The thing is, no one grows up saying:
“When I’m older, I want to manage supplier contracts, juggle client expectations, secure 17 sponsorships — and still make time to walk the venue with a clipboard and a smile.”
When I was younger, I didn’t even know this industry existed the way I know it now. Like many of us, I stumbled into events — and then events refused to let me go.
It’s the kind of career that quietly wraps itself around you. One moment you’re helping a friend set up a gala dinner, and the next, you’re building sponsorship frameworks and running comms strategies for a city-wide festival. It’s wild. And wonderful.
Try explaining what you do to your family.
You’ll get polite nods, confused stares, and maybe even:
“So… you’re like a party planner?”
But rest assured — come any family function, from baby showers to 80th birthday lunches — you’ll be promptly nominated as the event coordinator. No vote needed. You are the programme director now.
Because even if they don’t fully understand what we do — they know we get it done.
And truly, this is an industry where “you only know what you know… until you know.”
Until you’re backstage calming down a nervous keynote speaker.
Until you’re fixing a WiFi crisis while negotiating with an AV supplier.
Until you’ve seen 5,000 people walk into an expo hall — because of something you envisioned, pitched, and pulled together from spreadsheets and snacks.
Suddenly, you realise just how massive this space really is — and how many ecosystems we influence.
From tourism and logistics to tech and talent development.
From SMEs to municipalities.
From brand managers to bus drivers.
We are the invisible glue.
The energy architects.
And once you know, you can never un-know.
You start seeing the world differently. You walk into a mall or museum wondering about flow, lighting, and whether the signage could be better.
So, here’s my challenge:
The next time someone says, “Oh wow, events! That sounds fun!” — take a breath… and educate them.
Tell them about the procurement processes.
The contingency planning.
The economic impact reports.
The partnerships that take months to land.
The teams who bring visions to life — often fuelled by caffeine, humour, and blind faith.
Maybe they’ll be inspired.
Maybe they’ll run for the hills.
Either way, they’ll walk away knowing this: eventing is a formidable profession.
We are strategists, negotiators, creators, problem-solvers.
And in my case — proudly so, for over 17 years.
I’m not just in events.
I’m an eventurer.
How about you?
Keshni Reddy
