As long as people have a reason to gather in person or online, there will always be a need for event planners. Weddings, company events, trade conferences, and even birthday parties take the right person to pull off the function without a hitch.
Whether you are planning for an upcoming gathering of family and friends, your boss has asked you to coordinate a seminar, or you think you have what it takes to make a career as an event planner, this review is for you.
Featured Programs
Disclaimer: Some courses may include an affiliate link. Courses were chosen first based on the methodology with affiliate links only added after the ranking was complete.
In it, we outline some of the top free online courses for event planners that we could find. We use a specific methodology that we developed to seek out the best classes and present them in a simple format. These are our top picks.
1. Event Marketing Course and Certification
Offered by Eventbrite
Our favorite free online course in event planning is this offering from Eventbrite. Eventbrite is one of the leading ticketing platforms that allows users to create, share, and participate in a wide range of events worldwide.
Taught by five industry experts on the platform, this six-hour event marketing course introduces students to everything they need to know about how to market and promote an event. The course was created in 2018, and it consists of five sections:
• Social Media
• Paid Advertising
• Event Discovery
• Email Marketing
• Website Conversion
Students will learn through video lectures, exercises, readings, and quizzes designed to give them the knowledge they need to market an event and even gain career recognition.
Upon successful completion of the course, participants are eligible for certification and a LinkedIn badge to promote their new talents.
Cost: Free
Certificate: Yes
Time to Complete: Six hours
Curriculum: Introductory to Intermediate
User Experience: Excellent
Quality of Instruction: Excellent
Pros:
•Easy signup
•Free certification
•Industry recognized leader in event planning
Cons:
•None
2. Event Sponsorship Course and Certification
Offered by Eventbrite
This second course offering from Eventbrite focuses on the skills needed to recruit and manage sponsors for your event. It is taught by Chris Baylis, President and CEO of The Sponsorship Collective and can be completed in about five hours, not including the final exam.
The free online event planning course consists of videos, readings, exercises, and quizzes to test your knowledge. There are five engaging modules in all, covering:
• Finding Sponsors
• Packaging and Pricing
• Activations
• Management
• Renewing Sponsors
The course is completely free, and signup is simple. Upon successfully passing the test, students are eligible for certification and a LinkedIn badge that can be displayed on their profile. There is really nothing about this course not to be happy about, and the free certificate makes it one of the top free online courses in event planning we’ve found.
Cost: Free
Certificate: Yes
Time to Complete: Five hours
Curriculum: Introductory to Intermediate
User Experience: Excellent
Quality of Instruction: Excellent
Pros:
•Perfect for those who are in charge of finding corporate sponsors
•Taught by a leading industry expert
•Interactive and engaging
Cons:
•None
3. Social Media for Special Events
Offered by Udemy
Best-Selling Author Eric Schwartzman presents this free and informative course on the Udemy learning platform. It’s just shy of eight hours long and is intended to teach students everything they need to know about social media for events using the trade show as an example.
Sales professionals, exhibitors, and booth personnel alike will find this educational offering can help them generate more business by promoting themselves via social media more effectively. The free online course for event planners covers:
• Twitter marketing
• Connecting with industry influencers
• Email for effective trade-show marketing
• Generating excitement via mobile apps
• Generating leads
• Using QR codes at the trade show
• Booking celebrity appearances
• Designing and using custom mobile apps for the show
• Deep dives on Facebook and Foursquare
Cost: Free
Certificate: No
Time to Complete: Eight hours
Curriculum: Introductory
User Experience: Excellent
Quality of Instruction: Excellent
Pros:
•Covers almost every aspect of social media marketing for trade shows
•Easy to use interface
•Taught by an industry pro
Cons:
Certification not offered
4. The Guide to Modern Event Planning
Offered by Guidebook
This resource is not a class, but a free 31-page download, making it one of the best free online resources to teach yourself event planning. To access the eBook, you will need to provide an email address. Otherwise, there are no other hoops to jump through.
The book is engaging, with lots of infographics and helpful lists. It also includes a workbook for planning your event budget. Some of the topics include:
• Tech tools for organizing a team and choosing a venue
• Nailing down a schedule
• Building an app for your event
• Getting permits and insurance
• Tech tools for social media
• Registration
The free guide rivals some of the other resources on our list with the sheer volume of information provided, and students who do well reading and studying on their own will benefit from this eBook.
Cost: Free
Certificate: No
Time to Complete: Varies
Curriculum: Beginner
User Experience: Good
Quality of Instruction: N/A
Pros:
•Created by app creator Guidebook
•Printable so it can be saved for future reference
•Great for those interested in building an app for their function
Cons:
• No modules or quizzes
5. Everything You Need to Learn How to Be an Event Planner
Offered by Event Planning Blueprint
While this excellent web page offered through Event Planning Blueprint is not an official course, the materials are comprehensive enough to be considered a trusted educational resource for those who want to learn the event planning industry. It can be accessed directly from your browser.
Taught by industry pro Melany Woodward, there are 14 chapters packed full of information that genuinely lives up to its name as a “blueprint.” Highly detailed, it covers every aspect of event planning from beginning to end. A few of the details include:
• Identifying your audience
• Choosing a venue
• Creating an event budget
• Event contract negotiation
• Food and beverages
• Audio and visual production basics
• Guest accommodations
• Meeting content
Woodward leaves no stone unturned in this comprehensive plan, and users will find that by proceeding through the chapters, there are many details they might otherwise have overlooked. The event blueprint has them all covered.
Cost: Free
Certificate: No
Time to Complete: Varies
Curriculum: Introductory
User Experience: Good
Quality of Instruction: Good
Pros:
•Ideal for those who learn by reading
•Thorough
•Lots of additional resources available
Cons:
•User experience is lacking
6. Wedding Planner Bootcamp
Offered by Wedding Planning Institute
This free wedding planner boot camp is taught by Cho Phillips, the founder and CEO of Longevity. It is intended to help aspiring wedding planners get started, and it consists of five modules:
• How to get paid to do what you love
• How to work with a new bridal client
• The secret event planning formula
• Prices, packages, and proposals
• How to get started with paid internships
The free online event planner course is offered as a webinar, so you will need to sign up and wait for a few minutes to begin.
Cost: Free
Certificate: No
Time to Complete: Varies
Curriculum: Introductory
User Experience: Good
Quality of Instruction: Good
Pros:
• View course on your own schedule
• Webinar-based
• Taught by an experienced professional
Cons:
•User experience needs work
7. Brand Marketing: Planning a Successful Event
Offered by Skillshare
Presented by technology entrepreneur Jeremy Andrews, this nine-lesson course on the Skillshare platform is designed to help students learn the best ways to plan an event based around a brand. Topics include:
• Establishing your objectives for planning the event
• Discovering or creating a demand
• How to get marketing sponsors
• Event budgeting
• Event Marketing 101: New Ideas to try
The online event planner course can be taken at no charge with a free trial on the Skillshare platform. After the trial is over, students will need to cancel to avoid being charged.
Cost: Free
Certificate: No
Time to Complete: One hour
Curriculum: Introductory
User Experience: Good
Quality of Instruction: Good
Pros:
•Perfect for those who just want a brief learning experience
•Well-reviewed
•Great for those planning events around brands
Cons:
•Too short
8. Tactfully Cancel or Postpone an Event
Offered by Skillshare
With many events being canceled in 2020 due to COVID 19, it has become more critical than ever to discover the right way to go about the process of postponement or outright cancellation, but how? Most people haven’t encountered this awkward situation, so it’s not generally taught in event planning classes.
Travel blogger Hanna Ashcroft presents this short half-hour course on the most tasteful and tactful ways to cancel an event. Highlights include postponing versus cancellation, how to deal with vendors and team members, the best way to communicate the cancellation, and more.
The online event planner class can be accessed free with a two-week trial on the Skillshare platform. Students who do not wish to pay a membership fee should cancel before the trial is over to avoid being charged.
Cost: Free
Certificate: No
Time to Complete: 31 Minutes
Curriculum: Introductory
User Experience: Good
Quality of Instruction: Good
Pros:
• Solves a perplexing problem
• Practical and actionable
• Open for anyone
Cons:
• Too short
9. Training for Change: Facilitating Online Meetings and Events
Offered by Training for Change
With so many meetings, events, and work functions migrating to online and remote only, the need for event planners who can facilitate these activities has arisen. From understanding the technology to ensuring safety and privacy, there is more involved in online meetings than hopping on a zoom call, especially for businesses.
This newly created web page from training for change walks users through a variety of emerging topics:
• Leading Groups Online
• Getting started with online training and facilitation
• Dealing with disruptors in zoom and online meetings
• Building virtual meeting rooms
• Guide to online meeting platforms
A look around the site reveals a wealth of resources related to team building, meeting facilitation, and more. These fundamental skills will benefit any student looking to study event planning, as proficiency in using remote working tools is vital for success as a planner.
The documents, downloads, and tutorials on the site are entirely free. There are no signups necessary, and the information can be accessed directly from your browser.
Cost: Free
Certificate: No
Time to Complete: Varies
Curriculum: Introductory
User Experience: Fair
Quality of Instruction: Fair
Pros:
•Large clearinghouse of information
•Ideal for those who want to explore planning remote and online events
•Easy to access
Cons:
•Site is disorganized and needs an overhaul
10. Event Planning Foundations
Offered by LinkedIn Learning
Few students know that if they already have a premium LinkedIn account, they can access over 16,000 courses on the platform at no cost. For those who do not, this Event Planning Foundations class can be taken in its entirety for free with a trial membership on LinkedIn. (It can also be purchased outright for $9.99) The course takes about an hour and covers:
• Understanding your audience
• Creating and managing an events budget
• Selecting a venue
• Food and beverage
• Technology
• Gifts for participants
• Transportation
• Timelines
• The day of the event
• Post-event tasks
Although it’s a short offering, this free online event planning course covers the necessary foundations for planning your next event. Upon completion, students are eligible to receive a badge that can be displayed on their profile.
Cost: Free Try a free trial for Linkedin Learning.
Certificate: Yes (badge)
Time to Complete: One hour
Curriculum: Introductory
User Experience: Excellent
Quality of Instruction: Good
Pros:
•Taught by an enthusiastic travel writer
•Easy-to-use interface
•Free with a LinkedIn premium membership
Cons:
•Must remember to cancel before the trial is up to avoid fees
Frequently Asked Questions About Free Online Courses for Event Planners
After looking over our list of the best online courses in event planning, you might have some questions about how it all works. In this section, we will try to provide some insight.
What Does it Take to Become an Event Planner?
If you’re considering a career in event planning, you probably already know it’s something you are good at, because you are likely the person everyone calls when they have a function to organize!
But to become a professional in the industry, you have to be super-organized, have a creative nature, be good at communicating, and have strong time-management skills. If you are working within an organization, you will need to be able to manage and organize a team, work well under pressure, and be ok with tight deadlines.
Being able to multitask is a plus, as event planners need to juggle many things at once, sometimes having to make decisions on the fly. There may be scores of tasks to undertake related to the event. Event planners need to know every small detail from planning to clean up and everything in-between.
If you are in charge of planning an event, you may have to schedule the venue, create a menu, communicate with clients, adhere to a specific budget, choose the entertainment, purchase supplies from vendors, negotiate with speakers, develop promotional materials, and more. There is a lot of work involved, and above all—you should have lots of energy to do it all.
What Types of Event Planning Might a Person Get Involved In?
When you think of all the events going on at any given time, it’s easy to see that event planners can carve their niche in nearly any venue they would like to specialize in. Opportunities are available for planning:
Bar and Bat Mitzvahs
Weddings
Dance Recitals
Holiday Parties
Fundraising Balls
Festivals
Concerts
Galas
Conventions
Symposiums
Baby showers
Birthday and retirement parties
Church events
Camping weekends
Ceremonies
Graduations
Trade Shows
Exhibitions
Corporate Events
Vacations
The list is never-ending. Plus, depending upon their location, event planners can break their niche into even smaller specializations, such as private school graduations, over-the-hill birthday bashes, or children’s events.
On the business end, event planners may want to work only for events put on by hospitals, law firms, municipalities, or the media. Some larger organizations or hotels hire their own event planners and coordinators, so if you want a salaried position in the field, the opportunity exists for that as well. There is something for everyone in the event planning profession.
What Should I Expect from a Free Online Event Planning Course?
All platforms are slightly different, and you may find that you prefer one over the other. In general, you can expect to find on-demand videos, readings, exercises, lessons, and even quizzes to test your knowledge.
Most courses proceed through modules designed to make it easy to progress logically from one step to the next, and they can almost always be taken at your own pace. You can also fit free online classes into your schedule to allow time for your other commitments.
The time you spend on each course will differ, and classes could take anywhere from a few hours to a few months. You should not feel rushed, however. Nor should you feel like you have to go as slow as the suggested time for completion. Do what works for you.
All courses listed in our free online course series can be taken at no charge. However, from time to time, you will notice that one or more learning platforms list a monthly membership fee. This is always optional. If you do sign up for a free trial, you will need to cancel before your trial deadline to avoid charges.
Are Free Classes For Event Planners Worth It?
Certainly! No matter how good you plan an event, there is always something new to learn. Not everyone who is talented at event planning has all the necessary skills needed to be an in-demand professional. Taking some courses in event planning can help to address areas of weakness, fuel new ideas, and get the creative juices flowing as you plan your next big event.
OCR Staff
Updated June 2020
Disclaimer: Some courses may include an affiliate link. Courses were chosen first based on the methodology with affiliate links only added after the ranking was complete.
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