Director of catering vs conference services manager

The differences between directors of catering and conference services managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a director of catering and a conference services manager. Additionally, a director of catering has an average salary of $65,732, which is higher than the $50,711 average annual salary of a conference services manager.

The top three skills for a director of catering include booking, customer service and culinary. The most important skills for a conference services manager are reservations, conference services, and booking.

Director of catering vs conference services manager overview

	Director Of Catering	Conference Services Manager
Yearly salary	$65,732	$50,711
Hourly rate	$31.60	$24.38
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	54,263	121,578
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 68%	Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Average age	39	39
Years of experience	4	4

What does a director of catering do?

A director of catering spearheads and oversees catering services and programs, from planning to execution. They usually lead the hiring and training procedures, establishing goals and timelines, managing budgets and controlling costs, setting protocols and guidelines, coordinating managers and teams, and negotiating with suppliers, building positive relationships in the process. They may also participate in developing marketing plans, meeting with clients to identify their needs and preferences, monitoring inventories, solving issues and concerns, and supervising catering services to ensure operations run smoothly and efficiently.

What does a conference services manager do?

A Conference Services Manager organizes and oversees conferences from planning to execution, ensuring efficiency and smooth operations. They meet with clients and representatives to learn about their event needs and budgets. From there, a Conference Services Manager develops plans and guidelines with staff, books caterers and venues according to the clients' preferences, arrange programs, and coordinates other services. They lead and encourage staff to reach goals, maintaining an active communication line to promptly and efficiently resolve any issues.

Director of catering vs conference services manager salary

Directors of catering and conference services managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Director Of Catering	Conference Services Manager
Average salary	$65,732	$50,711
Salary range	Between $43,000 And $98,000	Between $38,000 And $67,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	J.F. Shea Co	Apple
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Hospitality

Differences between director of catering and conference services manager education

There are a few differences between a director of catering and a conference services manager in terms of educational background:

	Director Of Catering	Conference Services Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 68%	Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Most common major	Business	Hospitality Management
Most common college	Cornell University	Cornell University

Director of catering vs conference services manager demographics

Here are the differences between directors of catering' and conference services managers' demographics:

	Director Of Catering	Conference Services Manager
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 35.3% Female, 64.7%	Male, 27.8% Female, 72.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 8.4% White, 58.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 8.9% White, 55.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between director of catering and conference services manager duties and responsibilities

Director of catering example responsibilities.

Manage and execute every aspect of the planning process, creating BEOs and managing banquet staff.
Prepare and manage BEOs to client specifications including auto-visual requirements.
Revamp BEO writing process with training.
Direct the catering, conference service and banquet departments for two five star, five diamond resorts and two country clubs.
Monitor daily activities to ensure quality food and cleanliness standards.
Foster a positive work/customer atmosphere by ensuring facility cleanliness and compliance with health department regulations.

Conference services manager example responsibilities.

Lead weekly team meetings to review group resumes and BEOs with key hotel staff.
Manage RFP's; review contracts; and coordinate with select vendors from planning to implementation.
Handle groups with meeting and catering requirements throughout entire booking process.
Create BEOs and resumes to communicate in detail to all staff members on property
Focuse on upselling food and beverage, meeting room rental, guest room rates, and other hotel services.
Season in all areas of the booking process, from prospecting and qualifying, to settling attrition upon completion of program.

Director of catering vs conference services manager skills

Common director of catering skills

Booking, 10%
Customer Service, 10%
Culinary, 10%
Event Planning, 8%
Food Preparation, 6%
Menu Planning, 5%

Common conference services manager skills

Reservations, 11%
Conference Services, 10%
Booking, 9%
Banquet Event Orders, 6%
Repeat Business, 5%
Delphi, 4%

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Director Of Catering
Director Of Catering vs Conference Services Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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