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The differences between meeting coordinators 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 a meeting coordinator and a meeting planner. Additionally, a meeting planner has an average salary of $56,257, which is higher than the $43,344 average annual salary of a meeting coordinator.
The top three skills for a meeting coordinator include event planning, meeting logistics and client facing. The most important skills for a meeting planner are client facing, event planning, and powerpoint.
| Meeting Coordinator | Meeting Planner | |
| Yearly salary | $43,344 | $56,257 |
| Hourly rate | $20.84 | $27.05 |
| Growth rate | 18% | 18% |
| Number of jobs | 19,623 | 17,112 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 78% |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A meeting coordinator is responsible for all aspects of meetings and events. Your duties will include finding and scheduling meetings and events venues, designing and planning the itineraries and menus for the meeting or event, and looking for vendors to provide services at meetings such as decorators. As a meeting coordinator, you will be responsible for inviting speakers, confirming their attendance, and preparing any equipment they need to present. You are also expected to inspect the venues and ensure that everything is organized and ready before the event.
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.
Meeting coordinators and meeting planners have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Meeting Coordinator | Meeting Planner | |
| Average salary | $43,344 | $56,257 |
| Salary range | Between $33,000 And $56,000 | Between $40,000 And $77,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Newark, NJ |
| Highest paying state | New York | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Shriners Hospitals for Children | AbbVie |
| Best paying industry | Pharmaceutical | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between a meeting coordinator and a meeting planner in terms of educational background:
| Meeting Coordinator | Meeting Planner | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | 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 meeting coordinators' and meeting planners' demographics:
| Meeting Coordinator | Meeting Planner | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 17.0% Female, 83.0% | Male, 12.4% Female, 87.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 5.9% White, 61.8% 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% |