Event Planner Certification

How to tell if a Certification Program is a Scam

If you are hoping to start a career in event planning, you might believe that getting event planner certification is the best way to get your foot in the door.

However, that is most likely not true.

There is a huge misconception of what event planning certification really is; and it's very important to understand the truth.

Are you considering taking a certification course in the hopes of achieving any of the following?

• You believe that certification is something anyone can achieve after taking a course in event planning.

• You believe that certification is a short-cut to getting a degree; and a way to learn the basics of event planning in order to begin your career.

• You believe that if you pay for an event planner certification course, then potential employers will see that on your resume and it will be a guaranteed way to get a job.

• You believe that once you take a certification course, you will know everything you need to know to start your own event planning company.

• You believe that all you need to get started on your new careers is one certification course, and you'll be on your way.

Then it's very important for you to know this: every single one of these points is a giant lie.

You see, in the event planning industry, in order to take any true, legitimate certification courses, you must first have at least three years of experience in the industry. In this industry, the term "certification" is taken literally; you can't get "certified" in something you know nothing about. And so, as a beginner, you can't become certified in event planning.

Now, when I say all event planner certification courses are a scam, I don't mean they won't give you anything in return. I don't mean to imply they are the fly-by-night scumbags who will take your money and you never hear from them again (although many of them are).

I simply mean that what they are selling you is a lie. Your "event planner certification" will not mean anything to most potential employers, other than showing them that you took the initiative to learn the basics of the industry (which is a good thing). It doesn't make you an instant event planner, and it certainly doesn't mean you can open your own business.

Additionally, most "certification" programs teach you things you don't really need to know to start a true career in event planning. They most likely will focus most of the course on wedding planning (for the reasons why I recommend not going into wedding event planning as a career, click here). The rest of the course will focus on party planning (for the differences between event planners and party event planners and why you can't make a living as a party planner, click here).

Very few event planner certification courses teach you what you truly need to know to start a successful career; the nuts and bolts of large event and corporate meeting planning. Why? Because, quite frankly, it doesn't sound as "sexy" or attractive as party planning does. Good sales people play to the "fun" side of event planning, and that leads to sales.

But the reality is, that's not where the money is, or where the true event planning careers are. For more on why you should consider corporate event planning, click here.

I urge you to be very, very cautious when searching for event planner certification courses to take. If you find an online course that promises that you, a beginner, will be "certified" at the end of the course, proceed with caution and carefully research the course. These "certifications" are often just companies trying to take your money. Sure, you might learn some basics of the industry, and you might receive a piece of paper from that company claiming you have reached their certification requirements; but will it mean anything to anyone else in the industry? Probably not.

Even if it is a legitimate course, you need to be aware that this "certification" alone will rarely get you in the door or get you a job. Having this certification on your resume is not an automatic "shoe-in" to land you a job, despite what the creators of the course tell you.

On the other hand, if you know absolutely nothing about the industry, then you do need to take an event planning course. If the course truly teaches you the basics, such as working with meeting room space, online registration, contracts, flow of space, working with vendors, and audio visual basics, then this is great knowledge to learn.

But, again, be cautious. I have looked up the course outlines for numerous courses, and many of them seem like a complete farce.

For my personal opinion on various online event planning certification courses, click here to read about different online event planning courses.

There's an expression that says, "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em." For the two years since I started my site, I've been struggling with what to tell my readers who are honestly needing guidance on what courses to take. I struggled because I know they need to learn the basics, but I can't, in good conscience, recommend any of the courses out there....

It's not full of fluff. It's not going to tell you that at the end of the course, you can plan the next Olympics Opening Ceremony. But it will teach you the foundation of event and corporate meeting planning; so you can head out into the field, armed with the knowledge and terminology you need to start a successful career.

For more on this course, click here to go to the Event Planner Course; How to Plan Events.


(IF you have 3-5 years of experience and want to learn more about the types of certifications for experienced planners, click here to learn more about event planning certification).

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