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The differences between senior event 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 a senior event manager and a meeting planner. Additionally, a senior event manager has an average salary of $91,373, which is higher than the $56,257 average annual salary of a meeting planner.
The top three skills for a senior event manager include digital marketing, customer service and event management. The most important skills for a meeting planner are client facing, event planning, and powerpoint.
| Senior Event Manager | Meeting Planner | |
| Yearly salary | $91,373 | $56,257 |
| Hourly rate | $43.93 | $27.05 |
| Growth rate | 18% | 18% |
| Number of jobs | 8,855 | 17,112 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 78% |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A senior event manager's role is to spearhead different events, focusing on its planning and execution to ensure that everything runs smoothly in adherence to the goals and budgets. Their responsibilities typically revolve around meeting with clients to discuss their needs and preferences, managing the workforce, and coordinating with suppliers, caterers, photographers, designers, and other external agencies. They must also update clients regularly, monitor the progress of all procedures, and resolve issues promptly and efficiently. Furthermore, they must lead and encourage the workforce to meet goals, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
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.
Senior event managers and meeting planners have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Event Manager | Meeting Planner | |
| Average salary | $91,373 | $56,257 |
| Salary range | Between $61,000 And $136,000 | Between $40,000 And $77,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Newark, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Washington | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | National Governors Association | AbbVie |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between a senior event manager and a meeting planner in terms of educational background:
| Senior Event Manager | Meeting Planner | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | 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 senior event managers' and meeting planners' demographics:
| Senior Event Manager | Meeting Planner | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 33.4% Female, 66.6% | Male, 12.4% Female, 87.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 5.9% White, 61.5% 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% |