Director of events vs caterer

The differences between directors of events and caterers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a director of events has an average salary of $65,971, which is higher than the $28,891 average annual salary of a caterer.

The top three skills for a director of events include customer service, event management and customer satisfaction. The most important skills for a caterer are food service, kitchen equipment, and food delivery.

Director of events vs caterer overview

	Director Of Events	Caterer
Yearly salary	$65,971	$28,891
Hourly rate	$31.72	$13.89
Growth rate	18%	10%
Number of jobs	8,520	1,648
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 77%	Bachelor's Degree, 41%
Average age	38	37
Years of experience	2	-

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.

What does a caterer do?

A caterer is responsible for monitoring food preparation and presentation, ensuring the adequacy and accuracy of food stock based on the clients' specifications and guest count. Caterers often work with clients for special occasions and events, identify their needs, including the menu and nutritional requirements. They arrange food services from the dinnerware to choosing the appropriate staff to help with assisting the food preparation in the event's location. A caterer should maintain the highest sanitary standards at all times to guarantee the foods' safety, as well as showcase communication skills when responding to the clients' inquiries and concerns.

Director of events vs caterer salary

Directors of events and caterers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Director Of Events	Caterer
Average salary	$65,971	$28,891
Salary range	Between $38,000 And $112,000	Between $22,000 And $36,000
Highest paying City	Boston, MA	Beverly, MA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	New York
Best paying company	CrowdStrike	The College of St. Scholastica
Best paying industry	Technology	Hospitality

Differences between director of events and caterer education

There are a few differences between a director of events and a caterer in terms of educational background:

	Director Of Events	Caterer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 77%	Bachelor's Degree, 41%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	San Diego State University	-

Director of events vs caterer demographics

Here are the differences between directors of events' and caterers' demographics:

	Director Of Events	Caterer
Average age	38	37
Gender ratio	Male, 34.1% Female, 65.9%	Male, 43.0% Female, 57.0%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 6.1% White, 59.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	16%	10%

Differences between director of events and caterer duties and responsibilities

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.

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Caterer example responsibilities.

Help serve foods from buffet to ADM employees.
Plan and prepare meals for the local Headstart program.
Set up's and breaking down of parties, service, bartending
Set up tables, action stations, buffets, service carts, dessert table/carts and cordial carts.
Serve and wait on diners in traditional sit-down meal settings as well as buffets and drink bars.
Perform bartending for many events, often individually.

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Director of events vs caterer skills

Common director of events skills

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

Common caterer skills

Food Service, 28%
Kitchen Equipment, 20%
Food Delivery, 8%
Banquet Service, 7%
Bartending, 5%
Fine Dining, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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