What are the prospects for professionalizing event management in the UK?

The staging of planned events has emerged as a distinctive sector of the UK economy. This paper examines the nature and degree of professionalization of event management. Three models of professionalism are critically evaluated. It is argued that the model of corporate professionalization appears to hold out most promise for understanding the dynamics of professionalization in event management. This is tested through an empirical research study of four organisations which have a professionalizing mission. The paper concludes that professionalization of the occupation has not succeeded to date, whether professionalism is understood as corporate professionalism or in more traditional terms. It suggests that there is currently little prospect of professionalizing event management in the UK.

► Events represent a major and distinctive sector of the British economy.
► Event management as an occupation is widely recognised and several associations lay claim to leading a process of professionalization.
► This research suggests that such claims are misplaced.
► There is currently little prospect of professionalizing event management in the UK.