Conference planner vs meeting planner

The differences between conference planners and meeting planners 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 meeting planner. Additionally, a conference planner has an average salary of $57,176, which is higher than the $56,257 average annual salary of a meeting planner.

The top three skills for a conference planner include conference planning, reservations and audio-visual equipment. The most important skills for a meeting planner are client facing, event planning, and powerpoint.

Conference planner vs meeting planner overview

	Conference Planner	Meeting Planner
Yearly salary	$57,176	$56,257
Hourly rate	$27.49	$27.05
Growth rate	18%	18%
Number of jobs	17,145	17,112
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 78%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	2	2

Conference planner vs meeting planner salary

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

	Conference Planner	Meeting Planner
Average salary	$57,176	$56,257
Salary range	Between $41,000 And $79,000	Between $40,000 And $77,000
Highest paying City	-	Newark, NJ
Highest paying state	-	New Jersey
Best paying company	-	AbbVie
Best paying industry	-	Hospitality

Differences between conference planner and meeting planner education

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

	Conference Planner	Meeting Planner
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 78%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	San Diego State University	San Diego State University

Conference planner vs meeting planner demographics

Here are the differences between conference planners' and meeting planners' demographics:

	Conference Planner	Meeting Planner
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 15.3% Female, 84.7%	Male, 12.4% Female, 87.6%
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, 11.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 5.9% White, 61.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between conference planner and meeting planner 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.

Meeting planner example responsibilities.

Manage company's social medias and publish weekly relate topics on Facebook and newsletter.
Confirm reservations, registrations and manage itineraries.
Develop and issue client/supplier contracts, submit RFP s, secure meeting space, research and create budgets for proposals.
Handle all participants regarding event specifications, RFP's, registrations, confirmations, cancellations, schedules, and cost summaries.
Deliver onsite execution and conduct post event surveys.
Oversee arrangements for event production and onsite technology.

Conference planner vs meeting planner skills

Common conference planner skills

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

Common meeting planner skills

Client Facing, 10%
Event Planning, 8%
PowerPoint, 6%
Audio Visual, 5%
Event Management, 5%
Site Selection, 4%