Wonder who runs what and why when it comes to events? Such is the curiosity of the mind that we pondered how exactly an event planner vs event strategist vs event marketer would be explained. During this thought process, we realized that it’s not just any one of the above that runs the show but rather all three of them combined. These aren’t some mere job titles or designations but in essence, are the three key pillars who take the load and stress of conducting successful event planning and management upon themselves.
This being said, the roles are unique and each of these has a specific set of skills and responsibilities within the industry that transforms the event concepts and vision into a solid outstanding reality. In simple terms, a planner plans, a strategist devices strategies, and a marketer markets.
In words it might seem like “that’s all” but the truth is far from it and in this blog, we will be discussing the truth, i.e., the difference between these respected roles and their responsibilities.
Understanding the Roles: Event Strategist vs Event Planner vs Event Marketer
An event’s success never depends on a single individual’s efforts. It’s always the balance between three professionals: event strategists, planners, and marketers. This trio turns a simple, normal event into a memorable experience. Moreover, each professional has a unique perspective, skills, and duties to perform in the event creation process.
Event Strategist
The event strategist is the one who gets the visions of an event, like how an event is going to be executed. The strategist defines the purpose, target audience, and goals to be achieved. These are the big-picture thinkers who analyze the market trends, attendee insights, and other organizational goals and objectives to create a framework that’s liked by everyone.
Event Planner
While the event planner can be called someone who meticulously plans and executes an event. A planner is someone who brings the strategic vision to real life with proper logistics and detailed planning. This is a group of problem solvers that assist in finding a venue, coordinating vendors, managing the entire timeline for an event, and putting things into practice. In simple words, where the strategist dreams, the planner builds!
Event Marketer
Next, the event marketer is someone who steps in as the storyteller and becomes a connection creator. Simply put, an event marketer is responsible for connecting people by ensuring that the event’s message reaches everyone and engages with the right audience. The duties of an event marketer include creating amazing and compelling narratives, effective promotional strategies, and creating a buzz, a hype among attendees that turns a simple event into a must-attend event experience. However, their role goes beyond just planning event marketing strategies; they’re also responsible for audience engagement, communication strategies, and analysis after the event.
Event Strategist: The One Who Designs Event
Event strategists are those who first plan the entire event in their minds. They are visionary architects who turn events from ordinary gatherings into unforgettable events. They are the ones who design different approaches to make the event successful and make sure that it matches the set goals and objectives. Moreover, event strategists are best with their analytical skills and creative thinking, and using them, they design events that leave a strategic impact.
Key Responsibilities:
1. Basic and Strategic Event Planning
Event strategist’s responsibilities start with planning event themes, goals, and strategies that easily match with decided organizational objectives. They work together with event planners and other marketers to ensure that the event’s strategy aligns with execution and entire event promotion.
2. Audience Analysis and Engagement
A strategist conducts thorough research to comprehend the demographics and preferences of target audiences. Additionally, they are tasked with creating audience engagement strategies and tailored experiences that resonate with particular audience segments.
3. Performance Measurement
They establish clear, measurable key performance indicators (KPIs) so that it gets easier to measure success. Not only this, an event strategist also develops detailed tracking and evaluation methodologies. Moreover, when an event ends, they are responsible for post-event analysis to get all the actionable insights
4. Incorporating Innovation and Trends
Keeping track of industry trends and new interactive technologies while integrating creative methods in event design and implementation.
Event Strategist Essential Skills:
Let’s learn about the basic to advanced skills of event strategists:
| Skill | Description |
| Trend Forecasting | Understanding industry trends, new technologies, and audience behavior to stay ahead. |
| Comprehensive Brand Alignment | Creating events that reflect and strengthen the organization’s brand, building strong connections with the audience. |
| Adaptive Strategic Planning | Being flexible with plans to adjust quickly based on new data and opportunities. |
| Strategic Thinking | Using data to create effective event strategies that support the organization’s goals. |
| Market Research | Studying the audience and market trends to make informed decisions. |
| Data Analysis | Analyzing event results to improve future strategies. |
| Brand Understanding | Knowing how to use events to communicate and improve the brand’s message. |
| Creative Planning | Thinking of new and exciting ways to create impactful events. |
| Networking | Building strong relationships with important people in the industry. |
See Related: Key Performance Indicators to Track In an Event
Event Planner: The Execution Expert
Event planners are the architectural masterminds behind successful events. They bring conceptual ideas into reality with an amazing experience. Event planners are responsible for the logistical side of organizing an event. These event professionals manage all the aspects of the event in a detailed form. Be it venue selection, catering, transportation, scheduling, or coordination of all the services. They are even responsible for selecting the respective vendors for the event.
Key Responsibilities:
1. Comprehensive Event Design
The very first responsibility of event planners begins with designing unique and compelling event concepts that match perfectly with client goals and easily meet audience expectations.
2. Vendor and Venue Management
Secondly, event planners are the ones who identify and choose the best optimal venues and event technology partners. They negotiate contracts, manage relationships, and make sure if something goes wrong, it gets fixed as soon as possible. However, the event planner also coordinates complex logistical requirements with multiple partners like caterers, decorators, and audio-visual teams.
3. Budget Development and Control
Next, it’s only the event planner who’s responsible for creating detailed, precise event budgets with strategic financial allocations. Plus, they implement cost-effective strategies without adjusting the quality of the event. It’s their responsibility to manage and track expenses so that financial accountability will be protected.
4. Logistical Coordination
Only an event planner develops comprehensive timetables and minute-by-minute schedules for events and makes sure everything goes according to the plan. A planner also manages transportation, accommodations, and technical requirements while maintaining an easy operational flow from the whole setup to the last.
5. Risk and On-Site Management
The event planner is responsible for figuring out all the potential challenges while developing contingency plans. They are the ones who implement safety protocols and mitigate risks to protect event attendees. Moreover, they keep an eye on all event activities, manage all the event parts from basic to advanced, and solve any on-site issue immediately, so there’ll be no such hassle.
Essential Skills:
Let’s learn about the important skills of an event planners
| Skill | Description |
| Budget Management | Ability to create and stick to a budget while making the most of available resources. |
| Communication Skills | Clearly talking and listening to clients, vendors, and team members to keep everything on track. |
| Organizational Expertise | Managing all event details, schedules, and logistics without forgetting anything important. |
| Problem-Solving | Thinking quickly and staying flexible to handle unexpected issues during planning or the event itself. |
| Vendor Negotiation | Skill in negotiating the best deals and services from vendors for the event. |
| Technology Proficiency | Being comfortable with using event planning tools, digital platforms, and communication tech. |
Event Marketer: The Event Promotion Specialist
Event marketers are the professionals who are communication experts. They focus on using events as a marketing tool to promote. However, promotion can be for a product, service, or for any cause. The primary objective of an event marketer is to create events in such a way that they attract and engage with the target audience. This results in achieving business goals such as increasing brand awareness, generation of leads, and a boost in sales. Moreover, event marketers are also responsible for advertising, setting the strategic alignment of events with promotional marketing campaigns.
Key Responsibilities:
1. Event Marketing Strategy Development
The duties of an event marketer start with creating comprehensive, multi-channel event marketing strategies and plans (social media, email, WhatsApp, ads). An event marketer also develops communication strategies for the target audience in order to generate maximum interest.
2. Digital Promotion
An event marketer is responsible for designing integrated digital event marketing campaigns & strategies across social media platforms. They create compelling content that just grabs attention and drives awareness and registration for the event. However, they leverage content from the event such as photos, videos, and testimonials for further engagement and event promotion.
3. Event Marketer Essential Skills:
Let’s learn about the essential skills needed for an event marketer with a short description:
| Skills | Description |
| Performance Analytics | Understanding data to improve campaigns and get better results. |
| Digital Marketing | Using tools like SEO, paid ads, email, and social media to promote events online. |
| Content Creation | Making engaging materials (like posters, videos, and ads) to attract and keep people interested. |
| Analytics | Tracking how well campaigns are doing and how people are interacting with them. |
| Creative Technological Integration | Using new tech like AI to create unique and fun marketing experiences. |
| Storytelling | Telling interesting stories that connect with people and make them want to attend. |
| Multi-Channel Promotion | Promoting events on different platforms like email, social media, and websites to reach more people. |
| Audience Targeting | Finding and reaching the right people who are most likely to attend the event. |
Conclusion
In conclusion, we have learned that the roles of an event planner, event strategist, and event marketing are different. While event planners focus on the short and long details of an event during execution and completion, event marketers aim to draw attention and try their best to captivate or engage the audience. On the other hand, event strategists are the ones who strategize overall events with all their efforts. Any event can become impactful and successful when all these roles come together. These roles are proven the best; they turn normal events into extraordinary event experiences for attendees. Moreover, the future of any event relies on merging traditional planning expertise with new event tech solutions. So, don’t wait to partner up with advanced event tech providers like Dreamcast. Set your new goals and strike a balance between human roles and tech solutions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which role is more important for an event?
All three strategists, planner, and marketer – are equally important and work together for event success. The event strategist develops the vision and goals, the planner handles execution and logistics, and the marketer ensures the right audience attends through promotion. Success depends on their collaborative effort rather than any single role.
How can CRM systems benefit event marketers, planners, and strategists?
CRM systems help all three roles by tracking attendee data and preferences, managing vendor and client relationships, and measuring engagement metrics while streamlining communication. Besides this, it also assists in creating targeted marketing campaigns.
Can event technology help in improving the attendee experience for all three roles?
Yes. Event technology enhances the attendee experience through digital registration and check-in, mobile event apps, interactive sessions, real-time feedback collection, virtual/hybrid event capabilities, and personalized scheduling.
How can event marketers leverage technology to promote events effectively?
Event marketers use technology for promotion through:
- Social media campaigns
- Email marketing automation
- Digital advertising
- Content management systems
- Registration platforms
- Analytics tools for campaign tracking
- Mobile Marketing
