Conference planner vs director of events

The differences between conference planners and directors of events can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a conference planner and a director of events. Additionally, a director of events has an average salary of $65,971, which is higher than the $57,176 average annual salary of a conference planner.

The top three skills for a conference planner include conference planning, reservations and audio-visual equipment. The most important skills for a director of events are customer service, event management, and customer satisfaction.

Conference planner vs director of events overview

	Conference Planner	Director Of Events
Yearly salary	$57,176	$65,971
Hourly rate	$27.49	$31.72
Growth rate	18%	18%
Number of jobs	17,145	8,520
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	2	2

Conference planner vs director of events salary

Conference planners and directors of events have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Conference Planner	Director Of Events
Average salary	$57,176	$65,971
Salary range	Between $41,000 And $79,000	Between $38,000 And $112,000
Highest paying City	-	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	-	Massachusetts
Best paying company	-	CrowdStrike
Best paying industry	-	Technology

Differences between conference planner and director of events education

There are a few differences between a conference planner and a director of events in terms of educational background:

	Conference Planner	Director Of Events
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	San Diego State University	San Diego State University

Conference planner vs director of events demographics

Here are the differences between conference planners' and directors of events' demographics:

	Conference Planner	Director Of Events
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 15.3% Female, 84.7%	Male, 34.1% Female, 65.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 16.0% Asian, 5.8% White, 62.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 5.9% White, 61.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between conference planner and director of events duties and responsibilities

Conference planner example responsibilities.

Manage all logistics and communications from beginning to end with clients, including sending invitations, monitoring RSVP, and hosting.
Monitor room blocks for out of town event attendees and design VIP gift baskets.
Direct, plan and organize internal/external meetings, corporate golf outings, banquets and VIP programs.
Develop agenda and itinerary, organize and procure all speaker biographies and materials and logistics for successful program execution.
Provide creative support and assistance by researching and developing booth entertainment ideas and designing booth signage and packaging of giveaways.

Director of events example responsibilities.

Manage a team of employees with responsibilities of 40,000 sq.
Create, update and manage donor databases, invitation and RSVP lists, and seating charts.
Conduct ROI analysis to ensure effective allocation of corporate funds and staffing resources to achieve business and sales objectives.
Manage weekly BEO meetings to discuss the upcoming events with other department heads to ensure the proper execution of all events.
Maximize revenue by upselling and managing clients' budgets effectively.
Manage all aspects of these events and act as onsite manager to ensure meeting are delivered effectively and professionally.

Conference planner vs director of events skills

Common conference planner skills

Conference Planning, 16%
Reservations, 10%
Audio-Visual Equipment, 8%
Conference Services, 7%
Event Planning, 4%
Event Logistics, 4%

Common director of events skills

Customer Service, 15%
Event Management, 8%
Customer Satisfaction, 7%
Event Planning, 7%
Audio Visual, 6%
Booking, 6%

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Conference Planner vs Director Of Events

Updated January 8, 2025

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