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The differences between event planning 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 planning manager and a meeting planner. Additionally, a meeting planner has an average salary of $56,257, which is higher than the $52,565 average annual salary of an event planning manager.
The top three skills for an event planning manager include event management, smooth execution and event sales. The most important skills for a meeting planner are client facing, event planning, and powerpoint.
| Event Planning Manager | Meeting Planner | |
| Yearly salary | $52,565 | $56,257 |
| Hourly rate | $25.27 | $27.05 |
| Growth rate | 18% | 18% |
| Number of jobs | 21,149 | 17,112 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 78% |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Event planning managers have responsibilities such as planning, organizing, promoting, and social events. They also perform tasks like booking venues, coordinating with clients and suppliers, managing invoices and budgets, and handling logistics. Managers negotiate sales agreements for room rentals, function space, food and beverage services, and coordinate room reservations and amenities. They also handle billing and accounting and present post-event reports. Planners must maintain contracts, permits, event management plans, and databases and spreadsheets with timelines and action plans.
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 planning managers and meeting planners have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Event Planning Manager | Meeting Planner | |
| Average salary | $52,565 | $56,257 |
| Salary range | Between $36,000 And $74,000 | Between $40,000 And $77,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Newark, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | McKinsey & Company Inc | AbbVie |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between an event planning manager and a meeting planner in terms of educational background:
| Event Planning Manager | Meeting Planner | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | 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 planning managers' and meeting planners' demographics:
| Event Planning Manager | Meeting Planner | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 22.5% Female, 77.5% | Male, 12.4% Female, 87.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 5.8% White, 61.9% 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% |