How do I Become a Certified Event Planner?

Anyone wishing to become a certified event planner should begin by gaining experience within this field. Event planners organize and plan all kinds of events from weddings to corporate meetings. Thus, this type of professional must possess excellent organizational and analytical skills in addition to understanding the intricacies involved in event planning.

In order to gain experience as an event planner, one must work within a corporate office planning events, join an event planning committee, or gain an internship with an event planning company. Any type of event planning experience will help a prospective event planner to gain certification.

In order to become a certified event planner within the United States, you must gain accreditation through the Convention Industry Council. This council is also linked to various international event planning organizations, and aspiring event planners within other countries may also have to gain certification through the Convention Industry Council. However, some countries do not require event planners to go through any formal certification process.

Anyone who does have to obtain formal certification should gain management responsibilities within an event planning outfit prior to applying for certification. This type of experience will indicate the ability of a prospective candidate to manage large events. Additionally, joining professional associations is a great way to become acquainted with others within the even planning industry. The Convention Industry Council requires that all prospective planners make active contributions to planning associations, which demonstrates a person's dedication to the field of event planning.

Another way to gain certification is to specialize in one particular aspect of event planning. Some planners work solely within the corporate world, planning meetings, retreats, and conferences. Others specialize in wedding planning by helping brides and grooms with everything from picking out a dress to choosing the right centerpieces. By focusing upon a certain portion of event planning, the steps needed to become a certified event planner will become clearer.

Once all the proper avenues towards becoming a certified event planner have been explored, those wishing to gain certification through the Convention Industry Council will be required to pass an examination. This examination consists of 150 questions based upon the event planning industry. Thus, it is within a person's best interest to work within the event planning field for an extensive amount of time prior to attempting this examination.

The Convention Industry Council will provide all people who wish to become a certified event planner with a study guide that can be applied towards the certification examination. Even though there are many different steps to take in order to become a certified event planner, people who enjoy planning events will find this career path rewarding.