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The differences between event managers and meeting planners can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an event manager and a meeting planner. Additionally, a meeting planner has an average salary of $56,257, which is higher than the $51,117 average annual salary of an event manager.
The top three skills for an event manager include customer service, event logistics and event planning. The most important skills for a meeting planner are client facing, event planning, and powerpoint.
| Event Manager | Meeting Planner | |
| Yearly salary | $51,117 | $56,257 |
| Hourly rate | $24.58 | $27.05 |
| Growth rate | 18% | 18% |
| Number of jobs | 8,230 | 17,112 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 78% |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
An event manager is an individual who is in charge of planning an organization's event and coordinating meetings with clients to determine details about the event. Event managers must look and compare different vendors such as food caterers, decorators, or musicians while working within the planned budget. They interview and hire personnel to assist them during the event and evaluate their performance after the event. Event managers must also distribute post-event surveys so that customers can provide feedback on the event.
A meeting planner makes professional decisions in all areas of meeting preparation and presentation. They plan meetings, establish meeting objectives, schedule meetings, budget expenses, inspect meeting sites, negotiate with suppliers, and create a speaker lineup. They also need to deal with travel arrangements and with technical equipment used in the course of the meeting.
Event managers and meeting planners have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Event Manager | Meeting Planner | |
| Average salary | $51,117 | $56,257 |
| Salary range | Between $33,000 And $77,000 | Between $40,000 And $77,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Newark, NJ |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | VMware | AbbVie |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between an event manager and a meeting planner in terms of educational background:
| Event Manager | Meeting Planner | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 78% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | San Diego State University | San Diego State University |
Here are the differences between event managers' and meeting planners' demographics:
| Event Manager | Meeting Planner | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 36.2% Female, 63.8% | Male, 12.4% Female, 87.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 16.6% Asian, 6.0% White, 61.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 5.9% White, 61.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 16% | 16% |