WHAT DOES AN EVENT PROJECT MANAGER DO?
Updated: Jun 13, 2025 - The Event Project Manager demonstrates exceptional event planning and management processes to ensure seamless delivery and operational excellence throughout all event phases. This role involves maintaining strong operational venue knowledge and building key stakeholder relationships while prioritizing safety and compliance. The manager also drives commercial success and champions strategic improvements within the event management team and the broader organization.
A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Event Project Manager
1. Event Project Manager Responsibilities
- Event Planning: Spearhead the planning and communications with all partnering teams and vendors leading up to the event.
- Marketing Collaboration: Collaborate with marketing and PR teams to prepare on-brand messages and marketing materials to promote the event.
- Media Relations: Assist PR team on media relations leading up to and on the event day.
- Program Coordination: Coordinate with show runners to ensure planned programs of the event will execute on schedule.
- Vendor Management: Coordinate with vendors following pre-planned quality, financial, and time expectations for the event.
- Logistics: Plan the logistics with various vendors for delivery, set up, and dismantling of the event.
- Technical Support: Assist production team on the technical set-up with venue management to ensure the competition programs and entertainment are executed smoothly.
- Ticketing: Manage the entire event ticketing process, including service provider, sales, payments, ticket issuance, and post-event reporting.
- Creative Collaboration: Work cross-functionally with the creative team to develop content around the event.
- Licensing: Lead and manage paperwork to secure appropriate licenses for the event.
- Event Reporting: Prepare detailed analytical reporting on the event for senior management.
2. Event Project Manager Accountabilities
- Project Management: Manage projects from initial client contact, define the scope of work, and prepare a proposal.
- Project Delivery: Develop, produce, and deliver projects from proposal to after-event reports.
- Budget Management: Responsible for budget from start to end.
- Vendor Management: Manage vendors and suppliers' relationships, working closely with the purchasing manager and production team.
- Timeline and Priority Management: Communicate and maintain timelines and priorities on every project.
- Operational Management: Manage operational and administrative processes to ensure efficient progress on each phase of the project.
- Site Inspection: Conduct onsite inspections of each project.
- Client Relations: Always meet and try to exceed clients’ expectations.
- Event Strategy: The overall event management planning from start to finish according to clients' requirements, budget, target audience, and business objectives.
- Team Leadership: Lead multiple teams covering Creative Design, Software Development, Sales and Marketing, Operations, and Event Management crews.
3. Event Project Manager Functions
- Customer Verification: Customer verification/set-up including during project negotiation and contract drafting phase, liaising with Client to confirm correct billing details and process.
- Vendor Compliance: Vendor verification and compliance check.
- Labor Law Compliance: Labor law compliance documentation gathering, depending on project location and client communication.
- Contract Verification: Signed contract verification and communication to the Billing team for advance billing.
- Artist PO Management: Preparing internal artists' POs to confirm billable amounts to artists.
- Invoice Processing: Collecting, verifying, and coding vendor invoices based on the Producer's production log for submission to Accounts Payable.
- Job Wrap Updates: Updating the job wraps until completion with all invoices and amounts.
- Credit Card Reconciliation: Submit reconciled monthly credit card statements and receipts through Concur.
- Final Billing Submission: Submitting job wraps and back-ups to the Billing team for final billing.
- Profit and Loss Review: Production Profit and Loss review and profitability check - liaising with Artist accountants for closing/revenue recognition/reporting.
4. Event Project Manager Details and Accountabilities
- Event Planning: Detailed event planning through sound management processes to ensure client delivery and operational excellence is seamless throughout the event planning, delivery, and review phases.
- Operational Knowledge: Develops and maintains a strong understanding of operational venue knowledge and business unit strategy and educates others in their development.
- Safety Management: Ensures that safety is paramount to all activities at Melbourne and Olympic Parks.
- Client and Stakeholder Management: Effectively manages the often-competing demands of clients and stakeholders whilst ensuring legislative and safety requirements and standards are maintained.
- Stakeholder Relationship Building: Build key stakeholder relationships, including strong relationships with new and existing Clients (Hirers, Tour Management, Suppliers, etc.).
- Customer Experience: Ensure the delivery of a quality customer (Client and Guest) experience.
- Commercial Outcome Management: Manage specific commercial outcomes at events.
- Operational Collaboration: Works collaboratively with Business Units and Support Services to lead and champion operational improvements and strategic changes in the organisation.
- Team Development: Actively contribute to the management and ongoing development of the event management team and event delivery workforce.
5. Virtual Event Project Manager Additional Details
- Event Planning and Execution: Planning and execution of virtual meeting event from enquiry to post-event debrief.
- Team Collaboration: Work in collaboration with other members of the project team on each event.
- Technology Support: Provide key event project and virtual technology support during the life cycle of the event.
- Attendee Moderation: Support as an attendee moderator.
- Question and Answer and Polling Facilitation: Facilitate any Question and Answer/Polling during the event.
- Post-Event Reporting: Provide post-event information to the project team.
- Debrief Participation: Attend and participate in post-event debrief.
- Client Consultation: Work closely with an internal or external client and gather information related to the event, including the number of guests, the purpose of the event, and preferences for venues, food, and decor.
- Event Element Selection: Work with their teams to select elements of the event, beginning with the venue itself.
- Cost-Saving Strategy: Work with a venue to develop cost-saving packages by including transportation or entertainment in a contract.
- Vendor Management: Source, negotiate, and build long-term relationships with vendors and suppliers.