The pathway
How you actually get there, here
How you become one varies far more by country than what one does. This is the UK route. Most people take one of these ways in; the right one depends on where you're starting from.
- 1
Events Coordinator at an Agency or In-House
2-3 yearsSkills to master
- Logistics coordination, vendor communication, budget tracking, on-site event support, basic comms drafting.
You're ready to move on when
- You've successfully managed at least 5-10 smaller events from start to finish.
- You're comfortable handling multiple supplier relationships simultaneously.
- You've proven you can troubleshoot minor issues independently on event days.
- You've drafted clear event-related communications (invitations, confirmations).
- 2
Internal Communications Assistant/Junior Specialist
2-4 yearsSkills to master
- Content drafting (intranet, newsletters), comms platform management, basic analytics reporting, stakeholder engagement.
You're ready to move on when
- You've regularly contributed to or owned a specific internal comms channel (e.g., weekly newsletter).
- You're proficient with an internal comms platform (like Poppulo or Simpplr).
- You can articulate the purpose and audience for different internal messages.
- You've seen comms campaigns through from initial brief to post-send analysis.
- 3
Project Coordinator (non-Events/Comms specific)
3-5 yearsSkills to master
- Project planning, stakeholder management, budget tracking, risk identification, cross-functional collaboration.
You're ready to move on when
- You've managed projects with multiple moving parts and clear deadlines.
- You're excellent at organising information and keeping tasks on track.
- You're comfortable communicating project status to various stakeholders.
- You've demonstrated an ability to adapt to changing project requirements.