How To Become A Corporate Event Planner: What It Is and Career Path

What is a corporate event planner and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Joel Reece Ph.D.,

Mark Zanter

A corporate event planner is in charge of facilitating all the tasks that need to be done to bring a corporate event to completion. They are often involved every step of the way, from communicating with clients to cleaning up after the event is over.

The job of a corporate event planner involves a wide variety of duties. They are in charge of meeting with clients to assess their needs, designing the event, negotiating with contractors, communicating with event staff, and monitoring the event as it progresses to ensure that everything goes according to plan. With all these responsibilities considered, it is safe to say that the job of a corporate event planner is inherently a stressful one.

Many corporate event planners possess a bachelor's or associate's degree in business, communication, marketing, and hospitality management. They also have several years of experience planning all kinds of corporate events. Aside from education and experience, corporate planners also need to have excellent skills in communication, leadership, negotiation, and time management.

Corporate event planners earn an average annual salary of $51,000. They may either work in event companies or have their own corporate planning businesses. Some corporate event planners even freelance or work as independent contractors.

What general advice would you give to a corporate event planner?

Joel Reece Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Brigham Young University–Hawaii

Review job postings of career jobs you want to see what types of skills and experience they are looking for in applicants, then go find opportunities to gain those skills and experience.

Look for opportunities to get involved. It is ok to be a volunteer or have an entry level job.
Think of your job as a place you can get paid to learn. Work with the attitude to add value to the company.

ScoreCorporate Event PlannerUS Average

Salary

4.2

Avg. Salary $53,681

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.6

Growth rate 18%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.2

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.24%

Asian 5.84%

Black or African American 11.19%

Hispanic or Latino 16.13%

Unknown 4.69%

White 61.90%

Gender

female 86.41%

male 13.59%

Age - 36

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 36

Stress level

7.6

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.3

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.0

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a corporate event planner

Explore corporate event planner education requirements

Most common corporate event planner degrees

Bachelor's

77.1 %

Associate

10.2 %

Master's

6.5 %

Start to develop specific corporate event planner skills

Skills	Percentages
Corporate Events	14.76%
Event Logistics	12.30%
Audio Visual	9.05%
Event Management	7.95%
Trade Shows	5.09%

Complete relevant corporate event planner training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New corporate event planners learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a corporate event planner based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real corporate event planner resumes.

Research corporate event planner duties and responsibilities

Manage all logistics and communications from beginning to end with clients, including sending invitations, monitoring RSVP, and hosting.
Develop agenda and itinerary, organize and procure all speaker biographies and materials and logistics for successful program execution.
Arrange onsite and offsite activities and dinners for participants and VIP's.
Provide creative support and assistance by researching and developing booth entertainment ideas and designing booth signage and packaging of giveaways.

Prepare your corporate event planner resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your corporate event planner resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a corporate event planner resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable corporate event planner resume templates

Build a professional corporate event planner resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your corporate event planner resume.

Apply for corporate event planner jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a corporate event planner job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do corporate event planners rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Corporate event planner reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on May 2021

Pros

I was a theater major who received my CMP and realized I could put on a production in the corporate world. Event Planning allows me to utilize my skillset in a way I didn't know was possible. I also have the opportunity to travel and most venues treat you well when you're the planner (if you're the one in charge of the event).

Cons

There is nothing more stressful then this job. As you get closer to an event, the days get longer and the job can become 24/7, especially while the event is happening. If you're looking for a job you clock out from at 5pm, this is not the job for you. You're also in charge of budgets, F&B, Centerpieces, Entertainment, Speakers, Content, App Development, Registration, the list is endless. If you aren't good under pressure, this is not the job for you.

A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2019