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.
Conference services manager responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real conference services manager resumes:
- 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.
- Improve Delphi database management across multiple properties.
- Finalize all bookings maximizing all revenue potential by upselling in all revenue producing areas.
- Negotiate service agreements for airline/automobile/hotel/parking, travel management company, audio/visual, and room reservations software provider.
- Coordinate all events and activities for upcoming groups from room reservations, activities, restaurant reservations and catered/banquet events.
- Facilitate the weekly BEO review meeting to ensure correct interpretation of the customer's itinerary and anticipate any possible challenges.
- Maintain and restructure Delphi.net for efficiency.
- Manage RFP's; review contracts; and coordinate with select vendors from planning to implementation.
Conference services manager skills and personality traits
We calculated that 11% of Conference Services Managers are proficient in Reservations, Conference Services, and Booking. They’re also known for soft skills such as Business skills, Detail oriented, and Physical stamina.
We break down the percentage of Conference Services Managers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Reservations, 11%
Coordinated all events and activities for upcoming groups from room reservations, activities, restaurant reservations and catered/banquet events.
- Conference Services, 10%
Assumed additional executive management responsibilities in year 2003 in interim as hotel interviewed for a Director of Catering & Conference Service.
- Booking, 9%
Seasoned in all areas of the booking process, from prospecting and qualifying, to settling attrition upon completion of program.
- Banquet Event Orders, 6%
Prepared internal banquet event orders and group resumes/information packets for internal distribution.
- Repeat Business, 5%
Functioned as direct hotel liaison for Convention Manager and Conference Planner to ensure customer satisfaction and repeat business.
- Delphi, 4%
Manage client relationships and events utilizing Delphi Property/Event Management Software.
Common skills that a conference services manager uses to do their job include "reservations," "conference services," and "booking." You can find details on the most important conference services manager responsibilities below.
Business skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a conference services manager to have is business skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "food service managers must understand all aspects of the restaurant business, including how to budget for supplies, comply with regulations, and manage workers." Conference services managers often use business skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "detailed group business including: food and beverage menu's, meeting space and event add-ons. "
Physical stamina. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of conference services managers is physical stamina. This skill is critical to many everyday conference services manager duties, as "managers often work long shifts and sometimes spend entire evenings actively helping to serve customers." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "organized approximately 50 corporate events per physical year. "
Customer-service skills. For certain conference services manager responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "customer-service skills." The day-to-day duties of a conference services manager rely on this skill, as "food service managers must be courteous and attentive when dealing with patrons." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what conference services managers do: "worked with groups of 10 to 500 people, organizing events within 28,000 square feet of meeting space and 450guest rooms. "
Leadership skills. Another common skill required for conference services manager responsibilities is "leadership skills." This skill comes up in the duties of conference services managers all the time, as "managers must establish good relationships with staff to maintain a productive work environment." An excerpt from a real conference services manager resume shows how this skill is central to what a conference services manager does: "managed event planning and audio-visual project support for leadership town halls, marketing and promotional events. "
Organizational skills. Another skill commonly found on conference services manager job descriptions is "organizational skills." It can come up quite often in conference services manager duties, since "managers have many different responsibilities, including scheduling and overseeing staff, budgeting, and maintaining financial records." Here's an example from a resume of how this skill fits into day-to-day conference services manager responsibilities: "created marketing collateral, represented hotel at trade shows, organizational mixers and industry events. "
The three companies that hire the most conference services managers are:
- Great Wolf Resorts22 conference services managers jobs
- Horseshoe Bay Resort19 conference services managers jobs
- HEI Hotels & Resorts11 conference services managers jobs
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Compare different conference services managers
Conference services manager vs. Director of catering
A director of catering spearheads and oversees catering services and programs, from planning to execution. They usually lead the hiring and training procedures, establishing goals and timelines, managing budgets and controlling costs, setting protocols and guidelines, coordinating managers and teams, and negotiating with suppliers, building positive relationships in the process. They may also participate in developing marketing plans, meeting with clients to identify their needs and preferences, monitoring inventories, solving issues and concerns, and supervising catering services to ensure operations run smoothly and efficiently.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, conference services manager responsibilities require skills like "reservations," "conference services," "audio visual equipment," and "client relationships." Meanwhile a typical director of catering has skills in areas such as "customer service," "food preparation," "client relations," and "food service." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Directors of catering really shine in the hospitality industry with an average salary of $60,555. Comparatively, conference services managers tend to make the most money in the hospitality industry with an average salary of $52,384.directors of catering tend to reach similar levels of education than conference services managers. In fact, directors of catering are 1.6% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.3% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Conference services manager vs. Manager of special events
A manager of special events is responsible for organizing events and programs for a company and various organizations. Managers of special events monitor the event procedures from conceptualization to the actual execution. They analyze the event purpose, manage participants' list, coordinate with suppliers for resources, allocate budget accurately, and ensure that the program outlines and agendas are polished on time. A manager of special events must have excellent communication and organizational skills to deliver a successful event and resolve complications as they arise.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that conference services manager responsibilities requires skills like "reservations," "conference services," "booking," and "banquet event orders." But a manager of special events might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "customer service," "event management," "event logistics," and "powerpoint."
Managers of special events may earn a higher salary than conference services managers, but managers of special events earn the most pay in the non profits industry with an average salary of $60,955. On the other hand, conference services managers receive higher pay in the hospitality industry, where they earn an average salary of $52,384.In general, managers of special events achieve similar levels of education than conference services managers. They're 1.4% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Conference services manager vs. Director of special events
A director of special events spearheads and oversees the planning and execution of various events, ensuring everything runs smoothly and efficiently. They typically set goals and guidelines, manage schedules and timelines, outline plans and strategies, coordinate managers and different departments, and liaise with vendors and suppliers, building positive business relationships in the process. Moreover, as a director, it is essential to lead and encourage staff to reach goals while implementing and promoting the company's policies and regulations, including its vision and mission.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, conference services managers are more likely to have skills like "reservations," "conference services," "booking," and "banquet event orders." But a director of special events is more likely to have skills like "alumni," "event management," "event logistics," and "audio visual."
Directors of special events earn the best pay in the professional industry, where they command an average salary of $67,284. Conference services managers earn the highest pay from the hospitality industry, with an average salary of $52,384.When it comes to education, directors of special events tend to earn similar degree levels compared to conference services managers. In fact, they're 2.6% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.3% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Conference services manager vs. Sales and event manager
A sales and event manager is responsible for overseeing event planning and preparations intended for marketing and sales purposes. Sales and event managers handle the contracts with suppliers and third-party vendors for equipment and materials to be used during the event. They also finalize the guests' list, as well as managing digital promotional content and announcements for public awareness. A sales and event manager works with the public relations team for press releases and media communications, attracting potential clients, and identifying opportunities to increase revenues.
Types of conference services manager
Updated January 8, 2025
