Meetings & events manager vs director of events

The differences between meetings & events managers and directors of events can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a meetings & events manager and a director of events. Additionally, a director of events has an average salary of $65,971, which is higher than the $46,029 average annual salary of a meetings & events manager.

The top three skills for a meetings & events manager include event management, event planning and site inspections. The most important skills for a director of events are customer service, event management, and customer satisfaction.

Meetings & events manager vs director of events overview

	Meetings & Events Manager	Director Of Events
Yearly salary	$46,029	$65,971
Hourly rate	$22.13	$31.72
Growth rate	18%	18%
Number of jobs	4,660	8,520
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 82%	Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	2	2

What does a meetings & events manager do?

Meeting and Events Managers are responsible for overseeing virtual or live events and meetings for a company or private individuals. Their duties include implementing event strategies, assist in event venue research, create vendor networks, and conduct contract negotiations for event support services. They are also involved in handling pre-event activities, facilitating post-event reviews, monitoring event budgets, preparing management reports, setting project milestones, and tracking event team performance. Meetings and events managers also work closely with clients to identify individual needs and assist in staff development programs.

What does a director of events do?

An event director or director of the event is responsible for organizing a successful execution of an event. This job is demanding and involves a varied range of tasks and obligations, from planning and overseeing the cast and crew recruited, supervise training for effective execution of the event. They manage how to effectively deal with people from staff and crew to sponsors, and talents, especially in tight schedules and difficult circumstances. Moreover, the event director is the representative of the event when dealing with the benefactors of the event, media group for promotion coverage, and people outside the industry.

Meetings & events manager vs director of events salary

Meetings & events managers and directors of events have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Meetings & Events Manager	Director Of Events
Average salary	$46,029	$65,971
Salary range	Between $34,000 And $62,000	Between $38,000 And $112,000
Highest paying City	Half Moon Bay, CA	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	Connecticut	Massachusetts
Best paying company	AstraZeneca	CrowdStrike
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Technology

Differences between meetings & events manager and director of events education

There are a few differences between a meetings & events manager and a director of events in terms of educational background:

	Meetings & Events Manager	Director Of Events
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 82%	Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	San Diego State University	San Diego State University

Meetings & events manager vs director of events demographics

Here are the differences between meetings & events managers' and directors of events' demographics:

	Meetings & Events Manager	Director Of Events
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 14.6% Female, 85.4%	Male, 34.1% Female, 65.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.1% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 15.2% Asian, 6.1% White, 61.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	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%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between meetings & events manager and director of events duties and responsibilities

Meetings & events manager example responsibilities.

Manage and mentor team of alliances coordinators and business development representatives.
Submit RFP's to convention and visitors bureaus and hotel partners to secure travel industry funding for all events.
Solicit vendor RFP's and effectively negotiate optimal client savings.
Develop several best practices to include interactive event microsites, event twitter campaigns and in-booth think leadership presentations.
Prepare meeting details for SMERF, corporate, and government markets such as set-up, menus and audio-visual needs.
Coordinate all aspects of educational meetings for medical specialty associations, including requirements for approval of CME accreditation.

Director of events example responsibilities.

Manage a team of employees with responsibilities of 40,000 sq.
Create, update and manage donor databases, invitation and RSVP lists, and seating charts.
Conduct ROI analysis to ensure effective allocation of corporate funds and staffing resources to achieve business and sales objectives.
Manage weekly BEO meetings to discuss the upcoming events with other department heads to ensure the proper execution of all events.
Maximize revenue by upselling and managing clients' budgets effectively.
Manage all aspects of these events and act as onsite manager to ensure meeting are delivered effectively and professionally.

Meetings & events manager vs director of events skills

Common meetings & events manager skills

Event Management, 15%
Event Planning, 15%
Site Inspections, 7%
Client Satisfaction, 6%
Cost Savings, 5%
Event Logistics, 5%

Common director of events skills

Customer Service, 15%
Event Management, 8%
Customer Satisfaction, 7%
Event Planning, 7%
Audio Visual, 6%
Booking, 6%

Meetings & Events Manager vs. similar jobs

Meetings & Events Manager related careers

Meetings & Events Manager related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Business and Financial Industry
Meetings & Events Manager
Meetings & Events Manager vs Director Of Events

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse business and financial jobs