Volunteering is essential for all communities – especially in the world of events!
There are benefits to volunteering for people of any age: students to professionals.
Giving back to the community you live in creates a sense of belonging and pride, as well as aids in a person’s overall happiness.
Read Connect Dot’s Top 5 reasons students and professionals should volunteer in the events community and find out how you can get involved ASAP!
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Students with a desire to work in the events industry have a huge learning curve on their hands. Here are the benefits to volunteering early on:
- Real work experience: sometimes landing your dream job is challenging. Starting by volunteering and gaining experience in the industry will help you begin learning while you hunt for your career and it will add to your resume!
- Discover if you have what it takes: maybe you didn’t realize what skill set was really required to be a successful event planner. Volunteering gives you a head start on developing those necessarily skills (or the opportunity to jump ship early!)
- Networking: the event industry strongly relies on networking and partnerships. Getting your name out there and your foot in the door will give your career a push in the right direction and it will allow you to start building your network of sources necessary to be successful.
- Get out of your comfort zone: putting yourself out there with people you probably don’t know, allows you to develop as a professional. Volunteer roles can enhance creativity, communication skills and battle shyness!
- Explore all interest: volunteering allows you to get involved in a variety of different areas, exploring all your different interests with short term commitments. Before agreeing to a full-time career, its beneficial to explore the options. There are so many kinds of event planners and it’s hard to know what path to take before experiencing it firsthand.
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Even in an established career, volunteering has its benefits. Continue reading to see why:
- Give back to your community: events rely on the communities their held in. Showing appreciation to your community by volunteering outside of your work will build a stronger connection and in return will enhance your community’s dedication to your events.
- Networking: building networks and partnerships doesn’t have to stop after business hours. Meeting new people or developing existing networks through volunteering will strengthen your social network. These opportunities are also a way to informally market yourself, as you build a connection with more people you will gain more clients and event attendees.
- Develop new skills: Even as an event planner, stepping outside your normal work can help you learn and grow by developing new or unused skills that can be transferable into your everyday position, enhancing your success.
- Stay creative: staying motivated to be creative and constantly develop new ideas for events can be challenging. Volunteering can generate new ideas from a different perspective and can really get your creative thoughts flowing!
- Have fun: step out of your busy life and have fun with a group of people that are together to achieve the same goals as you, and are willingly giving their free time to a cause you all believe in.
Opportunities to volunteer in the event industry are endless. Simply research online what events are happening in your City and reach out to get involved or ask anyone you know about possible positions, and start receiving the benefits of volunteering today!