printEvent managers:
the process of formation in modern Russia
Vatoropin A.S.
Dr. Sci. (Soc.), Assoc. Prof., Head of the Department Theory and Sociology of Management, Ural Institute of Administration – the branch of Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, Yekaterinburg, Russia alexandr.vatoropin@uapa.ru
Startseva N.N.
Cand. Sci. (Soc.), Assoc. Prof., Ural State University of Railway Transport, Yekaterinburg, Russia NStarceva@usurt.ru
Vatoropin A.S., Startseva N.N. Event managers: the process of formation in modern Russia. Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya [Sociological Studies]. 2017. No 7. P. 32-42
The purpose of this study is to identify formation process of professional community of event managers in modern Russia. Methodology of research is based on institutional and activity approaches. This project involves discovering how to identify the specific characteristics and conditions of professional activity of event managers and define the place of community of event managers in the structure of society. Basing on statistical data of research centre recruitment portal SuperJob.ru in 2011–2014, we analyzed the portrait characteristics of the modern event managers. This research provides the statistical significance and the prospects for numerical growth in the emerging group (non-mass) of professional community. Using the methods of non-synchronous online interview and in-depth interviews, the study clarified typology of event managers, fixing attention on the basic differences of professional competences and personal qualities of representatives of subgroups of event-professionals and non-professionals. Research conclusion is following: professional even managers have more social capital (professional knowledge, skills, personal qualities) than nonprofessionals, which makes them qualified to carry out event activity and to occupy a strong position in the professional field. We proved that the process of forming a community of event managers in Russia started but is not completed. Nowadays there are actively developing professional groups: cognitive institutionalization, organizational institutionalization and professional institutionalization. Based on the results of empirical research the authors come to the conclusion that the process of professionalization of event activities and formation of community of event managers enters the stage of organizational institutionalization. Special role in the separation of professional activity and community of event managers play event-professionals, whereas the role of state structures is not so significant. The article identifies several different possible design options of event activities and community of event managers. First, there is the legitimization of event activity and the acquisition of event professional community status. Second, there are securing event activities for other activities and the distribution functions of event manager between specialists representing these other activities. Third, event activities and persons operating them develop towards an independent professional phenomena. The results of experts survey explain the prospects for the professionalization of event activity and consolidation of event managers as a professional community.
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