Party jobs include wedding planning, event coordinator, caterer and many other lucrative and enjoyable employment situations. After months or even years of effort spent preparing for these jobs the fear sets in. Don’t be alarmed! When a recession hits--people still celebrate all of life’s most important occasions and the party industry is unbelievably resilient. Good economy or bad economy people still need your services.

Caterers for instance may find employment working for large companies or can simply take the plunge and go it on their own. Wedding planners can similarly operate their own businesses or may find cruise lines or resort hotels offering jobs.

Who’s Out There?

There are many different companies involved in the party planning industry across the country looking to hire active and creative individuals for their businesses:

Party Companies:

• Blue Plate, Chicago  www.blueplatechicago.com  

(312) 421-6666

They’ve handled previous events such as the Toyota Employee Gala in Chicago’s Millennium Park, the Field Museum Annual Gala and the Make-A-Wish 20^th Anniversary Gala.

• Abigail Kirsch, New York www.abigailkirsch.com  

(212) 696-4076

This company has headed up the party planning for Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, the ESPN Season Launch and even the ‘King Kong’ Movie Premiere.

• Eddie Deen & Co., Dallas, Tx www.eddiedeen.com  

(214) 741-4211

This Lone Star State based party planner has handled events ranging from only 25 guests all the way up to parties for President George W. Bush.

• Extraordinary Events, Sherman Oaks, California www.extraordinaryevents.net  

(818) 783-6112

This extraordinary party planning company has produced award-winning events as featured by its incredible number of 29 Gala Awards.

• JHE Production Group, Concord, North Carolina www.gojhe.com  

(704) 455-8888

They’ve handled the Bon Jovi pre-race Concert at the Daytona 500, the Food Lion Speed Street Festival and the Gala Award-winning NASCAR Pit Crew Challenge.

Those who have just gotten out of school can also look to the companies that are hiring for ideas about the directions they want to go in seeking out their college degrees.  These companies hire a variety of people with degrees in a wide range of areas.

What Kind of Education Should I Get?

You can find education in the world of party planning at plenty of local colleges.  It just takes a little creativity to decide which area you’d like to focus on and find the degree that fits:

Degrees for a Party Industry Career:

• Austin Community College

Degree: Meeting and Event Planning Certification

This is a 23 credit program designed to prepare students to manage and coordinate events ranging from weddings to corporate retreats and conferences.  It’s not a full degree but prepares the individual for a career in event planning.

• Alabama State University

Degree: Bachelor’s of Public Relations

Students in this program can learn how to develop a public relations campaign, write short news stories for publication and even process and develop photos for the public.  This is a program that provides the individual skills needed for the promotion and marketing of a big event.

• Colorado State University

Degree: Bachelor’s of Science in Restaurant and Resort Management

In this program you’ll learn how to operate food and lodging facilities, which is especially important for managing the catering side of a party-planning career.

• University of New Hampshire

Degree: Bachelor’s of Science in Hospitality Management

This is the all around preparation course for anyone interested in party planning and catering.  Hospitality Management prepares you for the business side of running a party planning business, as well as providing excellent costumer service to clients.

• Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science

Bachelor’s Degree of Restaurant, Culinary and Catering Management

A program specifically designed to teach the student to plan, supervise, and manage the preparation of foods and beverages for an event as well as purchasing, storage of, and cost control of food and business administration.

So with resume carefully honed and interview suit cleaned and pressed where do you start applying? Start with local advertisements on www.specialeventsite.com or www.employmentnews.com for the obvious opportunities. Occasionally, local newspapers do have advertisements for perfect jobs so don’t overlook the obvious. For example, the state’s jobs service does pan out much of the time.

What Party Industry Jobs are there?

There are a variety of positions in the party planning industry you can go out for with different companies.  Following are some of the different kinds of positions you can expect to find in the party planning field:

Positions:

• Event Planner
• Public Relations Manager
• Convention Assistant
• Caterer
• Wedding Planner
• Florist
• Marketing Event Specialist
• Communications Specialist (Events)
• Catering Manager
• Party Planner

These are just a few of the many careers you can find in party planning.  Retailers, which hire party specialists, can often be found on www.SnagAJob.com as well as restaurant job postings. Bakers and florists may find suitable work environments on this well organized hourly wage-earners specialist web site. Most jobs on this one require little or no specialized training so don’t hesitate to give this one a quick look.