Careers in the Music Industry Event Manager
What is an Event Manager?
Also known as: Live Events Manager, Gig Coordinator, Music Event Producer, Show Manager, Event Planner, Event Producer
An event manager is responsible for planning, organising, and delivering live music events, such as gigs, festivals and showcases, ensuring everything runs smoothly behind the scenes.
In this guide, we explore what an event manager does, the skills and responsibilities involved, different career paths, and how to get started in one of the most fast-paced and rewarding careers in the music industry.
Contents
- What Does an Event Manager Do?
- What Makes a Career as an Event Manager Unique?
- What Are the Typical Responsibilities of an Event Manager?
- What Skills Do I Need to Succeed as an Event Manager?
- Who Will I Work With as an Event Manager?
- Where Do Event Managers Work?
- What Is the Career Progression of an Event Manager?
- What Is It Like Day-to-Day as an Event Manager?
- How Can I Become an Event Manager?
- How WaterBear Can Help You Become an Event Manager
What Does an Event Manager Do?
Within the music industry, event managers plan, organise, and deliver a wide range of events, including gigs, festivals, showcases, and industry functions.
Their core purpose is to handle all logistics and coordination behind the scenes, supporting artists in delivering outstanding performances and ensuring audiences can focus on enjoying the event.
What Makes a Career as an Event Manager Unique?
Event manager careers are unlike many others in the music industry. Here’s what makes this role truly unique:
Overseeing the Whole Event
Event manager roles stand out because you’re involved in every stage of an event, from the first idea to the final pack-down. You see the bigger picture and take responsibility for making sure all the moving parts come together.
Balancing Creativity and Logistics
This career is all about blending creative thinking with practical organisation. You’ll help shape the creative vision for each event, while also balancing budgets, schedules, and logistics to make sure everything runs smoothly.
Direct Impact on the Audience
Unlike many other music industry roles, event managers play a hands-on part in shaping the audience’s experience. From the layout and sound to accessibility and crowd management, your decisions have a direct impact on how people enjoy the event.
High-Pressure, Fast-Paced
It’s a fast-paced, high-pressure environment where no two days are the same. Adaptability and calm problem-solving are essential, especially when things don’t go to plan.
“It can look quite easy and glamourous from the outside, which does happen a percentage of the time, but there is a lot of graft and planning behind the scenes. Make sure you’re organised – things like Excel spreadsheets will honestly be your best friend. But believe in yourself – running events is such a rush and when you’ve completed that big event that you’ve spent the last 6 months working on, it’s an amazingly proud moment that you need to soak up and congratulate yourself on. I love running events.” – Jodie Amos (WaterBear’s Head of Music Industries in Brighton)
What Are the Typical Responsibilities of an Event Manager?
Whether you’re organising a grassroots gig or a major festival, event managers take on a wide range of creative and logistical tasks. Their work is central to delivering smooth, professional events that meet the expectations of artists and audiences alike.
Here are some of the core responsibilities in a typical event manager job:
Event planning and arrangement – Developing event concepts, timelines, and running orders.
Venue booking and logistics – Securing venues, organising site visits, and handling all logistical details.
Scheduling artists and crew – Coordinating performance times, sound checks, and staff shifts.
Managing budgets and contracts – Overseeing finances, negotiating fees, and handling contracts with artists, suppliers, and vendors.
Overseeing equipment hire and technical requirements – Arranging sound, lighting, staging, and backline needs.
Coordinating with suppliers and vendors – Managing relationships with caterers, security, transport, and other external partners.
Ensuring health & safety compliance – Putting procedures in place to keep everyone safe and meet legal requirements.
Managing on-the-day operations and troubleshooting – Overseeing the event as it happens, solving problems quickly, and ensuring everything runs to plan.
What Skills Do I Need to Succeed as an Event Manager?
Being a successful event manager takes more than just good organisation. It’s about blending people skills, practical know-how, and creative thinking to make music events happen. Here are some of the most important skills for event manager jobs:
- Organisation and time management
- Communication and negotiation
- Budgeting and financial awareness
- Leadership and team coordination
- Problem-solving and adaptability
- Attention to detail
- Knowledge of health & safety
- IT and digital skills (for ticketing, promotion, and event tools)
Who Will I Work With as an Event Manager?
Event management is a highly collaborative role, bringing together a diverse mix of creative, technical, and logistical professionals to make each event a success.
The people you work with will depend on the size and type of event.
But no matter the setting, strong communication, flexibility, and relationship-building are key to delivering seamless experiences.
Whether you’re part of a small team or leading a major project, your ability to connect with others is essential for turning ideas into memorable events and opening doors to new opportunities.
Typical collaborators include:
- Artists and bands – arranging performances and meeting their needs
- Managers and booking agents – coordinating schedules and logistics
- Production teams and crew – handling technical, staging, and backline requirements
- Venue staff and security – ensuring smooth operations and audience safety
- Promoters and marketing teams – attracting audiences and publicising events
- Suppliers and vendors – providing equipment, catering, transport, and other services
“Network! So many opportunities will come from having worked with people at events or chatting to people backstage. You don’t have to be the most experienced person in the room, but if you show that you’re passionate, easy to work with, easy to get along with, and that you’re willing to throw yourself into anything, those are the most important skills when you’re starting off your career in event management. No one wants to employ someone that comes in thinking they’re a know-it-all, rubbing people up the wrong way. Really focus on being a team player and being the person that everyone wants in the room when things are tricky.” – Steve Jones (Revenge and R-Bar Managing Director, Event Manager and WaterBear Tutor & Mentor)
Where Do Event Managers Work?
Event managers work across a huge variety of settings in the music industry, from iconic live venues and bustling festivals to vibrant club nights and industry conferences.
Some might start out working with local venues, grassroots promoters, or community events. More experienced event managers might find themselves managing large-scale festivals, arena tours, or high-profile industry showcases.
The rise of hybrid and virtual events has also opened new doors, allowing event managers to coordinate livestreams, online festivals, and digital conferences that reach audiences worldwide.
Some event managers take on full-time, in-house roles with venues, agencies, or production companies, while others choose the freelance route – building a portfolio of clients and projects that span different genres and formats.
No matter the setting, event manager jobs are about bringing people together and creating memorable experiences, wherever the music takes you.
What Is the Career Progression of an Event Manager?
Event manager careers can take different routes, depending on whether you work for a company or build your own freelance path.
If you’re employed, you’ll likely start in entry-level roles, such as event assistant, and then progress to senior positions like event director or head of events. Each step brings greater responsibility.
Freelance event managers often begin by organising grassroots gigs or club nights, then move on to larger events or launching their own companies. This path offers flexibility and the chance to build your own brand, with income coming from project fees, day rates, or event profits such as ticket sales and sponsorships.
You don’t have to stick with one route for your whole career. Many event managers move between freelance and employed roles as their interests and circumstances change. You might start out freelance to build experience and contacts, then take on a full-time position with a company, or begin as an intern or assistant and later decide to go freelance. Or you may do both at the same time.
Many event managers also go on to specialise in areas like festivals, touring, corporate events, or production management. Whether you pursue employed or freelance event manager jobs, your career can develop with experience, specialisation, and growing responsibilities.
“The progression looks different from what you would expect because it is a creative industry, so you don’t just go up ladders – you often go across. You’ve got to broaden your scope and be willing to work on events that aren’t music as well – It could be an arts event, but that can lead to where you want to be” – Chris Herstad Carney (WaterBear Tutor & Mentor, and Event Manager)
What Is It Like Day-to-Day as an Event Manager?
No two days are ever quite the same as an event manager. The work is fast paced, varied, and often unpredictable. You’ll find yourself balancing planning, hands-on tasks, problem-solving, and people management – all in one day.
Here’s what some event managers have to say about their typical day:
Steve Jones (Revenge and R-Bar Managing Director, Event Manager, and WaterBear Tutor & Mentor) –
“If you’re an event manager for a venue, then you’re going to liaise with booking agents to get artists lined up and external promoters who are putting on their events in your venue. Whereas if you’re an event manager of a festival, or more of a freelancer rather than being tied to a venue, then you’re going to be a bit less structured. You’re going to maybe have five or six different events that you’re planning at once, possibly at lots of different venues. So, you’re going to be juggling lots of different responsibilities, wearing lots of different hats and probably going to quite a lot of evening events as well, and helping run the events themselves as well as planning it in the daytime.”
Jodie Amos (WaterBear’s Head of Music Industries in Brighton) –
“This depends on the time of year, as I run many different events throughout. But you can guarantee there are Excel spreadsheets galore, and lots of brainstorming sessions with my team to workout timelines for each upcoming event and what needs to happen by when.”
How Can I Become an Event Manager?
If you’re wondering how to get into event management, the best way to start is by getting hands-on experience, whether that’s volunteering at a local festival, helping out at gigs, or organising your own events.
Education can help too. Many event managers within the music industry study music business or related courses at degree level.
Building a portfolio is essential for landing event manager jobs. Document every event you work on, collect testimonials, and highlight examples of problem-solving. This will help you stand out when applying for roles or pitching for freelance work.
Networking is a big part of event manager careers. Attend industry events, connect with professionals online, and reach out to venues or agencies for opportunities. Sometimes, it’s the contacts you make that open the next door.
Above all, don’t wait for permission. There’s nothing stopping you from putting on your own event. Many successful event managers started by taking the DIY route, learning as they go, and building a reputation from the ground up.
Wherever you’re starting from, the key is to keep learning, stay proactive, and embrace new opportunities.
“Volunteer, volunteer and volunteer! Festivals are always looking for volunteers. A lot of people want to go to a festival just so they can do their shift, get it over with, and pop off to see their favourite band. But if you really want to take this seriously, put yourself in a team and get involved. Make sure you show up. If you say you’re volunteering for something don’t drop out. If you see a team that is short of a pair of hands, volunteer yourself. Go for as much responsibility as you feel comfortable with, because that’s where eventually the paid roles will come.” – Chris Herstad Carney (WaterBear Tutor & Mentor, and Event Manager)
How WaterBear Can Help You Become an Event Manager
At WaterBear, we’re dedicated to helping aspiring music professionals succeed in the music industry, whatever stage you’re at.
Our BA (Hons) Professional Music (Business) course includes a specialist event management module and is delivered on-site at our Brighton and Sheffield campuses, placing you in a vibrant, creative community.
For those with industry experience looking to take their careers further, we offer two MA Music Business courses: a 1-year full-time course delivered on-site, and a 2-year part-time course delivered fully online for maximum flexibility.
Across all our courses, you’ll benefit from 1-1 mentoring, masterclasses with industry experts, and dedicated support in finding work experience and placements. You’ll work on your own projects, guided by tutors who are active and highly experienced music industry professionals.
At WaterBear, we’re passionate about supporting independent, entrepreneurial professionals and nurturing a true DIY ethos.
Ready to take the next step in your event manager career? Explore our courses, download a prospectus, book an open day, or apply now to study with us.
The career information provided in these WaterBear articles is intended as general guidance on roles within the music industry and does not constitute specific professional or careers advice. For individual support, students are advised to contact the WaterBear Music Industries team, who can offer personalised career guidance, mentoring, and artist development through our degree programmes.
Related Careers
- Promoter
- Tour Manager
- Booking Agent
- Venue Manager
- Artist Liaison
WaterBear – The College of Music
WaterBear offers BA (Hons) degree and master’s courses made for today’s musicians, artists, and industry professionals. Its colleges are based in the heart of Brighton and Sheffield, two amazing UK cities with incredible musical roots and heritage. The college also has a range of online distance learning courses.
WaterBear is a College of Falmouth University, a pioneer in creative industries education, entrepreneurship and innovation. Run by musicians for musicians WaterBear is about smaller class sizes, flexible course delivery, bespoke one-to-one mentoring and exclusive work experience and career development opportunities.