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Event Planner

$61,160
median / year
$36,830 – $101,700
what most earn per year (10th–90th percentile)

What the job actually is

Plan and coordinate meetings, weddings, and conferences, booking venues, vendors, and schedules down to the detail.

You may also see this posted as: Conference Planning Manager, Conference Services Manager, Convention Services Manager (CSM), Events Manager, Catering Director, Conference Planner.

Where you work

Venues, hotels, and offices

The hours

Long hours around events, some weekends

The day to day

What you'd actually spend time doing

  • Consult with customers to determine objectives and requirements for events, such as meetings, conferences, and conventions.
  • Review event bills for accuracy and approve payment.
  • Coordinate services for events, such as accommodation and transportation for participants, facilities, catering, signage, displays, special needs requirements, printing and event security.
  • Arrange the availability of audio-visual equipment, transportation, displays, and other event needs.
  • Confer with staff at a chosen event site to coordinate details.

Good fit if you like…

Enterprising

leading, persuading, selling, or turning an idea into action

Conventional

organizing information, following systems, and getting details right

Social

helping, teaching, caring for, or supporting other people

O*NET job zone 4 of 5

High preparation—usually a four-year degree plus experience—is common.

Work styles that matter most

DependabilityAttention to DetailSocial OrientationAdaptability

Software that shows up in the work

Examples employers report—not a checklist you must already know.

Microsoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft PowerPointAdobe Creative Cloud softwareAdobe InDesign

By the numbers

May 2025 BLS wage & employment data · 2024–34 BLS employment projections.

Median pay
$61,160
per year
Hourly median
$29.41
per hour
What most earn
$36,830–$101,700
yearly, 10th to 90th percentile
Openings a year
~15,500
projected, 2024–34
Outlook to 2034
+4.8%
About average
Working in the U.S.
142,860
people, nationwide

Openings a year counts new jobs plus the ones that open when people retire or move on — a truer picture of your odds than growth alone.

“Median” means half earn more and half earn less. Your city, employer, and years on the job move it a lot — that is what the 10th-to-90th range shows.

BLS estimates 5.1% of workers in this occupation are self-employed.

What it pays in your state

Statewide medians are a better starting point than the national number. Your city and experience still matter.

BLS state wage tables

How you get in

Typical starting education

Bachelor's degree

Training path: Bachelor's degree.

Related work experience: None.

On-the-job training: None.

License or certification

No license required to start in most places.

Check the path where you live

Licensing rules and available programs change by state. These federal tools take you to the current official listings.

What it takes

OrganizationNegotiationBudgetingMultitasking

The honest take

Turns meetings and celebrations into logistics you manage — deadline-driven, people-heavy work that grows with demand.

Standard Occupational Classification 13-1121. Pay and employment from the BLS May 2025 OEWS survey; outlook and openings from the 2024–34 employment projections; job context from the Occupational Outlook Handbook; tasks, interests, work styles, software examples, and job zone from O*NET 30.3. See something off? Tell us.