Director of events vs director of catering

The differences between directors of events and directors of catering can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a director of events, becoming a director of catering takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a director of events has an average salary of $65,971, which is higher than the $65,732 average annual salary of a director of catering.

The top three skills for a director of events include customer service, event management and customer satisfaction. The most important skills for a director of catering are booking, customer service, and culinary.

Director of events vs director of catering overview

	Director Of Events	Director Of Catering
Yearly salary	$65,971	$65,732
Hourly rate	$31.72	$31.60
Growth rate	18%	10%
Number of jobs	8,520	54,263
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 77%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age	38	39
Years of experience	2	4

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 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.

Director of events vs director of catering salary

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

	Director Of Events	Director Of Catering
Average salary	$65,971	$65,732
Salary range	Between $38,000 And $112,000	Between $43,000 And $98,000
Highest paying City	Boston, MA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	California
Best paying company	CrowdStrike	J.F. Shea Co
Best paying industry	Technology	Hospitality

Differences between director of events and director of catering education

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

	Director Of Events	Director Of Catering
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 77%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	San Diego State University	Cornell University

Director of events vs director of catering demographics

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

	Director Of Events	Director Of Catering
Average age	38	39
Gender ratio	Male, 34.1% Female, 65.9%	Male, 35.3% Female, 64.7%
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, 11.5% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 8.4% White, 58.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	16%	10%

Differences between director of events and director of catering 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.

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.

Director of events vs director of catering skills

Common director of events skills

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

Common director of catering skills

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

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Director Of Events vs Director Of Catering

Updated January 8, 2025

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