How to hire a corporate event planner

How to hire a corporate event planner, step by step

Here's a step-by-step corporate event planner hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a corporate event planner job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new corporate event planner
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the corporate event planner you need to hire. Certain corporate event planner roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a corporate event planner to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a corporate event planner that fits the bill.

   This list presents corporate event planner salaries for various positions.

   Type of Corporate Event Planner	Description	Hourly rate
   Corporate Event Planner	Meeting, convention, and event planners coordinate all aspects of events and professional meetings. They arrange meeting locations, transportation, and other details.	$17-37
   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... Show more	$9-152
   Site Coordinator	A site coordinator is responsible for organizing special events and programs based on a client's specifications or a business's needs. Site coordinators ensure that the plan will go well by monitoring their resources, coordinating with third-party services, researching the best settings, finalizing the list of attendees, and managing the budget goals... Show more	$12-26

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Corporate Events
   • Event Logistics
   • Audio Visual
   • Event Management
   • Trade Shows
   • Event Budgets
   • ROI
   • Travel Arrangements
   • Ground Transportation
   • Site Selection
   • Budget Management
   • On-Site Management
   • Community Events
   • Onsite

   Check all skills

   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.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your corporate event planner job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A corporate event planner can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, corporate event planners' average salary in arkansas is 51% less than in new jersey.
   • Seniority. Entry-level corporate event planners 54% less than senior-level corporate event planners.
   • Certifications. A corporate event planner with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a corporate event planner's salary.

   Average corporate event planner salary

   $53,681yearly

   $25.81 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level corporate event planner salary

   $36,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 23, 2025

4. Writing a corporate event planner job description

   A job description for a corporate event planner role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a corporate event planner job description:

   Corporate event planner job description example

   World Travel Holdings is seeking a Corporate Events Planner. This position is responsible for the creation, planning and execution of training events associated with the Dream Vacations and CruiseOne franchise network, the Business-to-Business Division of World Travel Holdings. The role will also include developing in-person and virtual engagement activities that will help to increase our community of franchisees.
   Responsibilities
   
   * Oversee and plan all in-person and virtual events for the network
   * Responsible for developing activities designed to increase the community of the network. Some of these may include Meet Ups, Interactive Trivia, etc.
   * Create a culture of engagement by streamlining all agent-facing events to foster an environment of openness, fun and collaboration
   * Create in-person and virtual events that engage and educate our franchise network to include agenda, schedule, sponsorships, logistics, location, F&B, and travel relative to each event
   * Consult with stakeholders to determine objectives and requirements for events such as regional meetings, conferences, and conventions
   * Collaborate with team to review scheduled events and proactively address challenges/conflicts
   * Manage events budget and maximize revenue opportunities
   * Manage the relationship with Make-A-Wish to increase awareness and fundraising opportunities within B2B and World Travel Holdings
   * Partner with travel suppliers to create innovative experiential programs
   * Develop working relationships with outside vendors to establish pricing and service agreements that enhance the event experience
   * Utilize a third-party tool and software to brand and manage all components leading up to each event
   * Survey all participants after each event to determine ways to enhance the future experience
   * Facilitate attendance and guest experience with industry events such as FAMs, Seminars at Sea, etc.
   * Reach out to all vendors/suppliers and tourist boards to maximize the sponsorship opportunities for Regional Trainings and National Conference
   * Other related duties as assigned
   
   Qualifications
   
   * Bachelor's Degree in Events Management, Communications, Business, or related field
   * 3+ years of Special Events and Meeting planning experience. Corporate planning preferred.
   * Ability to think strategically, lead and influence senior management and key stakeholders
   * Strong negotiating skills, and charisma to build rapport with internal and external customers
   * Excellent communication, presentation, and problem-solving skills with ability to make decisions in a fast-paced environment, communicate rationale and adjust mid-course
   * Flexibility to travel to company and industry events; travel is approximately 30%
   * Ability to meet deadlines and work in a fast-paced environment while maintaining quality of work
   * Proficient with MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Zoom
   * Experience with event planning software (i.e., Cvent, RegOnline) is a plus

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find corporate event planners for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your corporate event planner job on Zippia to find and recruit corporate event planner candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with corporate event planner candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new corporate event planner

   Once you've decided on a perfect corporate event planner candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new corporate event planner. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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