Corporate event planner vs event manager

The differences between corporate event planners and event managers 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 an event manager. Additionally, a corporate event planner has an average salary of $53,681, which is higher than the $51,117 average annual salary of an event manager.

The top three skills for a corporate event planner include corporate events, event logistics and audio visual. The most important skills for an event manager are customer service, event logistics, and event planning.

Corporate event planner vs event manager overview

	Corporate Event Planner	Event Manager
Yearly salary	$53,681	$51,117
Hourly rate	$25.81	$24.58
Growth rate	18%	18%
Number of jobs	29,341	8,230
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 77%	Bachelor's Degree, 76%
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 an event manager do?

An event manager is an individual who is in charge of planning an organization's event and coordinating meetings with clients to determine details about the event. Event managers must look and compare different vendors such as food caterers, decorators, or musicians while working within the planned budget. They interview and hire personnel to assist them during the event and evaluate their performance after the event. Event managers must also distribute post-event surveys so that customers can provide feedback on the event.

Corporate event planner vs event manager salary

Corporate event planners and event managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Corporate Event Planner	Event Manager
Average salary	$53,681	$51,117
Salary range	Between $36,000 And $78,000	Between $33,000 And $77,000
Highest paying City	-	New York, NY
Highest paying state	-	New Jersey
Best paying company	-	VMware
Best paying industry	-	Technology

Differences between corporate event planner and event manager education

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

	Corporate Event Planner	Event Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 77%	Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	San Diego State University	San Diego State University

Corporate event planner vs event manager demographics

Here are the differences between corporate event planners' and event managers' demographics:

	Corporate Event Planner	Event Manager
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 13.6% Female, 86.4%	Male, 36.2% Female, 63.8%
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, 10.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 16.6% Asian, 6.0% White, 61.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between corporate event planner and event manager 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.

Event manager example responsibilities.

Manage FOH staff during the lunch rush - correctly handle any customer complaints or issues.
Manage successful closing of NYC block to control traffic flow and allow celebrity red carpet entrances.
Coordinate and manage maintenance, bartending, catering, schedules, calendars, and supervise staff.
Create BEO's and lead weekly team meetings for support team laying out the direction and objective of upcoming events.
Manage delivery schedules, outside vendor orders, and budget requirements for the sales, operations, and culinary staff.
Manage all logistics and communications from beginning to end with clients, including sending invitations, monitoring RSVP, and hosting.

Corporate event planner vs event manager 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 event manager skills

Customer Service, 15%
Event Logistics, 10%
Event Planning, 9%
Audio Visual, 6%
Onsite, 5%
PowerPoint, 4%

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Corporate Event Planner vs Event Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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