Elena Prokopets
Claire Briggs Webber, CPRW
The event management space had two rough years because of the pandemic. But in 2022, matters are finally back on the good track. Up the 96% of organizers plans to have at least one in-person event this year.
That’s good news for event planners as full-time work and part-time gigs are back on the table. So it’s time to dust off your resume and start practicing cover letter writing! To help you out here’s a quick refresher on the best practices with a fabulous event planner cover letter example below.
Event Planner Cover Letter Sample (Word version)
Event Planner Cover Letter Example (text version)
This sample is written by an experienced applicant with both full-time and freelance event planning experience under their belt.
Hi John Wolfe,
My former colleague, Mitch Mikes told me that Might Event Agencies is hiring for a full-time event manager position. My years of being an event planner, photographer, and assistant manager at a wedding planning company make me believe I should be a good fit for this role. Allow me to elaborate…
I’ve been active in the events industry for the last eight years:
- Organized over 80 conferences (for 350+ attendees on average)
- Held 100+ corporate events for companies in the Greater Philadelphia area (plus 12 offsites abroad)
- Put together over 80 weddings during my time as a wedding planner in the mid-2010s
In each case, I’ve been in charge of venue books, vendor sourcing, on-site supervision, and even securing publicity (on some occasions). In my contact book, I have over 200 battle-tested vendors – ranging from caterers and cleaners to musicians and circus troops (not joking).
You will also find that my business acumen, as well as my financial management skills, line up well with what is described in the job listing. I take pride in keeping 95% of my events within the set initial budget and can negotiate highly attractive rates through my vast personal network. For budget-conscious clients, I always find ways to host a fabulously frugal event.
Because of my great communication skills and attention-to-details, my customer satisfaction rating remained at 98% among my freelance clients. You can check the testimonials on my personal website.
Along with this letter, you will find a copy of my resume, as well as my contact information. Thank you for your consideration and let’s be in touch!
Best,
Adelai Jackson
Cover Letter Writing Tips for Event Planners
Event planners can get hired for different gigs — conferences, parties, weddings, offsites, training classes, etc. In every case, however, you are expected to execute perfectly. This takes extreme organizational skills, borderline obsessive attention to detail, and top-notch interpersonal skills.
Communicating all of the above attributes in writing isn’t easy. To help you nail your tone and elevator pitch, we’ve prepared some extra tips.
Make Your Cover Letter Sound Personal
The world is small — and the event management space is even smaller.
If you apply to several agencies in your town, it is likely that the people working for those companies are connected too.
Therefore, you should always personalize your cover letter. First, you don’t want to get discussed behind your back as “that person who’s filling generic cover letters”. Secondly, a strong impression made with one employer can lead to opportunities with another.
A lot of recruiters pass over great candidates to their recruiters when they can’t personally hire them (for one reason or another). A compelling, personalized cover letter can help you get on people’s radars and get referred to for “hidden” job opportunities.
Brag About Relevant Achievements and Experiences
Hard numbers and concrete examples help a potential employer better picture you in action.
Compare these two work entries:
- Organized a fabulous 3-day 150-person wedding in Napa Valley.
- Organized a 150-person wedding for less than $100K and secured coverage with Brides Magazine.
The second resume bullet point does a far better job at communicating just how good that event planner is.
The takeaway: Drum up your confidence and brag away.
Bring Up “Unconditional” Experiences
Many people transition to event planning from adjacent industries or just get started. In this case, you might not have as many “bragging rights” just yet.
But you do have some other valuable experiences. For example, if you were a part of the planning committee for your high school prom don’t be afraid to mention that. Or if you were in charge of assisting in events during your time in college make a nod to that as well. Other examples of this could also be managing sports teams, and being a part of the student government.
Bring those up to illustrate your passion for the profession and some of the transferable skills you have.
Final Tip: Proofread Your Work
Sadly, proofreading is a step many job applicants skip. Give your cover letter a read-over before hitting send to verify there are no grammar or spelling mistakes. For an event planner, it’s particularly embarrassing to submit a cover letter with some grammar goofs!
