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The differences between event planners and lead event specialists 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 planner and a lead event specialist. Additionally, an event planner has an average salary of $51,542, which is higher than the $34,064 average annual salary of a lead event specialist.
The top three skills for an event planner include customer service, vendor contracts and plan events. The most important skills for a lead event specialist are customer service, food safety guidelines, and facebook.
| Event Planner | Lead Event Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $51,542 | $34,064 |
| Hourly rate | $24.78 | $16.38 |
| Growth rate | 18% | 18% |
| Number of jobs | 19,793 | 13,919 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
An event planner is responsible for organizing events, following the clients' needs, instructions, and budget goals. Event planners must be highly communicative to coordinate and negotiate contracts with suppliers, third-party vendors, and venue rentals. They finalize the guest list, catering services, and assist with marketing materials to promote the event. An event planner should also have a broad knowledge of the current market industry trends, which plays a vital role in planning and organizing future event opportunities.
A Lead event specialist is responsible for providing clients a proposal or a plan to make an event successful. Most of the time, they are the person who continually interacts with their clients to determine what they need, from the planning stage down to the implementation phase. Meaning this will also be how they can promote their brand or business and generate an income from it. Additionally, they are the ones who organize a promotional event and interacts with potential clients.
Event planners and lead event specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Event Planner | Lead Event Specialist | |
| Average salary | $51,542 | $34,064 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $74,000 | Between $23,000 And $48,000 |
| Highest paying City | Stamford, CT | - |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | - |
| Best paying company | Intelliswift | - |
| Best paying industry | Technology | - |
There are a few differences between an event planner and a lead event specialist in terms of educational background:
| Event Planner | Lead Event Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | San Diego State University | San Diego State University |
Here are the differences between event planners' and lead event specialists' demographics:
| Event Planner | Lead Event Specialist | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 22.4% Female, 77.6% | Male, 37.7% Female, 62.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 5.9% White, 61.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 5.9% White, 61.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 16% | 16% |