Corporate event planner vs director of events

The differences between corporate event planners and directors of events can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a corporate event planner and a director of events. Additionally, a director of events has an average salary of $65,971, which is higher than the $53,681 average annual salary of a corporate event planner.

The top three skills for a corporate event planner include corporate events, event logistics and audio visual. The most important skills for a director of events are customer service, event management, and customer satisfaction.

Corporate event planner vs director of events overview

	Corporate Event Planner	Director Of Events
Yearly salary	$53,681	$65,971
Hourly rate	$25.81	$31.72
Growth rate	18%	18%
Number of jobs	29,341	8,520
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 77%	Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	2	2

What does a corporate event planner do?

A corporate event planner is responsible for organizing business events such as seminars, conferences, award ceremonies, meetings, or product launches. They oversee procedures from planning to execution to ensure that everything runs efficiently and meets the clients' needs. They must coordinate with clients to identify event requirements and budgets, secure venues and equipment, book caterers, reserve supplies, delegate responsibilities among staff, and monitor all operations. An event planner must promptly and efficiently recognize issues and solve them to ensure optimal services.

What does a director of events do?

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.

Corporate event planner vs director of events salary

Corporate event planners and directors of events have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Corporate Event Planner	Director Of Events
Average salary	$53,681	$65,971
Salary range	Between $36,000 And $78,000	Between $38,000 And $112,000
Highest paying City	-	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	-	Massachusetts
Best paying company	-	CrowdStrike
Best paying industry	-	Technology

Differences between corporate event planner and director of events education

There are a few differences between a corporate event planner and a director of events in terms of educational background:

	Corporate Event Planner	Director Of Events
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 77%	Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	San Diego State University	San Diego State University

Corporate event planner vs director of events demographics

Here are the differences between corporate event planners' and directors of events' demographics:

	Corporate Event Planner	Director Of Events
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 13.6% Female, 86.4%	Male, 34.1% Female, 65.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 5.8% White, 61.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 5.9% White, 61.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between corporate event planner and director of events duties and responsibilities

Corporate event planner example 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.

Director of events example responsibilities.

Manage a team of employees with responsibilities of 40,000 sq.
Create, update and manage donor databases, invitation and RSVP lists, and seating charts.
Conduct ROI analysis to ensure effective allocation of corporate funds and staffing resources to achieve business and sales objectives.
Manage weekly BEO meetings to discuss the upcoming events with other department heads to ensure the proper execution of all events.
Maximize revenue by upselling and managing clients' budgets effectively.
Manage all aspects of these events and act as onsite manager to ensure meeting are delivered effectively and professionally.

Corporate event planner vs director of events skills

Common corporate event planner skills

Corporate Events, 15%
Event Logistics, 12%
Audio Visual, 9%
Event Management, 8%
Trade Shows, 5%
Event Budgets, 4%

Common director of events skills

Customer Service, 15%
Event Management, 8%
Customer Satisfaction, 7%
Event Planning, 7%
Audio Visual, 6%
Booking, 6%

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Corporate Event Planner
Corporate Event Planner vs Director Of Events

Updated January 8, 2025

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