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Meeting & Event Planning

Types of Degrees Meeting & Event Planning Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Meeting & Event Planning can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	21
Associate’s Degree	27
Bachelor’s Degree	366
Master’s Degree	306

What Meeting & Event Planning Majors Need to Know

Programs in Meeting & Event Planning build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Meeting & Event Planning graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Meeting & Event Planning emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Communications and Media — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Administrative — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.3 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set developed in a Meeting & Event Planning program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Service Orientation — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Meeting & Event Planning careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Speech Recognition — Importance 4 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Meeting & Event Planning graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.6 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.6 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.5 / 7
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	4.5 / 7
Working with Computers	4.4 / 7
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public	4.3 / 7
Scheduling Work and Activities	4.3 / 7
Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People	4.2 / 7
Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others	4.2 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Meeting & Event Planning professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Google Drive	Cloud-based data access and sharing software	—
Social media sites	Web page creation and editing software	—
Mentimeter	Presentation software	—
Marketo Marketing Automation	Sales and marketing software	—
Convention Industry Council CIC APEX Toolbox	Project management software	—
Lenos marketing automation software	Data base user interface and query software	—
LogMeIn GoToWebinar	Network conferencing software	—
ParentSquare	Desktop communications software	—
Event Management Software	Project management software	—
ESRI ArcGIS software	Geographic information system	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Trimble SketchUp Pro	Graphics or photo imaging software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Meeting & Event Planning graduates include:

• Convention Services Director
• Convention Worker
• Events Specialist
• Conference Services Director
• Special Events Director
• Event Specialist
• Events Manager
• Special Events Coordinator
• Certified Meeting Professional
• Event Staff
• Event Planner
• Scheduling Coordinator
• Conference Planner
• Meeting Planner
• Conference Organizer

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Meeting & Event Planning graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	40.8%
Some college courses	37.2%
High school diploma or equivalent	7.9%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	7.5%
Postsecondary certificate	6.6%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Meeting & Event Planning?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 87.7% of Meeting & Event Planning degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	640	87.7%
Men	90	12.3%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Meeting & Event Planning graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	437	59.9%
Asian	18	2.5%
Hispanic or Latino	114	15.6%
Black or African American	49	6.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native	4	0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	1	0.1%
Two or More Races	28	3.8%
Race Unknown	20	2.7%
International Students	59	8.1%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Meeting & Event Planning Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Meeting & Event Planning graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$35,616
4 years	$42,558
5 years	$47,733

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $47,733 — roughly 34% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Meeting & Event Planning Programs

Online study is tracked by IPEDS for Meeting & Event Planning. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	2	2
Master’s	2	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Meeting & Event Planning Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Meeting & Event Planning graduates earn a median of $42,558 four years after completion — roughly 12% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Hospitality Administration/Management	52.09
Brewery/Brewpub Operations/Management	52.0910
Casino Management	52.0908
Hospitality Administration/Management, General	52.0901
Hospitality Administration/Management, Other	52.0999
Hotel, Motel, and Restaurant Management	52.0909
Hotel/Motel Administration/Management	52.0904
Resort Management	52.0906
Restaurant/Food Services Management	52.0905
Tourism and Travel Services Management	52.0903

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.