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Conference planner vs events assistant

The differences between conference planners and events assistants 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 an events assistant. Additionally, a conference planner has an average salary of $57,176, which is higher than the $28,633 average annual salary of an events assistant.

The top three skills for a conference planner include conference planning, reservations and audio-visual equipment. The most important skills for an events assistant are customer service, event materials, and event planning.

Conference planner vs events assistant overview

Conference PlannerEvents Assistant
Yearly salary$57,176$28,633
Hourly rate$27.49$13.77
Growth rate18%18%
Number of jobs17,1455,728
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 76%Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Average age3838
Years of experience22

Conference planner vs events assistant salary

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

Conference PlannerEvents Assistant
Average salary$57,176$28,633
Salary rangeBetween $41,000 And $79,000Between $21,000 And $37,000
Highest paying City-Cambridge, MA
Highest paying state-Maine
Best paying company-Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Best paying industry-Non Profits

Differences between conference planner and events assistant education

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

Conference PlannerEvents Assistant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 76%Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeSan Diego State UniversitySan Diego State University

Conference planner vs events assistant demographics

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

Conference PlannerEvents Assistant
Average age3838
Gender ratioMale, 15.3% Female, 84.7%Male, 31.2% Female, 68.8%
Race ratioBlack 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, 10.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 5.9% White, 62.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage16%16%

Differences between conference planner and events assistant 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.

Events assistant example responsibilities.

  • Manage a pop-up shop, recruiting volunteers via Facebook, training them, and creating a volunteer calendar to manage hours.
  • Lead and manage the Instagram and twitter social media sites, also host numerous interviews with stars and celebrities.
  • Promote conversation and interaction among SUU alumni on Facebook by consistently writing posts and generating update photos and content.
  • Design business cards, social tickets, delegate passes and certificates using Photoshop and InDesign.
  • Publish stories on the college's website and post snippets on the college's Facebook page.
  • Compile speaker content and create presentation slides through Microsoft PowerPoint.
  • Show more

Conference planner vs events assistant skills

Common conference planner skills
  • Conference Planning, 16%
  • Reservations, 10%
  • Audio-Visual Equipment, 8%
  • Conference Services, 7%
  • Event Planning, 4%
  • Event Logistics, 4%
Common events assistant skills
  • Customer Service, 27%
  • Event Materials, 7%
  • Event Planning, 6%
  • Event Locations, 6%
  • Event Management, 4%
  • Event Support, 3%

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