How To Become A Catering & Event Manager: What It Is and Career Path

What is a catering & event manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Mark Zanter

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a catering & event manager. For example, did you know that they make an average of $24.95 an hour? That's $51,900 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 10% and produce 32,300 job opportunities across the U.S.

What's a day at work look like for a catering & event manager?

Mark Zanter

Coordinator, Marshall University

Most of Bachelor's students obtain a Masters degree since that is entry level for teaching in Higher ed. In recent years they have set themselves up as entrepreneurs in music business (writing jingles etc.), working as liturgical musicians, teaching privately, teaching in Higher ed, or working for an Arts Institution. Some will go into other fields like law, medicine, computer science, or public school teaching.

ScoreCatering & Event ManagerUS Average

Salary

4.1

Avg. Salary $51,900

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

9.1

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

7.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.57%

Asian 8.54%

Black or African American 11.23%

Hispanic or Latino 17.36%

Unknown 5.17%

White 57.13%

Gender

female 74.90%

male 25.10%

Age - 38

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 38

Stress level

9.1

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

5.3

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.0

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a catering & event manager

Explore catering & event manager education requirements

Most common catering & event manager degrees

Bachelor's

69.8 %

Associate

14.5 %

High School Diploma

5.9 %

Start to develop specific catering & event manager skills

Skills	Percentages
Guest Satisfaction	7.75%
Wine	7.27%
Booking	6.58%
Event Planning	6.47%
Event Sales	6.11%

Complete relevant catering & event manager training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New catering & event managers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a catering & event manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real catering & event manager resumes.

Gain additional catering & event manager certifications

Catering & event manager certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific catering & event manager certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for catering & event managers include Certified Master Safe Technician (CMST) and Certified Food Manager (CFM).

More About Certifications

Research catering & event manager duties and responsibilities

Own, operate, and manage an online record store, featuring underground, electronic dance music and DJ gear.
Manage marketing exhibit assets, giveaways and promotional items.
Prepare and manage BEOs to client specifications including auto-visual requirements.
Manage contracted teams of event contributors including DJ and develop plans for floral arrangements.

Prepare your catering & event manager resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your catering & event manager resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a catering & event manager resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable catering & event manager resume templates

Build a professional catering & event manager resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your catering & event manager resume.