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The differences between event specialists 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 specialist and a meeting planner. Additionally, a meeting planner has an average salary of $56,257, which is higher than the $41,294 average annual salary of an event specialist.
The top three skills for an event specialist include brand awareness, product preparation and product demonstrations. The most important skills for a meeting planner are client facing, event planning, and powerpoint.
| Event Specialist | Meeting Planner | |
| Yearly salary | $41,294 | $56,257 |
| Hourly rate | $19.85 | $27.05 |
| Growth rate | 18% | 18% |
| Number of jobs | 12,130 | 17,112 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 78% |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Events specialists, also known as events producers or event planners, have many roles and responsibilities. They establish event concepts, select venues, secure sponsorships, and handle logistics for events. Also, they plan and manage event timelines, coordinate technical aspects, and manage risks. Event specialists are also responsible for communicating with vendors, organizing marketing materials, and liaising with event speakers. To become an event specialist, one should need to meet several qualifications that include having a degree in marketing, hospitality, or public relations. Organization skills and experience in project management are also important.
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 specialists and meeting planners have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Event Specialist | Meeting Planner | |
| Average salary | $41,294 | $56,257 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $63,000 | Between $40,000 And $77,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Newark, NJ |
| Highest paying state | New York | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Shearman & Sterling | AbbVie |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between an event specialist and a meeting planner in terms of educational background:
| Event Specialist | Meeting Planner | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | 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 specialists' and meeting planners' demographics:
| Event Specialist | Meeting Planner | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 30.9% Female, 69.1% | Male, 12.4% Female, 87.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 5.9% White, 61.4% 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% |