, People Connect offers you the opportunity to connect with event professionals in the industry or apply to learn the ropes through us using the registration link to join People Connect.