Ask Fashion Girl

Dear Chelsie:

An excellent question! What's behind the title of the person behind weddings, red carpet festivities, and extraordinary parties? A Special Events Coordinator is the liaison between all facets involved in an event: the venue, catering, entertainment, parking, decorations, flowers, invitees, and the hosts of the event. The Special Events Coordinator finds, interviews, hires, and manages all these other professionals, and is responsible for everything running smoothly at the event. They come up with party ideas and work with all the players involved to make party plans a reality. An Event Coordinator must be detail-oriented, often creative, with great follow-through.

Even though you're still in high school, there are lots of things you can do now to prepare for a career as a Special Events Coordinator. Begin by getting involved with your school's dance and Prom committees. These provide great experience in putting on a big event. And look in your community for opportunities to get involved in local fairs, fundraising parties, and anything that takes planning and follow-through. These activities will give you valuable experience for your next step: getting a job working for a special events company, or as an assistant to a Special Events Coordinator. This is where your unpaid high school experience will come in handy! Then, when it's time to come to college, FIDM's Visual Communications major is the place to be for future Event Coordinators.

If you love attending parties and events, there's no better place to be than helping put on the whole show!

Sincerely, Fashion Girl