How To Become A Director Of Events: What It Is and Career Path

What is a director of events and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

The job of a director of events involves a lot of planning, organization, people management, and coordination to bring every event to success. That said, anyone who wants to become a director of events must possess above-average skills in these aspects, as well as a keen eye for detail and a good set of leadership skills.

The primary duty of a director of events is to lead all the activities involved in an event, from planning to execution. This duty involves tasks like meeting with the client to determine their specifications, finding vendors and sponsors, managing event staff members, and allocating funds effectively.

To become a director of events, the two major requirements you need to have are a bachelor's degree in a relevant field, as well as a proven track record in leading successful events. More than that, you must also prove to employers that you are an effective leader, planner, and organizer all in one.

As a director of events, your potential salary is around $64,000, which is the current average in the country.

ScoreDirector Of EventsUS Average

Salary

5.2

Avg. Salary $65,971

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 5.85%

Black or African American 11.21%

Hispanic or Latino 16.17%

Unknown 4.69%

White 61.83%

Gender

female 65.92%

male 34.08%

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 director of events

Explore director of events education requirements

Most common director of events degrees

Bachelor's

77.5 %

Associate

9.7 %

Master's

7.6 %

Start to develop specific director of events skills

Skills	Percentages
Customer Service	15.40%
Event Management	7.91%
Customer Satisfaction	7.36%
Event Planning	7.07%
Audio Visual	6.49%

Complete relevant director of events training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New directors of events 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 director of events based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real director of events resumes.

Gain additional director of events certifications

Director of events certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific director of events certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for directors of events include Certified Planning Engineer (CPE) and Certified Wedding and Event Planner (CWP).

More About Certifications

Research director of events duties and 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.

Get director of events experience

Generally, it takes 1-2 years to become a director of events. The most common roles before becoming a director of events include internship, event manager team lead and event coordinator.

Prepare your director of events resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your director of events 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 director of events resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable director of events resume templates

Build a professional director of events 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 director of events resume.