An account or project team is usually made up of an Account or Project Director, one or more Senior Account or Project Managers, one or more Account or Project Managers and one or more Account or Project Executives. Each account team will usually have specific clients allocated to them and they will be responsible for running all events for these clients.

The account manager will have gained their stripes as an account executive and will be entrusted to run small and medium sized events. They will liaise directly with the client and will be responsible for all elements of the event including the planning; the budget; the logistics; the team; the venues and other suppliers. They will likely still be supported by the senior account manager or account director with the event proposal and creative design, and they will receive support from an account executive.

Typical duties of the account manager will include:
  • Maintain a good relationship with the client, managing and exceeding their expectations and fulfilling their brief
  • Brainstorming with the account team to develop event solutions
  • Produce detailed event proposals
  • Conduct site inspection
  • Overseeing the event from confirmation to delivery and debrief
  • Plan and schedule the pre-event management tasks including setting and overseeing timelines, staffing, venue and supplier requirements, budget parameters
  • Research suppliers, negotiate terms and prices and manage and coordinate all supplies
  • Conduct risk assessment and ensure all insurances and health and safety measures are in place
  • Plan and schedule the onsite event management tasks including event set up, staffing, duties and responsibilities, detailed timelines, event hierarchy, event break down
  • Oversee the event evaluation and manage the event debrief
Skills, Experience and Personality Needed:
  • The ability to juggle lots of balls in the air at once is a must as there will be multiple tasks that need doing for multiple events all in tandem
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills are needed for this role as you’ll be liaising with a variety of different people at all levels
  • Attention to detail is imperative along with the ability to write good, clear copy 
  • Energy, enthusiasm, and a passion for events
  • Good IT skills are essential as you’ll most likely be working across Microsoft Word, Excel, Publisher, and Access and will need a solid understanding of Apps and Virtual Platforms
  • A driving licence is helpful as there is likely to be travel involved when supporting at events
Benefits and Considerations:
  • This is a full-time role and one which at times will require longer working hours
  • Although still full time when under contract, the industry employs lots of freelance account managers which means you could work for several agencies and clients providing you with a lot of variety
  • It can be quite stressful and there are lots of big personalities in the industry
  • There could be a lot of on-site work both midweek and weekends which means travelling to new cities and venues, most of which will be 4 or 5 stars
  • On-site hours can be very long with early morning starts and very late nights
  • It’s a young and vibrant industry that’s generally fun and with lots of internal industry events and networking. So, a great place to meet new and like minded people
  • Agencies are often invited on familiarisation visits across the world and generally these are shared (as appropriate) amongst the team