Director of special events vs marketing director

The differences between directors of special events and marketing directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a director of special events, becoming a marketing director takes usually requires 8-10 years. Additionally, a marketing director has an average salary of $114,906, which is higher than the $63,671 average annual salary of a director of special events.

The top three skills for a director of special events include event planning, alumni and event management. The most important skills for a marketing director are digital marketing, marketing campaigns, and market research.

Director of special events vs marketing director overview

	Director Of Special Events	Marketing Director
Yearly salary	$63,671	$114,906
Hourly rate	$30.61	$55.24
Growth rate	8%	10%
Number of jobs	23,252	93,503
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 79%	Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Average age	42	39
Years of experience	4	10

What does a director of special events do?

A director of special events spearheads and oversees the planning and execution of various events, ensuring everything runs smoothly and efficiently. They typically set goals and guidelines, manage schedules and timelines, outline plans and strategies, coordinate managers and different departments, and liaise with vendors and suppliers, building positive business relationships in the process. Moreover, as a director, it is essential to lead and encourage staff to reach goals while implementing and promoting the company's policies and regulations, including its vision and mission.

What does a marketing director do?

Marketing directors are responsible for the overall branding and marketing direction of the company. They are in charge of identifying goals and strategies related to marketing. They create strategies that cater to the target market of the organization's products and services to help with sales. They lead the company's marketing department and create the company's brand promise. They ensure that all marketing collateral is in line with the rest of the marketing campaigns of the organization. They should be updated on all the current trends in the marketing world.

Director of special events vs marketing director salary

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

	Director Of Special Events	Marketing Director
Average salary	$63,671	$114,906
Salary range	Between $35,000 And $113,000	Between $68,000 And $193,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	NRDC	Brookfield Properties
Best paying industry	Professional	Manufacturing

Differences between director of special events and marketing director education

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

	Director Of Special Events	Marketing Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 79%	Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	University of Georgia

Director of special events vs marketing director demographics

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

	Director Of Special Events	Marketing Director
Average age	42	39
Gender ratio	Male, 25.1% Female, 74.9%	Male, 46.7% Female, 53.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 5.1% White, 75.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	16%	10%

Differences between director of special events and marketing director duties and responsibilities

Director of special events example responsibilities.

Manage the communications/special events budget to ensure ROI in accordance with the communication plan.
Restructure the budget plan for the department, achieving significant cost reductions while increasing ROI.
Organize, execute and manage all VIP hospitality and auxiliary celebrity events.
Manage all aspects of these events and act as onsite manager to ensure meeting are delivered effectively and professionally.
Develop a BEO form to promote effective communication between front of house and back of house.
Collaborate with catering to create BEO s and assist clients with menu selection for meetings and events.

Marketing director example responsibilities.

Manage staging of NCAA athletics events.
Manage RFP, RFI & SOQ process; track, analyze and report on sales pipeline.
Train, manage, and develop customer service / sales team strategies and oversight of day-to-day operations.
Manage the portal website build, including PPC and search engine optimization, email broadcasts and affiliate marketing efforts.
Manage all marketing operations - recruiting, hiring, training, retaining, payroll, and continual staff education.
Utilize marketing/sales automation tools (salesforce.com, pardot.com) to help track, manage and properly distribute each individual lead.

Director of special events vs marketing director skills

Common director of special events skills

Event Planning, 13%
Alumni, 11%
Event Management, 7%
Event Logistics, 6%
Audio Visual, 4%
Press Releases, 3%

Common marketing director skills

Digital Marketing, 12%
Marketing Campaigns, 6%
Market Research, 5%
Sales Strategies, 4%
Integrated Marketing, 4%
CRM, 4%

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Director Of Special Events
Director Of Special Events vs Marketing Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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