What does a convention planner do?
Convention planner responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real convention planner resumes:
- Guide production planning activities ranging from developing and revising production schedules, forecasting trends and customer demand, and managing logistics.
- Design highly confidential/attorney-client privilege documents and multimedia PowerPoint presentations.
- Design highly confidential/attorney-client privilege documents and multimedia PowerPoint presentations.
Convention planner skills and personality traits
We break down the percentage of Convention Planners that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Lead Management, 51%
Collaborated with events training experts to design a new training course that improved selling skills and lead management effectiveness.
- Audio-Visual Equipment, 49%
Coordinated audio-visual equipment arrangements, musical talent, room design/set up and menu.
Interpersonal skills. One of the key soft skills for a convention planner to have is interpersonal skills. You can see how this relates to what convention planners do because "meeting, convention, and event planners must establish and maintain positive relationships with clients and suppliers." Additionally, a convention planner resume shows how convention planners use interpersonal skills: "establish interpersonal relationships with engineers, landscape architects, surveyors, cad operators, gis specialists, biologists and clients. "
Negotiation skills. Many convention planner duties rely on negotiation skills. "meeting, convention, and event planners must be able to secure quality products and services at reasonable prices for their clients.," so a convention planner will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways convention planner responsibilities rely on negotiation skills: "time management, contract negotiations, event planning. "
Organizational skills. convention planners are also known for organizational skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to convention planner responsibilities, because "meeting, convention, and event planners must multitask, pay attention to details, and meet tight deadlines." A convention planner resume example shows how organizational skills is used in the workplace: "identify, plan, and manage logistics operations to meet organizational goals. "
Problem-solving skills. For certain convention planner responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "problem-solving skills." The day-to-day duties of a convention planner rely on this skill, as "meeting, convention, and event planners must be able to anticipate potential issues and prepare creative solutions that satisfy clients." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what convention planners do: "responded to customer complaints and resolved their issues to provide a positive experience and provide a safe playing environment. "
Communication skills. A commonly-found skill in convention planner job descriptions, "communication skills" is essential to what convention planners do. Convention planner responsibilities rely on this skill because "meeting, convention, and event planners exchange information with clients, suppliers, and event staff." You can also see how convention planner duties rely on communication skills in this resume example: "experience in communications management and event planning. "
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Compare different convention planners
Convention planner vs. Director of events
An event director or director of the event is responsible for organizing a successful execution of an event. This job is demanding and involves a varied range of tasks and obligations, from planning and overseeing the cast and crew recruited, supervise training for effective execution of the event. They manage how to effectively deal with people from staff and crew to sponsors, and talents, especially in tight schedules and difficult circumstances. Moreover, the event director is the representative of the event when dealing with the benefactors of the event, media group for promotion coverage, and people outside the industry.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, convention planner responsibilities require skills like "hotel reservations," "lead management," "event security," and "audio-visual equipment." Meanwhile a typical director of events has skills in areas such as "customer service," "event management," "customer satisfaction," and "event planning." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Directors of events tend to make the most money working in the technology industry, where they earn an average salary of $71,076. In contrast, convention planners make the biggest average salary, $46,244, in the health care industry.The education levels that directors of events earn slightly differ from convention planners. In particular, directors of events are 4.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a convention planner. Additionally, they're 0.7% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Convention planner vs. Special events coordinator
A special events coordinator is in charge of organizing and devising plans for an event, even monitoring all progress to ensure everything is running smoothly. They are typically responsible for consulting with clients and understanding the event's purpose, offering a selection of venues and caterers, providing cost estimates, and booking various services such as speakers, equipment, location, photographers, videographers, and other essential factors. Moreover, a special events coordinator manages all processes involved in setting up and down an event, all while maintaining client satisfaction.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, convention planner responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "hotel reservations," "lead management," "event security," and "audio-visual equipment." Meanwhile, a special events coordinator has duties that require skills in areas such as "customer service," "event planning," "press releases," and "event logistics." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Special events coordinators may earn a lower salary than convention planners, but special events coordinators earn the most pay in the education industry with an average salary of $44,346. On the other hand, convention planners receive higher pay in the health care industry, where they earn an average salary of $46,244.special events coordinators earn lower levels of education than convention planners in general. They're 5.4% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.7% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Convention planner vs. Planning committee member
The role of planning committee members is to assist with designing and implementing an educational activity. They need to ensure that the leadership gives the continuing education (CE) developer enough time to complete the CE process. They are responsible for establishing a planning committee and maintaining access to all confirmed presenters and planners. Planning committee members are also responsible for meeting deadlines for submitting CE documents and clarifying any issues with the proposed CE documents.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, convention planners are more likely to have skills like "hotel reservations," "lead management," "event security," and "audio-visual equipment." But a planning committee member is more likely to have skills like "safety committee," "community outreach," "financial statements," and "alumni."
Most planning committee members achieve a similar degree level compared to convention planners. For example, they're 3.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 4.7% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Convention planner vs. Manager and event coordinator
Even though a few skill sets overlap between convention planners and managers and event coordinator, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a convention planner might have more use for skills like "hotel reservations," "lead management," "event security," and "audio-visual equipment." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of managers and event coordinator require skills like "customer service," "payroll," "event planning," and "event coordination. "
In general, managers and event coordinator hold lower degree levels compared to convention planners. Managers and event coordinator are 6.5% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.3% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of convention planner
Updated January 8, 2025
