Event Planner

Description of job: Coordinate activities of staff, convention personnel, or clients to make arrangements for group meetings, events, or conventions.

Greeting international conference attendees… keeping presentations on time… or crawling under a table to plug in a projector. From glamour to grit— meeting, convention, and event planners coordinate all aspects of events to ensure a quality experience. These planners arrange meeting locations, transportation, and other details. They often start by meeting with clients to define the purpose of the event, schedule, preferred location, and the number of expected attendees and budget. It’s their job to obtain bids at competitive prices, and, at the event, ensure details run smoothly. They may also organize speakers, entertainment, and related activities. These planners work for professional associations, convention centers and hotels, in government agencies and corporations, or may specialize in planning weddings or fundraising events for non-profits. Their fast-paced work environment requires keeping calm and making quick decisions. Resourcefulness and good communication are key. Most planners work full time, with many additional hours just before and during events to keep things running smoothly. Applicants usually need a bachelor’s degree; a major in tourism management, hospitality, or meeting and event planning is a plus. Some work experience— at a hotel, convention center, or planning events— may be needed. Professional certifications may improve job prospects.

Sources: Minnesota CAREERwise & CareerOneStop

Typical Job ActivitiesSkills & KnowledgeAve Wage/Job OutlookEducation & Training

Typical Work Tasks
People who work in this career often:

Authorize financial actions.
Confer with others about financial matters.
Confer with personnel to coordinate business operations.
Correspond with customers to answer questions or resolve complaints.
Negotiate contracts with clients or service providers.
Conduct surveys in organizations.
Obtain documentation to authorize activities.
Verify accuracy of records.
Create marketing materials.
Develop financial or business plans.

Typical Working Conditions

Having telephone conversations.
Working with a group or team.
The freedom to determine tasks, priorities, and goals.
Meeting strict deadlines.
Freedom to make decisions without supervision.
Working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions.
Responsibility for outcomes and results.
High levels of competition.
Repeating the same motions many times.
Exposure to sounds or noise levels that are distracting or uncomfortable.
Being in situations in which conflicts arise.

Tools & Technology used by Event Planners

Source: Minnesota CAREERwise

Most Important Skills for Event Planners

Coordinating with Others—Adjusting actions in relation to others’ actions.
Listening—Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Reading—Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Speaking—Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Helping Others—Actively looking for ways to help people.
Thinking Critically—Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Being Aware of Others—Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Managing Time—Managing one’s own time and the time of others.
Monitoring Performance—Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Negotiating—Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.

Most Important Knowledge Areas for Event Planners

Customer and Personal Service—Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
English Language—Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Clerical—Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
Computers and Electronics—Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
Communications and Media—Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
Sales and Marketing—Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
Public Safety and Security—Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
Administration and Management—Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Psychology—Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
Law and Government—Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

Interests
Different careers may be a good fit for your personality or interests. This career is:

Enterprising—Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
Conventional—Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

Source: Minnesota CAREERwise

Wages Per Hour For Event Planners (MN)

Low

$22.66

Median

$28.58

High

$32.78

Low indicates 25% of workers earn less and 75% earn more. Median indicates 50% of workers earn less and 50% earn more. High indicates 75% of workers earn less and 25% earn more.

Demand
This career is seeing high growth compared to other careers. There will be a 9.6% growth for Event Planners to meet market demand between 2018-2028. This includes the demand due to replacement (workers leaving the occupation or retiring) as well as growth.

Source: Minnesota CAREERwise

This career requires at least an Associate’s degree, and most professionals have a Bachelor’s degree. This career does not require a license but there are certifications are helpful for growth.

View the local post-secondary education options from our partners: Central Lakes College & MSTATE.

Helpful High School Courses
Examples of helpful classes that help you prepare for this career: