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The differences between event planners and project managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a project manager has an average salary of $91,578, which is higher than the $51,542 average annual salary of an event planner.
The top three skills for an event planner include customer service, vendor contracts and plan events. The most important skills for a project manager are project management, project scope, and customer service.
| Event Planner | Project Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $51,542 | $91,578 |
| Hourly rate | $24.78 | $44.03 |
| Growth rate | 18% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 19,793 | 167,116 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | 4.17 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 38 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 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.
Project managers oversee a specific project related to the organization's business. They manage the whole project from inception to evaluation. They initiate planning with involved departments, follow-through on the plans, ensure smooth execution of the plans, and evaluate the project for further improvements should these be needed. In line with this, project managers also ensure that the project is cost-efficient and well within the budget. They also manage the different work teams involved in the project and ensure that things are running smoothly on this aspect as well.
Event planners and project managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Event Planner | Project Manager | |
| Average salary | $51,542 | $91,578 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $74,000 | Between $64,000 And $129,000 |
| Highest paying City | Stamford, CT | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | California |
| Best paying company | Intelliswift | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between an event planner and a project manager in terms of educational background:
| Event Planner | Project Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | San Diego State University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between event planners' and project managers' demographics:
| Event Planner | Project Manager | |
| Average age | 38 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 22.4% Female, 77.6% | Male, 68.9% Female, 31.1% |
| 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, 7.7% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 9.0% White, 65.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 16% | 10% |