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The differences between conference services managers and catering sales managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a conference services manager, becoming a catering sales manager takes usually requires 6-8 years. Additionally, a catering sales manager has an average salary of $53,086, which is higher than the $50,711 average annual salary of a conference services manager.
The top three skills for a conference services manager include reservations, conference services and booking. The most important skills for a catering sales manager are customer service, booking, and event planning.
| Conference Services Manager | Catering Sales Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $50,711 | $53,086 |
| Hourly rate | $24.38 | $25.52 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 121,578 | 136,748 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 39 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 8 |
A Conference Services Manager organizes and oversees conferences from planning to execution, ensuring efficiency and smooth operations. They meet with clients and representatives to learn about their event needs and budgets. From there, a Conference Services Manager develops plans and guidelines with staff, books caterers and venues according to the clients' preferences, arrange programs, and coordinates other services. They lead and encourage staff to reach goals, maintaining an active communication line to promptly and efficiently resolve any issues.
A catering sales manager is in charge of developing strategies to secure customers and establish a strong client base. Their responsibilities typically revolve around performing research and analysis to identify business opportunities, coordinating catering staff, liaising with potential clients, negotiating with suppliers and other external parties, and overseeing the sales performance of the company, producing progress reports and presentations as needed. Furthermore, as a manager, it is essential to lead and encourage the team to reach goals, all while prioritizing customer satisfaction.
Conference services managers and catering sales managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Conference Services Manager | Catering Sales Manager | |
| Average salary | $50,711 | $53,086 |
| Salary range | Between $38,000 And $67,000 | Between $41,000 And $68,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | California | New York |
| Best paying company | Apple | Columbia University in the City of New York |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between a conference services manager and a catering sales manager in terms of educational background:
| Conference Services Manager | Catering Sales Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Hospitality Management | Business |
| Most common college | Cornell University | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between conference services managers' and catering sales managers' demographics:
| Conference Services Manager | Catering Sales Manager | |
| Average age | 39 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 27.8% Female, 72.2% | Male, 18.8% Female, 81.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 8.9% White, 55.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 4.1% White, 78.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 7% |