What You Need to Know About Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners

Meeting, Convention, or Event Planner Example Coordinate activities of staff, convention personnel, or clients to make arrangements for group meetings, events, or conventions.

Meeting, Convention, or Event Planner Responsibilities

• Inspect event facilities to ensure that they conform to customer requirements.
• Promote conference, convention and trades show services by performing tasks such as meeting with professional and trade associations, and producing brochures and other publications.
• Plan and develop programs, agendas, budgets, and services according to customer requirements.
• Organize registration of event participants.
• Hire, train, and supervise volunteers and support staff required for events.
• Read trade publications, attend seminars, and consult with other meeting professionals to keep abreast of meeting management standards and trends.

What a Meeting, Convention, or Event Planner Should Know

When polled, Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners say the following skills are most frequently used in their jobs:

Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Other Meeting, Convention, or Event Planner Job Titles

• Event Planning Assistant
• Corporate Meeting Planner
• Special Events Director
• Conference Planning Manager
• Trade Show Coordinator

Meeting, Convention, or Event Planner Job Outlook

There were about 116,700 jobs for Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners in 2016 (in the United States).

New jobs are being produced at a rate of 10.9% which is lower than average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 12,700 new jobs for Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners by 2026. There will be an estimated 15,100 positions for Meeting, Convention, or Event Planner per year.

The states with the most job growth for Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners are New York, California, and Texas.

Watch out if you plan on working in Maine, Alaska, or Wyoming. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.

What is the Average Salary of a Meeting, Convention, or Event Planner

Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners Make between $27,560 and $84,900 a year. The median salary is $49,370.

Below is a list of the median annual salaries for jobs of this type in different U.S. states.

Annual Mean Salary by State

State	Annual Mean Salary
New York	$67,990
District of Columbia	$67,970
New Jersey	$65,950
Virginia	$60,830
Hawaii	$60,340
Connecticut	$59,790
Rhode Island	$57,980
California	$57,960
Massachusetts	$56,570
Maryland	$56,250
Washington	$53,380
Texas	$53,230
Illinois	$52,570
Minnesota	$51,130
Colorado	$51,060
Georgia	$50,950
Alaska	$50,830
New Hampshire	$49,370
Delaware	$49,280
Vermont	$49,210
Oregon	$49,100
Tennessee	$48,980
Indiana	$48,970
Florida	$48,940
Pennsylvania	$48,670
Ohio	$48,590
North Dakota	$47,780
Nevada	$47,410
Michigan	$47,090
North Carolina	$47,080
Maine	$47,050
Wisconsin	$46,160
Nebraska	$45,720
Arkansas	$45,490
Missouri	$45,140
Utah	$45,130
Iowa	$44,770
Wyoming	$44,580
Alabama	$44,280
Arizona	$44,160
Oklahoma	$43,300
West Virginia	$42,760
Kansas	$42,470
Louisiana	$42,320
Mississippi	$41,110
Montana	$40,370
South Carolina	$40,040
Kentucky	$40,000
New Mexico	$37,400
Idaho	$37,280
South Dakota	$36,840

What Tools & Technology do Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners Use?

Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners may use on a daily basis:

• Oracle Primavera Enterprise Project Portfolio Management
• Adobe Systems Adobe Creative Cloud
• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft Project
• Microsoft PowerPoint
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Adobe Systems Adobe InDesign
• Microsoft Word
• Microsoft Dynamics

How do I Become a Meeting, Convention, or Event Planner?

Are there Meeting, Convention, or Event Planner education requirements?

What work experience do I need to become a Meeting, Convention, or Event Planner?

Where Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners Are Employed

You May Also Be Interested In…

Those thinking about becoming Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners might also be interested in the following careers:

• Chefs and Head Cooks

Those who work as Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners sometimes switch careers to one of these choices:

• Public Relations and Fundraising Managers
• Producers
• Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes

References

Bureau of Labor Statistics

College Factual

O*NET Online

Image Credit: Via Wikimedia Commons