Event Coordinator Skills: Definition and Examples

March 3, 2021

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By: Indeed Editorial Team

Event coordinators are responsible for the overall planning, development and organization of activities, parties and other events and may work with many different types of clients. This being said, these professionals must rely on a strong skill set to take on their day-to-day responsibilities.

If you're beginning a career as an event coordinator, there are several key skills you'll want to consider developing further to help you be successful on the job. In this article, we'll discuss what event coordinator skills are, how to improve and apply them in the workplace and how you can highlight these skills on your resume, in a cover letter and during a job interview.

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What are event coordinator skills?

Event coordinators plan, prepare and help host events for many different clients and businesses. These professionals rely on a strong mix of soft and hard skills to perform in their roles as the main leader of branding, training and entertainment events. Skills such as written communication, adaptability and interpersonal skills are just several soft skills you'll need to be successful as an event planner.

Related: How To Start an Event Planning Business in 6 Steps

Examples of event coordinator skills

Event coordinators typically perform tasks that require hard skills such as writing and technology applications like social media management, and they also depend on the expertise in applying a range of soft skills, including:

Planning and organization

One of the most important traits of successful event coordinators is the ability to plan and organize all aspects of an event. For instance, an event coordinator for a large corporate training event will be responsible for planning out the details of the event, such as location, budget, head count and other details that show what resources they will need for the event. Then it's their job to organize staff, training materials and other necessities that the training instructors will need for the event.

Decision-making skills

The ability to make quick decisions under pressure or analyze all aspects of a decision are two important skills that event coordinators should have to be successful in their careers. For instance, if something goes wrong for an event, such as a guest speaker not showing up, event coordinators need to be able to make quick decisions about how to proceed with the event. Additionally, adaptability when making choices is another strong quality that event coordinators often possess.

Creative thinking

During the planning process, event coordinators rely on their creativity to help brands, businesses and other clients succeed in hosting an event. The ability to create themes, gather materials or find talent for the event depends on creative thinking. For instance, an event coordinator who coordinates weddings will rely on their creativity to help the bride and groom choose a theme, setting and other details of the event.

Related: Creativity in the Workplace: Characteristics and Examples

Written communication

Written communication is something you can expect to rely on frequently as an event coordinator. Scheduling, writing directions, communicating through email or memos and other forms of written communication are extremely important aspects of the job. Many event coordinators use their writing skills for making supply lists, writing down information and communicating with clients and colleagues.

Public speaking

Another aspect of communication, the ability to articulate announcements and greet and speak to large crowds is something event coordinators should also be skilled with. While addressing audiences at an event may not always be part of their roles, event coordinators may use public speaking to engage customers or business clients as a form of branding. For instance, an event coordinator for a large marketing firm who organizes and hosts a networking event may greet and address the professionals or clients who attend. Additionally, the ability to apply pragmatics to different situations when interacting with others is another skill set that event coordinators develop.

Leadership skills

Since event coordinators work with others to plan, organize and hold an event, they must have strong leadership skills. Many event planners and professionals direct staff, attendees and other individuals when organizing events, so they commonly apply management skills such as task delegation, providing feedback and managing teams of workers to carry out an event.

Time management

Scheduling tasks, making appointments and completing projects takes strong time management skills, and event coordinators depend on this trait to be successful. For instance, during event planning, you'll need to keep track of deadlines, schedules and various tasks that you must complete by their respective deadlines. Knowing how to prioritize your work and keeping your schedule on track are crucial to advance in your career as an event coordinator.

Networking skills

Event coordinators are networking experts. From engaging new clients to sending invitations to customer markets, these professionals are always finding ways to get people to attend events. Social media and digital outreach and engagement are two major approaches that event coordinators may use to engage with their communities, build relationships with professionals and customers and motivate people to attend the events they plan and host.

Computer skills

The computer skills you'll need as an event coordinator depend on your application of technology. Since many professionals use online networking to grow audiences and reach new markets, the knowledge of social media engagement, email and chat messaging and other basic computer applications can be an important trait to have as an event coordinator.

Related: How To Develop Your Skill Set To Advance Your Career

How to improve event coordinator skills

As you advance in your career, it's important to continue developing your skill set. The following steps outline some approaches you can take to improve your event coordinator skills:

1. Become an expert at networking

One step to developing your skills as an event coordinator is to get more experienced with networking. Use social media to reach out to potential leads that may be interested in the events you plan. For instance, if you plan training events for corporate clients, you can use networking to find leads that may need solutions to plan for and host a training event for their staff members. The more you develop your networking skills, the more people you can reach. This means a broader reach into potential markets that are looking for event coordinators to plan their activities.

2. Work on your communication skills

Develop your written communication skills by getting involved on social media, emailing your leads, and creating newsletters and other forms of written communication. Likewise, work on your confidence level with public speaking if it's something that makes you feel nervous. Learn techniques for engaging audiences and reaching out and conversing with new people.

3. Apply time management and organization

Another way to improve your overall event coordinator skill set is to work on your time management techniques. Since this role relies on maintaining and keeping schedules, appointments and events, it's important to have strong time management and prioritization skills. Try using different techniques like appointment reminders or task management apps to help you prioritize your projects and work hours.

4. Attend networking events

Participate in networking events for event planners and coordinators, public relation professionals and others in similar niches to your role. Not only can this help you meet potential clients, but it can also help you collaborate with and share ideas and techniques for attracting business with others. Additionally, meeting like-minded professionals at networking events can lead to recommendations and referrals in the future.

5. Improve your hard skills

Event coordinators rely on hard skills such as computer skills and digital approaches to outreach with clients and colleagues. Consider using and learning the functions of popular project management applications, scheduling software and appointment setting programs. Developing your knowledge and expertise using technology tools like these can help you streamline your work responsibilities and keep your projects organized.

Related: Top Hard Skills To Put on a Resume (And How to Improve Yours)

Event coordinator skills in the workplace

Use the following tips for applying your event coordinator skills in the workplace to advance your career:

• Reach out to your network. Keep regular communication with your network, including colleagues and clients. Communicate by phone, email, social media and other ways when you have updates about events, seasonal offerings or as thank you notes and follow-ups after they have attended your events.
• Ask for feedback from event attendees. Ask the professionals and clients who attend events that you coordinate to leave feedback on how they felt about the event. For instance, find out what participants felt was the most successful aspect of the event and what can be improved, and use this feedback for developing and coordinating events in the future.
• Take surveys to help you develop engaging activities. Surveys are an excellent approach to requesting feedback from participants to your events. Create surveys that ask about different features of your events, such as the venue, theme and other aspects that can help you improve and develop engaging activities for future projects.
• Consider using productivity tools. Use time management and organizational tools like mobile apps that help you track projects, schedule appointments and set alarms for deadlines and events. Simple technological resources like these can be an effective way to stay on track with various projects you take on.

Related: The Best Job Skills To Make Your Resume Stand out

How to highlight your event coordinator skills

The following information illustrates how you can showcase your event coordinator skills when you apply for open positions or speak with potential clients who are looking for event coordinating services:

On a resume

Highlight your skills by relating your experience to the job you're applying for. For instance, if an event coordinator job description states that computer skills and public speaking skills are a requirement for the job, give examples of your expertise in these areas. Additionally, it is important to highlight the traits you have with the job requirements right away in your resume.

In a cover letter

Reiterate your interest in the job and highlight how your communication, networking, organization and other event coordinator skills will benefit the organization you're applying to. This shows employers your eagerness for contributing to their business and your abilities to perform effectively in the role.

During an interview

Describe how your event coordinator skills helped achieve an objective like increasing revenue or expanding into a new market to showcase your experience and qualifications for the role you apply to. Additionally, your responses should include how you plan to achieve similar results for the organization you're interviewing for.