What does an event manager do?
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.
Event manager responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real event manager resumes:
- Manage FOH staff during the lunch rush - correctly handle any customer complaints or issues.
- Manage successful closing of NYC block to control traffic flow and allow celebrity red carpet entrances.
- Coordinate and manage maintenance, bartending, catering, schedules, calendars, and supervise staff.
- Create BEO's and lead weekly team meetings for support team laying out the direction and objective of upcoming events.
- Manage delivery schedules, outside vendor orders, and budget requirements for the sales, operations, and culinary staff.
- Manage all logistics and communications from beginning to end with clients, including sending invitations, monitoring RSVP, and hosting.
- Design proposals, BEOs and contracts.
- Raise over [] including contributions from a live wine auction.
- Contribute brand appropriate content for blog, instagram, twitter, and vine.
- Used extensive food and wine knowledge to create custom menus to fit each group's specific needs.
- Write the weekly schedule for the bartending staff, servers and the deli staff at airport restaurant.
- Lead direct sales, booking, planning and oversight of all events & weddings from start to finish.
- Administer events from start to finish and measure success through attendance rate and RSVP vs. No show rate.
- Create packages for all venues, detail events, and utilize CaterEase for all contracts and banquet event orders.
- Gain specialized expertise in utilizing CI/TY, which are innovative software that are rolled out by the Marriott organization first.
Event manager skills and personality traits
We calculated that 15% of Event Managers are proficient in Customer Service, Event Logistics, and Event Planning. They’re also known for soft skills such as Interpersonal skills, Negotiation skills, and Organizational skills.
We break down the percentage of Event Managers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Customer Service, 15%
Ticket Office Management: Expedited ticketing operations and resolved patron problems to ensure exceptional customer service in coordination with front-of-house staff.
- Event Logistics, 10%
Coordinated event logistics, including registration and attendee tracking, presentation and materials support and evaluations for events.
- Event Planning, 9%
Implemented project management practices that ensured direction, motivation, resources and effective communication to maximize event planning and execution.
- Audio Visual, 6%
Assembled audio visual equipment, designed room arrangements and literature and decorations as necessary, calculated and collected payments.
- Onsite, 5%
Managed all aspects of these events and acted as onsite manager to ensure meeting was delivered effectively and professionally.
- PowerPoint, 4%
Delivered detailed portfolios of past events and PowerPoint presentations to potential clients to display events.
"customer service," "event logistics," and "event planning" are among the most common skills that event managers use at work. You can find even more event manager responsibilities below, including:
Interpersonal skills. One of the key soft skills for an event manager to have is interpersonal skills. You can see how this relates to what event managers do because "meeting, convention, and event planners must establish and maintain positive relationships with clients and suppliers." Additionally, an event manager resume shows how event managers use interpersonal skills: "created leads, appointments and communicated product information through demonstration and excellent interpersonal skills"
Negotiation skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling event manager duties is negotiation skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "meeting, convention, and event planners must be able to secure quality products and services at reasonable prices for their clients." According to an event manager resume, here's how event managers can utilize negotiation skills in their job responsibilities: "handled vendor management and contract negotiations creating long lasting vendor partnerships. "
Organizational skills. This is an important skill for event managers to perform their duties. For an example of how event manager responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "meeting, convention, and event planners must multitask, pay attention to details, and meet tight deadlines." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of an event manager: "developed customer service, time management, teamwork and organizational skills. ".
Problem-solving skills. A big part of what event managers do relies on "problem-solving skills." You can see how essential it is to event manager responsibilities because "meeting, convention, and event planners must be able to anticipate potential issues and prepare creative solutions that satisfy clients." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical event manager tasks: "supervised and organized weddings and social events while managing employees and maintaining client satisfaction through effective analytical and problem-solving skills. "
Communication skills. Another crucial skill for an event manager to carry out their responsibilities is "communication skills." A big part of what event managers relies on this skill, since "meeting, convention, and event planners exchange information with clients, suppliers, and event staff." How this skill relates to event manager duties can be seen in an example from an event manager resume snippet: "manage events and client to company communication before during and after the event. "
The three companies that hire the most event managers are:
- Marriott International105 event managers jobs
- The Freeman Company LLC18 event managers jobs
- Raising Cane's16 event managers jobs
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Compare different event managers
Event manager vs. Director of special events
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.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between event managers and director of special events. For instance, event manager responsibilities require skills such as "customer service," "onsite," "excellent organizational," and "manage events." Whereas a director of special events is skilled in "alumni," "event management," "corporate sponsors," and "cultivation events." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Directors of special events earn the highest salaries when working in the professional industry, with an average yearly salary of $67,284. On the other hand, event managers are paid more in the technology industry with an average salary of $60,803.The education levels that directors of special events earn slightly differ from event managers. In particular, directors of special events are 2.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than an event manager. Additionally, they're 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Event manager vs. Planning committee member
The role of planning committee members is to assist with designing and implementing an educational activity. They need to ensure that the leadership gives the continuing education (CE) developer enough time to complete the CE process. They are responsible for establishing a planning committee and maintaining access to all confirmed presenters and planners. Planning committee members are also responsible for meeting deadlines for submitting CE documents and clarifying any issues with the proposed CE documents.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, event manager responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "customer service," "event logistics," "event planning," and "audio visual." Meanwhile, a planning committee member has duties that require skills in areas such as "safety committee," "community outreach," "financial statements," and "alumni." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Planning committee members earn higher levels of education than event managers in general. They're 7.6% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for event managers in the next 3-5 years?
Siddharth Mobar
Assistant Professor, Lasell University
Event manager vs. Director of events
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.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, event managers are more likely to have skills like "onsite," "excellent organizational," "manage events," and "guest satisfaction." But a director of events is more likely to have skills like "event management," "customer satisfaction," "booking," and "crm."
Directors of events make a very good living in the technology industry with an average annual salary of $71,076. On the other hand, event managers are paid the highest salary in the technology industry, with average annual pay of $60,803.Most directors of events achieve a similar degree level compared to event managers. For example, they're 0.6% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.4% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Event manager vs. Manager and event coordinator
Types of event manager
Updated January 8, 2025
