According to a study by the University of Turku School of Economics (Wirén, Westerholm & Liikamaa 2020), corona restrictions have had a negative impact on the turnover of almost all operators in the event sector, and companies estimate that the ban and restrictions will reduce turnover by about 79 % compared to the previous year. In 2019, the combined turnover of the event industry has exceeded EUR 2 billion in Finland and the number of professional operators working in the event industry has ranged from 2 500 to 3 000 at that time. According to the Events Industry Association, there are about 3 200 companies active in the event industry. They provide around 20,000 full-time and 175 000 temporary jobs each year in the organisation of events. A survey of members of the association in October 2020 showed that 94 % of companies in the sector will make loss-making accounts for 2020, mostly significantly loss-making, and that up to 2,000 companies are likely to cease operating in the near future. The organisation of events has faced other challenges and pressures of change. These include changes in legislation and stricter regulatory regulations (e.g. volunteering, GDPR, data protection, accessibility), event security, the diversified use of digital technology in different areas of event organisation, the emphasis on electronic communications, the introduction of new media channels, and the emergence of new types of event analytics in the planning and management of events. Organisers are required to have new skills, new thinking and new operating models. There is a great need to train operators. Smart Event Managers training responds to the crisis situation in the field of event organisation, as well as its development and recovery pressures. Smart Event Managers training supports the development of professionalisation of events, place a large-scale skills gap in organising organisations, systematises and consolidates the competence profiles of the professional event organisation, acts as an open innovation platform for event development, supports the development of entrepreneurship-based forms of operations, and offers cooperation networks for the needs of the participants. At the same time, the internationalisation of event professionals is supported and new operating models are developed. The project develops and pilots the Smart Event Managers training packages: — Basics of event organisation 5 credits — Implementation of the event 10 credits — Event finance 10 credits — Leadership with knowledge 20 credits — Event design, innovation and piloting 15 ECTS 15 credits The training modules consist of courses of different scope, which expand and systematise the contents of each training package. Trainings are free of charge for participants, but some courses may involve fee-free parts. These courses can also be completed in alternative ways at no cost. Trainings are carried out in a diverse manner and can be carried out alongside the work. As a result of the project, the piloted training package supports the professional development of event organisation and harmonises the fragmented expertise needs in the field. The project will result in modern e-learning environments and learning formats. Over and above lectures, e-learning materials, workshops, visitors, work-based learning, visits, sparring rings (e.g. for making applications for funding), mentors and peer-to-peer networks will be brought. The Smart Event Managers pilot creates a continuous learning package that can be offered to work life in the future. As a result of the project, the skills of the workers in the sector will be expanded, the labour market will be strengthened, the competitiveness of the companies in the sector will increase and the players will be networked with each other.