When people say they work in live events, it can mean everything, and nothing, at the same time.

So what actually counts as an event, and why does defining it matter?

In this episode of So You Want to Be an Event Planner, we break down what planned live events really are and why they deserve to be understood as a legitimate field of work and study. Using examples from corporate events, festivals, sport, social rituals, and civic life, we introduce a clear definition of events and explain how careers across live events fit within the broader experience industries. We also explore why events are typically taught in hospitality programs in the U.S. and how defining and naming the live event field creates clarity, confidence, and belonging for students, career-switchers, parents, school counselors, and advisors.

If you’re curious about event planning or event management — or wondering whether you belong in this industry — this episode is your starting point.

1. Events are intentional, temporary, designed, and purpose-driven gatherings
2. Events exist across business, culture, sport, civic life, and social spaces
3. Event planning is a legitimate interdisciplinary field, not just a job title or side task
4. Hospitality became the academic home for events in the U.S. for structural reasons
5. Naming the field creates visibility, legitimacy, and belonging

1. Planned live events
2. Experience industries
3. Temporary organizations
4. Purpose-driven gatherings
5. Event ecosystem

Think about the last three events you attended.

What was each event’s purpose, and which sector did it belong to (business, social, cultural, sport, civic)?

Notice how different events serve very different outcomes — even though we often use the same word for all of them.

Episode 2: The Live Events & Experience Industries — A Tour of the Ecosystem

If events are a real field, where do they actually live? We’ll map the industries, sectors, and systems that rely on events — and why event jobs are often harder to see than they should be.

Companies mentioned in this episode:

1. Disney
2. Walmart
3. Coachella
4. Olympics
5. World Cup

If live events are a real field, where do they actually live?

In this episode of So You Want to Be an Event Planner, we take a guided tour of the live events and experience industries to make the event ecosystem visible. We explore how live events show up across sport, festivals, corporate environments, associations, tourism, civic life, and mega-events—and why event planning and event management work is often embedded inside other industries rather than labeled clearly.

This episode helps students, career-switchers, parents, counselors, and advisors understand where event careers exist, why event jobs can be hard to spot, and how seeing the full ecosystem makes the field larger, more legitimate, and easier to navigate.

If you’re curious about event planning or event management careers—and wondering where this work actually “lives”—this episode gives you the map.

1. Events operate across multiple experience industries, not a single sector
2. Event roles are often embedded inside marketing, operations, tourism, and civic systems
3. Visibility and legitimacy are not the same thing
4. Sport, festivals, corporate events, associations, tourism, civic life, and mega-events all rely on live events
5. Understanding the ecosystem expands career options and reduces confusion

1. Experience industries
2. Embedded event roles
3. Distributed ecosystem
4. Cultural and economic value
5. Event labor market

Think about an industry you wouldn’t normally associate with events (tech, healthcare, government, education).

Where might live events show up inside that system—and what purpose would they serve?

Episode 3: How Do People Get Into This Field?

If event planning is everywhere but hard to see, how do people actually find their way into it? Next, we break down the real entry paths into live events—and why non-linear backgrounds are the norm, not the exception.

1. Professional sport leagues (live sport events)
2. Music and arts festivals
3. Corporate conferences and brand activations
4. Association annual meetings
5. Destination and tourism-driven events
6. Civic and public sector events
7. Global mega-events

Companies mentioned in this episode:

1. Apple

Almost no one grows up saying, “I want to work in live events.”

So how do people actually find their way into event planning and event management?

In this episode of So You Want to Be an Event Planner, we break down the real entry paths into live events and normalize non-linear career journeys. We explore how people migrate into the field from hospitality, theatre, marketing, sport, nonprofits, corporate roles, and technology—and why transferable skills matter more than having a “perfect” background. This episode also addresses the permission problem that causes many capable people to hesitate before claiming a place in the field.

If you’re a student, career-switcher, or early professional wondering how to get into event planning or whether you belong in this industry, this episode is for you.

1. There is no single or “correct” path into event planning
2. Most event professionals migrate from adjacent fields
3. Transferable skills matter more than credentials at entry level
4. Career switching is common—and often advantageous
5. Belonging in events is claimed through practice, not permission

1. Career migration
2. Transferable skills
3. Entry pathways
4. Permission problem
5. Adjacent industries

Map your own path—real or hypothetical—into events.

What skills do you already have that live events need?

Episode 4: Where the Jobs Actually Are

If people get into events in many ways, where do they actually work? Next, we’ll break down who hires event planners and event managers—and how the event labor market really functions.

1. Hospitality and venue operations
2. Theatre and live performance production
3. Marketing and experiential teams
4. Nonprofit fundraising events
5. Corporate internal events

Searching for event planning jobs can feel confusing—because the work doesn’t always show up where you expect it to.

In this episode of So You Want to Be an Event Planner, we demystify the event labor market by breaking down where event planning and event management jobs are actually located. We explore the main employer types—venues, agencies, brands, nonprofits, associations, governments, vendors, and freelance work—and explain why job titles can be misleading in this field. This episode reframes career mobility as a strength and helps listeners understand how to evaluate roles based on environment, not just titles.

If you’re trying to figure out where to apply—or why event jobs are so hard to spot—this episode brings clarity.

1. Event jobs exist across multiple employer types
2. Vendors and freelancers are central to the event ecosystem
3. Job titles often hide the real work being done
4. Event careers are rarely linear
5. Understanding environments matters more than chasing titles

1. Employer types
2. Vendor ecosystem
3. Freelance labor
4. Embedded departments
5. Career mobility

Look up one job that isn’t labeled “event.”

What event-related responsibilities does it actually include?

Episode 5: What Are The Source (Undergraduate) Majors if I Want to Work in Live Events

Once you know where jobs live, the next question is academic: what should you study—and does it really matter?

1. Hotels and convention centers
2. Event and experiential agencies
3. Brand-side event teams
4. Associations and nonprofits
5. Event vendors (AV, production, tech)
6. Freelance event professionals

Companies mentioned in this episode:

1. Apple
2. Movable Inc.
3. Dorito
4. Bank of America
5. Wells Fargo
6. Smith and Nephew
7. Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

“What should I major in if I want to work in events?”

It’s one of the most common—and most stressful—questions people ask.

In this episode of So You Want to Be an Event Planner, we explore the academic disciplines that feed into event planning and event management careers. We look at how hospitality, business, communications, sport management, theatre, social sciences, design, and technology each contribute different capabilities to event work. This episode reframes events as an interdisciplinary field and explains why skill stacking and applied experience matter more than choosing a single “right” major.

If you’re a student, parent, counselor, or advisor navigating event management degrees and pathways, this episode brings reassurance and clarity.

1. No single major owns the event field
2. Events draw from many academic disciplines
3. Interdisciplinarity is a strength, not a weakness
4. Skill stacking matters more than major choice alone
5. Most successful event professionals build toward the field over time

1. Source majors
2. Interdisciplinary field
3. Skill stacking
4. Academic pathways
5. Applied experience

List what your major—or past education—already contributes to events.

Then identify one complementary skill you’d like to build next.

Episode 6: The Formats of Events — A Taxonomy

Once you understand pathways, it’s time to look at the events themselves. Next, we’ll break down the different types of events—and why format matters more than you think.

1. Hospitality and tourism programs
2. Business and marketing degrees
3. Theatre and performing arts backgrounds
4. Sport management programs
5. Sociology, psychology, and design disciplines