Assembly planning as a career is something however a straight path. In truth, most planners report that they ‘fall into the enterprise,’ reasonably than deliberately deciding they wish to work in it.
It’s the identical with salaries — there are few guidelines and plenty of variables. Skift Conferences took a more in-depth have a look at how a lot assembly planners make, by schooling, expertise degree, area, and sort of group.
Wage Stats
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ most up-to-date median wage for assembly, conference and occasion planners (2023) is $52,560, with the highest 10% incomes $88,000 per yr.
Different wage estimates fluctuate broadly, with Glassdoor exhibiting a variety between $67,000 and $118,000 per yr, a median of $88,623, and a mean of $75,365. Certainly lists the typical wage at $64,272, with $46,272 on the low finish and a excessive of $87,933.
Skilled Conference Administration Affiliation (PCMA)’s 2024 Wage Survey pegged the typical wage of North American assembly planners a lot greater, at $103,150 — a 6% enhance from the earlier yr’s common of $97,130. The common wage for affiliation assembly planner respondents was $101.864; company planners reported a mean of $89.457. The survey additionally identified a gender pay hole, with feminine assembly planners incomes a mean of $84,000 in comparison with $100,000 for his or her male counterparts.
As with most positions, a scan of job postings on LinkedIn, Certainly, and Cvent Careers discovered that corporations in main cities akin to New York, and know-how hubs akin to San Francisco, marketed the best salaries.
Does School Depend?
Does a school diploma result in greater pay? Most sources, together with MPI, say it relies upon.
Typically, persevering with schooling and certifications — the CMP (Licensed Assembly Skilled); CSEP (Licensed Particular Occasions Skilled); DES (Digital Occasion Strategist); and CMM (Certificates in Assembly Administration) amongst them — can add one other 10% to twenty% to a planner’s wage. Nevertheless, a school diploma is required to land a task at many Fortune 500 corporations and main associations.
Salaries additionally fluctuate broadly relying on the kind of group. Firms with in-house assembly planning departments are likely to pay probably the most, from $60,000-$100,000, whereas associations pay from $50,000-80,000. Salaries at impartial assembly planning corporations, which plan occasions for company and affiliation shoppers, begin at round $55,000.
