There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a convention planner. For example, did you know that they make an average of $22.71 an hour? That's $47,247 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 7% and produce 9,600 job opportunities across the U.S.

What Does a Convention Planner Do

There are certain skills that many convention planners have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed interpersonal skills, negotiation skills and organizational skills.

Learn more about what a Convention Planner does

How To Become a Convention Planner

If you're interested in becoming a convention planner, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 72.1% of convention planners have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 11.6% of convention planners have master's degrees. Even though most convention planners have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Average Salary for a Convention Planner

Convention Planners in America make an average salary of $47,247 per year or $23 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $62,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $35,000 per year.
Average Convention Planner Salary
$47,247 Yearly
$22.71 hourly

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Roles and Types of Convention Planner

There are several types of convention planner, including:

Event Coordinator

Role:

Did someone say they were throwing a party? Because, if they did, then as an event coordinator, you're all over it. Every aspect of the party or event is under your responsibility. You get to research and find the perfect venue. But you also have to stick to the client's budget, which can sometimes put a damper on the planning aspect.

Being an event coordinator is much more than just throwing a party, though. There's some stress you'll need to be prepared for, as you have a budget to stick to and don't forget the date of the event. The job also comes with a lot of research. Some of that will be able to be done through the internet, but you will have to do some in-person research like visiting a venue. So don't expect to just hang around the office every day.

This goes without saying, but an important aspect of being an event coordintor is being organized. Organized, organized, organized. It's almost impossible to be an event coordinator while simultaneously being unorganized. Those are just two things that do not get along.

  • Average Salary: $41,918
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Planner

Role:

The job of a planner is to help in forming a broad goal in society or organization. You are expected to perform findings, design, and innovate programs. Sometimes, you may have to concentrate on a few jobs like preparing transportation. In other cases, you will most likely operate at dissimilar planning forms, come up with strategies via data evaluation, decide the projects or society's objective, and generate precise data. You are also required to pinpoint the methods to assist society in recognizing its objective and vision. Plus, you must be present at gatherings and conferences and would have to form an active connection with emergency management associates and shareholders.

Apart from this, you are to compile departmental reports and hand them over to the plan manager. You need to display excellent interaction, analytical, and leadership skills. Furthermore, you must have time management, planning, and organizational skills. You must also be detail-oriented as well as be creative. In addition, you must obtain a bachelor's degree and at least a master's degree, a high school degree, or GED. You will earn an average of $64,578 per year or $31,05 per hour with these requirements met.
  • Average Salary: $63,161
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Site Coordinator

Role:

A site coordinator is a managerial position responsible for organizing events and programs. Working for various organizations, such as schools or businesses, site coordinators train staff, delegate tasks, and oversee the communication of programs to the public.

They design programs and facilitate activities on the site. They create the budget for the events and are in charge of fundraising as well. They will source vendors for the events, oversee the logistics, and manage contracts with a subtle amount of negotiation and persuasion.

Site coordinators are enthusiastic community advocates with outstanding communication and interpersonal skills. They work together with other departments as well, so they are not just leaders but also great team players.
  • Average Salary: $38,256
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

States With The Most Convention Planner Jobs

Mouse over a state to see the number of active convention planner jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where convention planners earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average Salary: Job Openings:

Number Of Convention Planner Jobs By State

RankStateNumber of JobsAverage Salary
1California818$45,778
2New York368$54,363
3Texas326$50,611
4Pennsylvania272$51,970
5Florida271$42,521
6Virginia235$51,058
7Illinois235$50,409
8Massachusetts198$53,167
9North Carolina195$36,862
10Maryland179$51,439
11Georgia179$41,704
12Ohio148$41,860
13Colorado147$44,124
14Minnesota125$44,250
15Washington121$61,020
16Arizona121$41,580
17New Jersey120$60,950
18Michigan105$42,285
19Wisconsin102$42,719
20South Carolina100$36,125
21Indiana99$44,554
22Connecticut95$60,754
23Tennessee93$45,393
24Oregon80$47,579
25Alabama77$42,912
26Missouri67$41,750
27Iowa61$37,716
28Utah56$37,814
29Nevada55$37,415
30Kentucky53$35,233
31New Hampshire46$46,736
32Nebraska34$35,252
33Arkansas33$30,937
34Hawaii32$39,994
35Kansas26$35,552
36Mississippi24$34,582
37New Mexico21$32,421
38Louisiana20$37,466
39Delaware17$40,237
40Oklahoma16$37,504
41North Dakota15$42,841
42Alaska11$50,026
43Idaho11$35,891
44Rhode Island10$39,881
45Maine8$38,299
46Vermont7$50,892
47West Virginia6$47,710
48South Dakota3$38,442
49Montana2$38,764
50Wyoming1$35,344

Convention Planner Education

Convention Planner Majors

15.8 %
15.8 %

Convention Planner Degrees

Bachelors

72.1 %

Associate

14.0 %

Masters

11.6 %

Top Colleges for Convention Planners

1. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Communication
Economics
Hospitality Management

2. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Communication
Marketing
Hospitality Management

3. Ball State University

Muncie, IN • Private

In-State Tuition

$9,896

Enrollment

15,529

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Marketing
Communication
Hospitality Management
Business

4. University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Lincoln, NE • Private

In-State Tuition

$9,242

Enrollment

20,592

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Marketing
Hospitality Management
Communication

5. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Economics
Marketing
Communication

6. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-State Tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Communication
Hospitality Management
Marketing

7. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-State Tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Economics
Marketing
Communication

8. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Hospitality Management
Economics
Communication

9. Georgetown University

Washington, DC • Private

In-State Tuition

$54,104

Enrollment

7,089

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Economics
Marketing
Hospitality Management

10. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-State Tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Economics
Marketing
Communication

Choose From 10+ Customizable Convention Planner Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Convention Planner templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Convention Planner resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

Convention Planner Resume
Convention Planner Resume
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Convention Planner Resume
Convention Planner Resume

Convention Planner Demographics

Convention Planner Gender Distribution

Female
Female
72%
Male
Male
28%

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

  • Among convention planners, 72.4% of them are women, while 27.6% are men.

  • The most common race/ethnicity among convention planners is White, which makes up 62.7% of all convention planners.

  • The most common foreign language among convention planners is Portuguese at 50.0%.

Online Courses For Convention Planner That You May Like

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Best States For a Convention Planner

Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a convention planner. The best states for people in this position are Washington, New Jersey, Connecticut, and New York. Convention planners make the most in Washington with an average salary of $61,020. Whereas in New Jersey and Connecticut, they would average $60,950 and $60,754, respectively. While convention planners would only make an average of $54,363 in New York, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.

1. Connecticut

Total Convention Planner Jobs: 95
Highest 10% Earn:
$80,000
Location Quotient:
1.49

2. New York

Total Convention Planner Jobs: 368
Highest 10% Earn:
$72,000
Location Quotient:
1.49

3. Pennsylvania

Total Convention Planner Jobs: 272
Highest 10% Earn:
$69,000
Location Quotient:
1.22
Full List Of Best States For Convention Planners

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Top Convention Planner Employers

Most Common Employers For Convention Planner

RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
1Mallinckrodt$55,569$26.722
2CMP$50,509$24.281
3Florida State University$50,337$24.201
4The Explorers Club$50,249$24.163
5Club$49,500$23.801
6Renal Research Institute, LLC$48,985$23.551
7DISCO$48,525$23.332
8Hospitality Staffing Solutions$47,465$22.821
9MenuSifu$47,070$22.631
10Dynetech$47,062$22.631