Conference services manager vs food service manager

The differences between conference services managers and food service managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a conference services manager and a food service manager. Additionally, a conference services manager has an average salary of $50,711, which is higher than the $43,564 average annual salary of a food service manager.

The top three skills for a conference services manager include reservations, conference services and booking. The most important skills for a food service manager are customer service, sanitation standards, and cleanliness.

Conference services manager vs food service manager overview

	Conference Services Manager	Food Service Manager
Yearly salary	$50,711	$43,564
Hourly rate	$24.38	$20.94
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	121,578	160,740
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Average age	39	39
Years of experience	4	4

What does a conference services manager do?

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.

What does a food service manager do?

A food service manager's role is to oversee and supervise all operations in a restaurant or a similar setting. They are primarily responsible for ensuring customer satisfaction through optimal foodservice, an efficient workforce, and a safe and healthy environment. A food service manager must also greet customers, escort them to their tables, handle any issues and concerns, manage the employees, train new hires, manage the payroll and budget, and coordinate with all restaurant personnel. Furthermore, a food service manager must delegate tasks among employees and assign their schedules accordingly.

Conference services manager vs food service manager salary

Conference services managers and food service managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Conference Services Manager	Food Service Manager
Average salary	$50,711	$43,564
Salary range	Between $38,000 And $67,000	Between $28,000 And $66,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	New York, NY
Highest paying state	California	Rhode Island
Best paying company	Apple	Kern Community College District
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Government

Differences between conference services manager and food service manager education

There are a few differences between a conference services manager and a food service manager in terms of educational background:

	Conference Services Manager	Food Service Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Most common major	Hospitality Management	Business
Most common college	Cornell University	Cornell University

Conference services manager vs food service manager demographics

Here are the differences between conference services managers' and food service managers' demographics:

	Conference Services Manager	Food Service Manager
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 27.8% Female, 72.2%	Male, 45.8% Female, 54.2%
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, 11.5% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 8.5% White, 58.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between conference services manager and food service manager duties and responsibilities

Conference services manager example responsibilities.

Lead weekly team meetings to review group resumes and BEOs with key hotel staff.
Manage RFP's; review contracts; and coordinate with select vendors from planning to implementation.
Handle groups with meeting and catering requirements throughout entire booking process.
Create BEOs and resumes to communicate in detail to all staff members on property
Focuse on upselling food and beverage, meeting room rental, guest room rates, and other hotel services.
Season in all areas of the booking process, from prospecting and qualifying, to settling attrition upon completion of program.

Food service manager example responsibilities.

Manage all aspects of the human resources task, including hiring, training, payroll, and the negotiated contract.
Manage operations and provide support to a team of 245 union employees at various elementary, middle and high school cafeterias.
Manage inventory, ordering and delivery of groceries.
Train food & nutrition team in SERVSAFE, HACCP, knife skills and environmental safety.
Maintain all Intel, Aramark and ServSafe safety, sanitation and security guidelines.
Review and complete adequate weekly sales projections, with mastery of using POS system

Conference services manager vs food service manager skills

Common conference services manager skills

Reservations, 11%
Conference Services, 10%
Booking, 9%
Banquet Event Orders, 6%
Repeat Business, 5%
Delphi, 4%

Common food service manager skills

Customer Service, 27%
Sanitation Standards, 10%
Cleanliness, 7%
Patients, 6%
Kitchen Equipment, 5%
Food Handling, 4%

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Conference Services Manager
Conference Services Manager vs Food Service Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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