An event planner's salary can vary depending on a number of factors, including location, experience, and whether they work independently or for a company. Source: U. Bureau of Labor Statistics , Education and training requirements vary for event planners depending on area of expertise which can include weddings and other personal events, as well as business meetings, conventions, and conferences.
Although you may be able to get an entry-level event planning job without formal education, it could limit your chances for career growth. Education: Many event planners earn at least a bachelor's degree in hospitality management or a related major. Some people who work in this field have degrees in public relations , marketing , communication , and business. Certifications: There are a few different voluntary certifications that event planners can get to help boost their skills and credibility.
Experience: Some event planners gain experience through an internship or begin by working in related positions in the hospitality industry.
They can also gain experience early on by coordinating college and volunteer events. As event planners gain experience, they may have the opportunity to take on more responsibilities. For instance, that could mean moving up from being a conference coordinator to being a program coordinator and then to being a meeting manager.
Eventually, many event planners also start their own businesses. In addition to an understanding of hospitality management from a business aspect, you'll increase your chances of success if you have well-developed soft skills, such as the following:. According to the U. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the outlook for event planners over the next decade relative to other occupations and industries is above the average for all occupations, driven by a strong and continuing demand for professionally arranged events and meetings.
Employment is expected to grow by about 11 percent over the next ten years, which is faster than the average growth projected for all occupations between and Growth for other similar occupations, such as business operations specialists, is projected to be 9 percent over the next ten years. Applicants can increase their job prospects if they have hospitality experience and experience with social media outlets and virtual meeting software.
Event planner positions often fluctuate with the economy, and an economic downturn leads to fewer events and fewer planning jobs. Event planners spend time both in and out of their offices. They often travel regularly to event sites and venues in the time leading up to the events and during the events themselves. The work can be fast-paced and demanding since an event planner must coordinate several aspects of an event at once.
During meetings or conventions, planners may work very long days, starting early in the morning and working late into the evening. Sometimes, they must work on weekends. Event Planners rank highly among careers. Overall they rank in the 73rd percentile of careers for satisfaction scores. Please note that this number is derived from the data we have collected from our Sokanu members only.
Despite the inherent stress of event planning, it is undeniably stimulating, exciting, even exhilarating — characteristics that define many happy careers. Based on our pool of users, Event Planners tend to be predominately artistic people.
This finding is not surprising. Essentially, there is an art to almost everything that event planners are asked to do: liaise with clients; negotiate contracts; work with suppliers, who may be from different cultural backgrounds and have different work ethics; be simultaneously aware and responsive, yet able to fade into the background; and in the face of inevitable glitches, remain composed under pressure.
The first thing that anyone considering this career should know is that event planning is consistently listed as one of the top ten most stressful jobs. While the profession can involve travel to exciting destinations and opportunities to stay at often high-end hotels and dine at exclusive restaurants, the work is fraught with immovable deadlines and pressure situations that demand quick thinking and resolution. It is not unusual for event planners to be asked to create calm amidst potential chaos and to unswervingly appear as if chaos was never even a possibility.
To succeed — in fact, to survive — in the field this capacity for composure and troubleshooting is imperative. It is, of course, not the only key skill that competent event planners bring to the table.
The role also demands all of the following proficiencies:. Organizational skills Handling logistics concerning meetings, transportation, activities, and other aspects of events calls for exceptional organizational skills.
Creativity Coming up with inspired ideas and solutions — in consultation with the right vendors such as audio-video providers, destination management companies, and furniture and floral suppliers — calls for a creative sensibility.
Time management skills Event planners must be comfortable prioritizing and reprioritizing multiple responsibilities over long periods of time. The job is deadline driven,. Team management and relationship-building abilities Coordinating staff, guest speakers, entertainers, and event attendees is an integral part of the job. Excellent verbal and written communication skills Event planners are the liaison between multiple parties, from clients to venues to local vendors.
This means that they must be able to respond to a variety of requests of needs. Acute attention to detail Even planning is detail planning. Some companies and non-profits may be tempted to assign event coordination duties to volunteer coordinators hand-picked from their staff.
These professionals may be charged with organizing occasional events, but the focus is always on promotions. Being an event planner requires a diverse set of skills. People who want to work in this field often make extensive checklists, to-do lists, itineraries, and vendor contact lists, but no amount of record-keeping can entirely replace a general propensity for attention to detail.
Overlooking even one seemingly insignificant aspect of planning can lead to unexpected disasters. No matter what type of event someone plans to put together, a professional event coordinator will be able to help.
Working with a company instead of an independent contractor guarantees that clients of all types will be able to find the services they need. Creating a plan The first step event coordinators will take is to confer with their clients regarding their unique visions. Setting the scene Once an event planner has an idea of what the client wants, how many people will be in attendance, and what atmosphere will be most appropriate, he or she will start scouting locations. Here are some of the types of event coordinators: General Event Planners Companies that offer a range of event planning services can work with many different clients because they have experience organizing a wide variety of different events with disparate goals, attendees, and priorities.
Wedding Planners Wedding planners specialize in helping couples ensure that everything goes smoothly when they get hitched.
Donor Coordinators Donor coordinators work exclusively with non-profit organizations. Catering Services Managers Catering services focus exclusively on providing food and drinks for guests.
Event Social Media Coordinators These specialists focus exclusively on promoting events on social media. Volunteer Coordinators Some companies and non-profits may be tempted to assign event coordination duties to volunteer coordinators hand-picked from their staff. Here are some of the skills a good event planner possesses: Good Communication.
Event coordinators must interact with dozens of professionals working in very different fields. Problem-Solving Skills. No matter how carefully all the details of an event have been put together, chances are something will go wrong somewhere along the way.
A keynote speaker might get stuck in traffic, for example, or a catering service might give notice of last-minute menu changes. Event organizers must possess excellent problem-solving skills such as the ability to think on their feet, make quick decisions, and stay calm in the face of potential chaos to hold everything together when unforeseeable challenges arise. Complex Multitasking. No matter what kind of event is in the works, coordinators need to be able to multitask if they want to make and execute plans on a tight schedule.
Planning companies may have staff on hand to assist event planners, so it may be possible to delegate some of the work, but this is not a job for exclusively lateral thinkers because it requires an almost superhuman amount of multitasking. Budgeting and Negotiating. They still need to be expert negotiators, though.
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