How to hire an event planner and coordinator

How to hire an event planner and coordinator, step by step

Here's a step-by-step event planner and coordinator hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an event planner and coordinator job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new event planner and coordinator
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The event planner and coordinator hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   An event planner and coordinator's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, event planner and coordinators from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of event planner and coordinator salaries for various roles:

   Type of Event Planner And Coordinator	Description	Hourly rate
   Event Planner And Coordinator	Meeting, convention, and event planners coordinate all aspects of events and professional meetings. They arrange meeting locations, transportation, and other details.	$17-37
   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... Show more	$18-53
   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... Show more	$9-152

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Event Logistics
   • Plan Events
   • Turnaround
   • Travel Arrangements
   • Customer Satisfaction
   • Corporate Events
   • Event Management
   • Event Budgets
   • Event Space
   • Facebook
   • Promotional Materials
   • Social Events
   • Trade Shows
   • Event Timelines

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage business operation initiatives, including payroll, invoicing, inventory, and human resource relate matters.
   • Assist in editing all PowerPoint presentations.
   • Provide guidance in the area of Facebook and other online marketing strategies.
   • Design highly confidential/attorney-client privilege documents and multimedia PowerPoint presentations.
   • Design highly confidential/attorney-client privilege documents and multimedia PowerPoint presentations.

   More event planner and coordinator duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the event planner and coordinator job description is a good way to get more applicants. An event planner and coordinator salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for an event planner and coordinator in Kansas may be lower than in New Jersey, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level event planner and coordinator. Additionally, an event planner and coordinator with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average event planner and coordinator salary

   $54,189yearly

   $26.05 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level event planner and coordinator salary

   $36,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 21, 2026

   Average event planner and coordinator salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	District of Columbia	$77,745	$37
   2	New York	$71,105	$34
   3	Virginia	$63,483	$31
   4	Massachusetts	$63,009	$30
   5	California	$56,887	$27
   6	Illinois	$55,700	$27
   7	Nevada	$52,617	$25
   8	Indiana	$47,548	$23
   9	Minnesota	$46,645	$22
   10	Texas	$43,004	$21
   11	Georgia	$41,243	$20
   12	Montana	$39,444	$19
   13	Utah	$39,317	$19

   Average event planner and coordinator salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	PBF Energy	$103,197	$49.61
   2	Icma-rc	$88,447	$42.52	2
   3	Concord Group Insurance	$58,558	$28.15
   4	University of California-Berkeley	$54,683	$26.29
   5	Cliffs	$53,641	$25.79	1
   6	Cogent Communications	$53,089	$25.52
   7	Pacific Architects and Engineers	$52,553	$25.27
   8	PPG	$52,281	$25.14	1
   9	All Native Systems LLC	$52,123	$25.06
   10	Minnesota State Fair	$50,974	$24.51	3
   11	RealManage	$45,642	$21.94	1
   12	Prince George’s County Trap & Skeet Center	$30,474	$14.65	12

4. Writing an event planner and coordinator job description

   An event planner and coordinator job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of an event planner and coordinator job description:

   Event planner and coordinator job description example

   **About Us**
   
   Freeman is the global leader in events. Whether virtual, in-person, or hybrid, we are on a mission to redefine live for a new era. With a data-driven approach and the world's largest network of experts, our insights are shaping exhibitions, exhibits, and events that drive audiences to action. Our integrated full-service solutions leverage a 100-year legacy in event management as well as new technologies to deliver moments that matter.
   
   **Summary**
   
   As a critical member of the Planner Coordination team, you will work within your region or city to provide consistency in strategy and planning for the delivery of Corporate Account Customers projects.
   
   **Essential Duties & Responsibilities**
   
   + Works with Exhibit Ops team to collect details on scope of work for assigned shows.
   
   + Documents, reports and maintain accurate show files and production documents.
   
   + Coordinate distribution of on-site files and supervisor packets.
   
   + Monitors all internal systems for tickets and orders.
   
   + Develops, updates and maintains accurate planning documents for each show.
   
   + Assists in collaborations with internal departments to understand operational project scope on an exhibit.
   
   + Develops and maintains show files for year over year reference.
   
   + General understanding of show site operations, third party, venue offerings and local union jurisdictions.
   
   + Manages time tracking and utilization reporting in Workfront.
   
   + Provides Best in Class Service and Quality for our customers.
   
   **Education & Experience**
   
   + At least 1+ years of Exhibit industry experience
   
   **Diversity Commitment**
   
   At Freeman, our commitment to diversity and inclusion is helping us to create not only a great place to work, but also an environment where our employees, our customers and our communities around the world can reach their goals and connect with each other. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, veteran status and other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.
   
   \#LI-Hybrid

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find event planner and coordinators for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any event planner and coordinators they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level event planner and coordinators with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your event planner and coordinator job on Zippia to find and recruit event planner and coordinator candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting event planner and coordinators requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new event planner and coordinator

   Once you've selected the best event planner and coordinator candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new event planner and coordinator. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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