Venue managers are critical in the event venue industry. These jack-of-all-trades manage everything from venue security to vendor relationships and accounts. But, if you hope to advance your career, increase your venue manager salary, or get a leg up in the industry, achieving a certification is your best bet.
Certifications, especially the ones mentioned below, are guaranteed to establish your authority as a venue manager.
Consider these venue management certifications to learn how to effectively manage a venue, impress your employer, and step up in the industry.
How Certifications Can Advance Your Career
Venue managers, unlike event planners, stay at one event venue. A venue manager knows how to effectively take care of all aspects of a venue space. Common tasks include working with event planners, some mild event planning, and hiring and training new employees. They also work with vendors and other industry professionals, and manage the business and finances of the venue.
It’s a crucial role and one that requires a lot of experience. As a venue manager, you need to think on your feet and manage all the different sectors in your venue without missing a beat.
As you can see, venue management is a difficult but rewarding role. Most venue owners, when hiring managers, look for people with practical experience and theoretical knowledge.
But let's say you’re just starting out in the industry and you don’t have a lot of practical know-how. Or, you’re an experienced manager who wants a higher-paying job. It’s here that venue management certifications come in very handy.
These certificates teach venue managers everything they need to know about the industry, including the inner workings of other industry roles – like those of event planners. It also provides practical knowledge you can apply to your venue space.
Having a venue management certification shows potential employers that you have the necessary skills to effectively manage their venue.
And, if you’re already experienced and in the industry, venue management certifications can provide the leverage you need to further your career and snag a higher-paying job. Certified professionals consistently earn more than their non-certified counterparts.
So, while there are no required courses or schooling for becoming a venue manager, there are certifications that can help you advance your career. If your goal is to make venue management your career, then gaining as much industry knowledge is a must.
Types of Venue Management Certifications
There are a wide variety of venue management certifications to choose from. Some focus on specific industries while others function in adjacent industries but still apply to venue management.
So, before we get into the finer details of which venue management certificates you should keep in mind, let’s first do a quick overview of the types you’ll find in the industry.
Industry-Specific Certificates
First, we have industry-specific certifications. These are the types of certificates that are specifically designed for the hospitality industry, and in this case, venue management. You’ll also find them under event management.
A few examples include wedding venue management, concert venue management, and small venue management.
An industry-specific program will cover all the details associated with your venue’s niche. So, if your venue hosts mostly weddings, the course will provide detailed instructions on wedding venue management.
While the education is limited to a specific niche, an industry-specific course is great if your venue only does one type of event. You then don’t need to know more about other management procedures.
This type of certification is also a good option if you want to get into a specific field. Let’s say you desperately want to manage concert venues and not small event venues, then having a concert-specific certificate will work in your favor.
Adjacent Industries
Being a venue manager is not the same as being an event planner. However, the skill sets of these two do overlap, and there are advantages to knowing how the other side works.
A lot of venue manager certifications will have additional material that covers event planning and adjacent industry knowledge. This provides a deeper and broader understanding of the events and venue industry as a whole.
A few adjacent industry skills that could benefit you include event coordination and planning, special event management, and meeting management. Some of these skills don’t strictly fall under the venue management banner but can help you do a better job and navigate the industry.
So, if there is a certificate with a broad range of modules that cover other parts of the events industry, it can be tremendously helpful. It’s especially helpful if you don’t have a specific industry sector as your goal. Then a broader understanding of the hospitality industry can prove beneficial.
Business and Marketing Credentials
Much of the responsibilities of a venue manager include business and marketing dealings. Venue management entails working with vendors and other companies and doing basic accounting for the venue. Creating or adjusting marketing campaigns for the best possible outcome is also important knowledge for a venue manager to have.
That’s why credentials in business and marketing also prove fruitful when applying for venue management posts.
You can either have separate business and marketing certifications. Or take advantage of management courses that include more business-oriented practices in their curriculum. Either way, knowing these sectors is a great way to advance your venue management career and access more senior roles.
8 Venue Management Certifications
With the details out of the way, let’s take a look at some of the best venue management courses out there.
There is a range of certifications from dedicated courses that cover only venue management to comprehensive certificates that delve into everything from sustainability to event planning. Whatever you choose, these courses are a great asset for any venue manager – whether you’re hoping to start your career or advance your current position.
1. Certified Venue Executive (CVE)
The Certified Venue Executive (CVE) certification is a course presented by the International Association of Venue Managers. The certification is considered an elite qualification and a certified venue executive is guaranteed a senior role in venue management.
The Certified Venue Executive certification is intensive and reserved for applicants with at least five years of experience in the industry.
Applicants also need to tick the following boxes:
- A degree from an accredited college or university
- Continuing education in conferences, professional program attendance, and leadership training
- Experience with teaching, public speaking, and mentoring
- Association volunteer and committee participation
- Publication contributions and authoring industry articles
- Community service involvement
The Certified Venue Executive certification is seen as an elite-level certification.So if you achieve this certification, it’s a clear indicator to future employees that you know how to manage venues effectively. Being CVE-certified means you are in top form in all sectors of venue management and can effectively lead and grow whichever venue is lucky enough to have you.
2. Certified Venue Professional (CVP)
The Certified Venue Professional (CVP) course is also part of the International Association of Venue Managers catalog. Where the CVE course is for senior and upper management positions, the Certified Venue Professionals course is for mid to senior-level venue managers.
It’s easier to get into than CVE, but still an elite program with a lot of sway. To join the program, you need to be a part of the International Association of Venue Managers. You also need to have three to five years of experience in the industry.
Being an accredited Certified Venue Professional makes you more marketable to venue owners. It shows that you have intimate knowledge of the venue industry and are recognized as a middle to senior-level industry authority.
3. NYU Facilities and Venue Management
The Johnathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality offers a Facilities and Venue Management certification. The certification covers a broad range of venue management topics and prospects with a comprehensive overview of venue management.
Key points covered in the certification include:
- The history of public venues
- Venue business management
- Venue finance management
- Venue ticketing
- Venue safety and security
- Venue booking procedures
- Rental agreements
This course is a great option for newer venue professionals who need practical venue management knowledge. It also complements other certifications, especially ones that focus on specific industries like wedding venues.
4. Certified in Hospitality Business Acumen (CHBA)
The Certified in Hospitality Business Acumen (CHBA) certification is a great course to get the hang of the financial and business management aspects of venue management. It’s a large part of the job and a venue manager with a good grasp on business dynamics is guaranteed to help a venue grow.
The CHBA course load covers the following topics:
- Targeting business priorities and using statements to determine action
- Managing business and choosing logistics metrics that matter
- Leading business priority and leveraging communicating for results
- Partnering with the right goals in mind
One reason this course stands above other business management courses is its niche. The course is specially designed to teach business in the hospitality industry, which differs from the management you’ll find in other corporate settings.
You get a comprehensive and practical guide on the unique issues present in hospitality and venue business management.
To join the course, candidates must have experience in the hospitality industry.
5. Digital Event Strategist (DES)
Events management for online or hybrid events looks different than in-person events. And with the increase in digital event solutions, a certification in this area can prove very helpful.
The Digital Event Strategist (DES) certification covers exactly these topics in its coursework.
The course includes:
- 10-hour course on how to master virtual and hybrid event production, sales, and marketing
- Full access to webinars with experts in the virtual and hybrid events industry
- Live monthly panel discussion and Q&A with experts
This certification will broaden the types of event management jobs you can apply for. It can also be used in your current work environment to increase your venue’s reach and revenue and boost your career.
The certification is open to all candidates who apply.
6. IIEM Certificate Programs in Event Management
The International Institute of Event Management (IIEM) offers two event management certification programs. Both are good options for venue managers.
The first program is a standard Certificate in Event Management. The course is perfect for industry newcomers looking to improve their event management approach. The course includes an introduction to event management, fundamentals of event management, and knowledge of corporate event management.
The second program is a Master's Certificate in Event Management. It’s one step up from the Certificate in Event Management. This is best for industry professionals who want to increase their current skill set for a more senior industry position.
The Master's certificate covers the same materials as the certificate in Event Management. It also covers social event management, wedding planning, and advanced event management.
The certification is open to all candidates who apply.
7. Certified Special Events Professional (CSEP)
The Certified Special Events Professional (CSEP) certification is hosted by the International Live Events Association (ILEA). The certification covers how to plan and manage special events, and is a popular accreditation option for venue managers interested in concert, music, and outdoor venue management.
The certification graduates learn how to:
- Uphold and improve industry standards
- Improve event management efficiency and proficiency
- Manage special events from industry professionals
The certification is private and candidates need to apply to complete the course. You’ll need at least five years of industry experience. If you don’t have the required five years of experience, there is an alternate method. You can apply with three years and a recommendation letter from a current CSEP member or a diploma in hospitality or event planning.
CSEP venue managers are highly sought after and the ILEA has a public database for interested parties to access and hire CSEP graduates from.
8. Sustainable Event Professional (SEPC)
There is an increasing focus on sustainable venue management and event production. A Sustainable Event Professional certification can help you stand out from other job candidates and help more venues focus on sustainable management practices.
The Sustainable Event Professional certification is offered by the Events Industry Council (EIC). It aims to teach candidates how to manage venues in a way that considers social and environmental impact. The course provides practical logistics and business approaches for sustainable event planning and management.
The certification is open to all candidates who apply.
Conclusion
A venue manager is an important and sought-after role in the hospitality industry. The work is rewarding but also difficult, and having a certificate in venue management or an adjacent field can greatly improve your chances of being hired or getting a promotion.
If you’re interested in learning how to effectively manage a venue, consider the above venue management courses. Each offers valuable knowledge that’s guaranteed to improve your career.
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