For event managers who plan and execute the wide array of concerts, conferences and parties that take place every day, no event is too small and no detail is ever too trivial.
'Sometimes it can be as simple as arranging a meeting or a lunch, or as complicated as arranging a solo exhibition in a foreign country which requires extensive travel and co-ordination with service providers and colleagues overseas,' says Phoebe Tsang, assistant manager for product promotion at Hong Kong Trade Development Council.
Event managers liaise with internal and external parties to establish the basic facts of the event, such as when it is happening, how big it will be and what is the target audience, before recommending a suitable venue.
Having set the initial details, they select service providers, including agencies that provide contingent manpower for the event, caterers, security and insurance, and arrange transport for visitors and staff.
Other tasks include planning for contingencies - whether that be rain, overcrowding or a low turnout - drafting and overseeing the programme rundown, collecting feedback from participants and writing reports.
In the hotel sector, event managers work with other hotel departments to ensure that their clients' needs are met, says Jackey Ma, assistant director for catering and conference services at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group in Hong Kong.
'You can be dealing with different possibilities, from finding monogrammed gold napkins for one event to building simultaneous translation booths for another. We also have to make ourselves available to our clients during the event, even if that means staying late in the evenings or working on weekends,' Ma says.