Build Successful Event and Experiential Career
- Chris Pace
- Sep 13
- 4 min read
Updated: Oct 21
Starting Out and Career Decisions
I began my event career after I lost my account executive role at a healthcare advertising agency when the agency was sold. Early on, one of the biggest hurdles was cash flow. It is easy to underestimate the cost of running your own agency and the inconsistency of revenue, especially at the beginning when hope is greater than commitments.
Running your own business comes with big risk and big reward. While client wins can deliver significant payoffs, payment issues can put your agency in difficult positions. When clients delay or dispute payments, you still have your own vendor bills, payroll, and campaign costs due based on work already completed. These cash flow disruptions have happened too many times and can fundamentally alter your business operations and growth plans.
If you are considering freelance work, you also have to factor in weeks without revenue. At first glance it seems like you could have free time to travel or explore, but the reality is that not every week will generate income.
Choosing Your Career Path
Deciding what type of career path to pursue is critical. Do you want to be an entrepreneur, a project-based freelancer, work for an advertising, media, or event/experiential agency, or work on the client side with a brand or service? Many people find that changing jobs frequently drives title progression and builds a resume that opens doors to new opportunities.
Understanding the industry you enter matters too. Some roles are rewarding and interesting but are lower-paying because they are more desirable or competitive.
I often reflect on whether I might have been better off working on the brand side or at a larger agency with a clear hierarchy. In that path, I might have become a CEO or President, which could have provided long-term stability, other C-suite opportunities, and the ability to laterally move to emerging brands or industries with equity. Instead, I have a unique perspective as someone back in the workforce now as a consultant and full-time job candidate after leading my own agency for 20 years.
Understanding Your Value
Early in my agency career, my staff sometimes asked, "Why are we doing this when the client can do it themselves?" I would explain that our role is to make ourselves indispensable, to be relied on and counted on. This principle remains important today, especially as work fundamentally changes. Being skilled and knowledgeable is essential. Exploring tools like AI to improve efficiency and understanding workforce trends can make you more valuable. Leadership and empathy have never been more critical.
Networking and Staying Visible
Out of sight really can mean out of mind. Maintaining relationships with clients, potential clients, industry peers, vendors, and colleagues is crucial. Attending trade shows, visiting events, participating in webinars, or learning new skills online are all ways to stay engaged and top of mind.
Internships and volunteer work for causes you care about provide essential industry exposure and networking opportunities. These experiences often lead to mentorships and your first paid roles. An often overlooked networking strategy is keeping up with peers who are starting their careers alongside you. Some may have accelerated trajectories, become industry stars, or launch their own companies. Those early relationships can become some of your most valuable professional connections over time.
For a deeper dive into networking strategies that can accelerate your career in events and experiential marketing, see my blog on Networking as Experiential Marketing.
The Power of Teamwork
When starting out, it is easy to try to outwork everyone, believing that long hours alone will make you successful. Over time, I realized that building and empowering a team can scale your ideas and results far beyond what you can achieve alone. Mentoring and trusting the right people allows for sustainable growth, innovation, and the ability to take on larger projects without burning out.
Work-Life Considerations
The event and experiential industry can be taxing on personal relationships. Travel, night events, and weekend commitments are common, even when you are not onsite. Early in my career, I missed important family milestones because of work. I attended a client event straight from my mom's funeral. These experiences taught me the high personal cost of not balancing work and life. Later, my wife and I learned to turn travel for events and trade shows into mini trips, which allowed us to spend meaningful time together.
Reflecting on Career Paths
Looking back, I also see my peers who took different routes. Some founded and exited companies with equity, others pursued executive roles that offered long-term stability and the ability to save for retirement. These are real-life decisions, just like balancing personal priorities such as marriage or children. Each choice has consequences, and recognizing what matters most to you is key to building a fulfilling career.
Key Takeaways
Success in the events and experiential industry comes from:
Understanding the career path you want and its trade-offs
Planning for financial inconsistency if freelancing or running your own agency
Recognizing the big risk, big reward nature of entrepreneurship, including payment challenges
Investing in networking and relationships consistently
Building deep skills, staying aware of industry trends, and being indispensable
Leveraging a team to scale your ideas and results
Recognizing the impact of your career on personal life and making intentional choices
Final Thoughts
Success in the events and experiential industry is about more than just skill or ambition. It is about making informed career choices, building lasting networks, continuously improving your expertise, and taking care of yourself and your relationships along the way. Understanding your value, leveraging your team, and staying visible can create opportunities that extend far beyond any single project or event.
I'm still on my own career path. Let's connect and help each other.
Chris Pace
516-523-3418
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