Event Planning Jobs in the USA

With event planning jobs, you have the opportunity to earn a profitable income in the United States. Event planning services vary depending on the event. You have to accomplish everything at once when organizing an event. As deadlines mount and every task must be completed, it might become too much to handle. Business owners can choose to hire an event planner or an event planning service so they can concentrate on their core competencies. Organizing events and offering event services can be challenging tasks that require cooperation from several people. When searching for new full-time or part-time employment or determining their event planning specialty, event planners can take into consideration a variety of career opportunities in the events business. Consider all your options when preparing for a job in event planning to help you organize your objectives.

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What Does an Event Planner Do?

An event planner organizes all of the events’ activities and components, as well as the materials needed to host gatherings like concerts, conventions, and parties. They create the event strategy and may organize webinars and other in-person and virtual events. An event planner’s main responsibility is to make sure that everything is prepared following the event schedule, including the transportation, décor, food, music, and activities. They serve as a point of contact between the event host and all of the suppliers, vendors, and staff members who are in charge of setting up the venue and serving attendees on the day of the event.

Event planners and event experts can focus on one area of event planning, such as hiring performers and scheduling workers, or even on a specific event genre. Planning events such as trade exhibitions, corporate gatherings, fundraising events, and weddings heavily relies on effective communication and project management. While a bachelor’s degree is not always necessary, a high school diploma is important for an entry-level position in event planning. Event planners can handle bigger events, take on more responsibility, and collaborate with more clients as their careers develop. To help manage the operations and logistics of intricate events, they can also oversee a team of employees in various event planning positions.

13 Event Planning Jobs in the USA with Salaries

• The Promoter

For this role, $55,788 is the average annual salary. Event promoters’ main responsibilities include marketing events to the public, creating interest, and boosting attendance. In order to draw attendees and raise awareness of their events, they provide incentives to celebrities and influencers who show up. To reach a large audience, event producers make fliers and ads, post on social media, and network at other industry events.

• The Events Director

An events director in the United States has an average yearly income of $69,653. A director of events is responsible for organizing and managing all of the company’s events, including conferences, seminars, and major gatherings. They distribute event sign-up forms, reserve event locations, and work with their team members to manage event schedules to avoid clashing programming. Event directors create guidelines and protocols that allow their colleagues to use common event locations and submit event requests.

• Manager of Marketing Communications

This role pays a yearly average salary of $65,164 in the United States. To promote their goods and services, marketing communications managers create and carry out their organizations’ overall event marketing and communication plans. To guarantee consistent messaging and the greatest possible impact on the target audience, they supervise public relations, advertising, and other marketing initiatives.

• Manager of Entertainment

An entertainment manager earns up to $56,472 a year. Booking performers and other entertainment for events is the responsibility of entertainment managers. Their main responsibility is to choose the best performer for a given audience and maintain everyone’s happiness and engagement during the event. To entertain guests at events, they cultivate relationships with musicians, DJs, comedians, magicians, motivational speakers, artists, and celebrities. Event planners and entertainment managers work together to set up the lighting, décor, and other elements that make for a captivating entertainment experience.

• Manager of Fundraising

This role pays up to $56,013 a year. Organizing charity events and marketing is one way that fundraising managers can persuade people to contribute to a particular cause. Fundraising managers collaborate with their organization to establish a budget after researching to identify the events that would help them raise the most money. They can hold fundraising events like charity auctions, raffles, donation challenges, or marathons, or they can sell event tickets. The fundraising manager establishes targets for the amount of money to be raised and the number of donors to attract to cover the event costs and get additional support.

• Coordinator of the Campaign

For this role, the average pay is $54,953 a year. Political campaign coordinators organize activities that allow candidates to interact with voters and engage with their supporters. To provide a political candidate with a platform, they organize speeches, rallies, meet-and-greets, and other activities. Campaign coordinators provide photo opportunities and place orders for promotional items when organizing a political event. To promote events and create favorable news for their companies, campaign coordinators speak with reporters and journalists.

• Manager of Catering

A catering manager in the United States earns up to $56,069 a year. The main responsibilities of catering managers are to serve refreshments to guests at events. They create a strategy for cooking and serving a lot of food at once, and create personalized menus for their customers. Bartenders, waiters, chefs, and other helpers are hired and trained by catering managers to assist in setting up tables and serving utensils. Catering managers make sure they can produce enough food to satisfy every guest, maintain hygienic standards, and serve food at the right temperature based on the event schedule.

• Coordinator of Events

The average pay in the United States is $47,418 a year. The main responsibilities of event coordinators are to directly support event planners with logistics. To guarantee a successful event, event coordinators manage minor operational matters following instructions from the event planner. They frequently serve as a point of contact for artists or suppliers, and event coordinators. Event planners investigate suppliers, create pricing lists, inquire about delivery schedules, and assess every element of the event for quality. The duties of an administrative assistant and an event coordinator are comparable.

• Manager of Special Events

A special events manager in the United States earns an average yearly income of $52,634. A special events manager assists organizations in organizing and executing events, typically to promote interest in the group and collect funds. They frequently organize fundraising or promotional events for businesses or nonprofits. For instance, organizing fundraisers for art auctions or exhibit opening parties would fall under the purview of a museum’s special events manager. From creating original and captivating concepts to promoting the event to the general public, special events managers oversee every step of the event planning process.

• Manager of Social Media

A social media manager’s average yearly income is $55,933. The main responsibilities of a social media manager include developing and carrying out event marketing programs that use social media to advertise a company or brand. To gauge the effectiveness of their initiatives, they also keep an eye on social media trends, interact with followers, and examine analytics.

• Event Planner

Event planners earn an average of $52,407 a year in America. Event planners correctly comprehend and carry out a client’s event concept. They may operate in any kind of event setting, including corporate banquet rooms and sports stadiums. Clients and event planners meet to talk about the event’s budget, programming, mood, and décor. Event planners use this feedback to hire performers, caterers, decorators, AV equipment operators, and other professionals.

• Wedding Planner

The role of a wedding planner in the United States offers up to $46,298 on average yearly.. Those who are getting married might obtain assistance from wedding planners in planning their wedding and celebration. Finding a location, choosing décor, ordering the wedding cake, creating floral arrangements, arranging caterers, and setting up wedding music are all things they take care of. Within a predetermined budget, wedding planners assist their clients in realizing their vision. They frequently go to the wedding to set up the venue and take care of any last-minute deliveries or transportation concerns.

• Venue Manager

This role pays an average yearly income of $53,678 in the United States. Venue managers are employed by firms that lease event facilities to other companies, people, and groups. They are in charge of keeping the venue clean in between events and assigning customers to designated timeslots. Venue managers assist in scheduling the rental of tables, chairs, and audiovisual equipment by determining what kind of facilities each client requires to organize their event. Venue managers can successfully inform clients on critical matters such as the maximum number of participants, forbidden materials, and extension fees before an event.

How to Hire the Right People for Event Planning Jobs

• Identify Your Event Requirements

You must first decide what you want your event to achieve before you can hire an event planner. Event planners can better customize their proposals and prices to meet the needs of their clients by having well-defined goals. Collaboration can be enhanced and disputes can be avoided when expectations are well-defined. A clear objective can also lead to a more accurate assessment and evaluation of return on investment.

• Investigate and Compile Your Options

Investigating the many available event planners is the next stage. To determine whether they meet your needs, look through their portfolios or previous performances that have a track record of success. For instance, as weddings are intimate and significant occasions, it is crucial to select wedding planners who share your personality.

• First Interviews and Screening

The customer or company will interview the prospective event planner they are considering hiring as part of the preliminary screening process. Important aspects, including contracts, availability, credentials, and the event preparation procedure, are discussed.

• Talk about the needs and services

The discussion of services and requirements comes after the initial screening and interviews are over. Discuss whether event planning services can be tailored to your specific requirements. Together with your event planner, investigate event programming and themes.

• Negotiations and Budgetary Considerations

The proper pricing must be agreed upon by the event planners and potential clients before the agreement is finalized. Choose the best event planner by being aware of the overall event budget. Recognize the payment plan and price structure, and find out whether there are any extra expenses. You can bargain for certain services to be covered by the package pricing, if at all possible.

• Signing a Contract

The contract should be signed when the price and terms have been agreed upon by both parties. Make sure that everything mentioned is documented in the contract by reading it over and checking it again.

• Cooperation and Arrangement

At this point, the event planner will be responsible for organizing and carrying out the event. Major decision approvals can be managed and overseen by the client. To guarantee a successful event, constant contact is required at every stage.

• Implementation

Among the duties expected of an event planner are audience participation and day-of coordination. During the event, the event planner’s main duties include coordinating with vendors, monitoring audiovisuals, and ensuring the event program runs successfully.

• Post-Event Monitoring

Lastly, the event planner gathers participant feedback questionnaires and assesses the event. The contract may also include recommendations and post-event reports.

How Do Event Planners Earn?

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, event planning jobs offer a median pay of $59,440 per year and $28.58 per hour. Employment of meeting, convention, and event planners will grow by 7% from 2023 to 2033, faster than the average for all occupations. There are various types of costs that event planners charge when you hire them. The most prevalent kinds of fees for event planning jobs are as follows:

• Project

For a certain event, a project fee is a set price for a set of services. For a set price, an event planner might, for instance, outline the services they offer for a wedding. A tiered bundle is one variation of this pricing structure. More complex event planning services can be in premium packages from an event planner, which are still flat fees. Depending on experience and skill, wedding planners might start earning as much as $55,000 annually.

• Rate per Hour

For certain event planning responsibilities, some event planners charge by the hour. This is more typical of independent event coordinators. They can create an invoice for a particular work and include the number of hours required to do it. Experience will determine the hourly wage, which might range from $25 to $100.

• Percentage

Big events like weddings, corporate gatherings, high-profile events, fundraising, or full-service party planning are in the budget. Because of the intricacy of the event, event planners could charge a percentage fee. Depending on the specific company and its overall event budget, some clients may find this pricing structure to be more affordable. An incentive for event planners to produce outcomes for the event can also be provided by a percentage price structure. The typical fee range for event planners is between 5 and 20% of the total event budget. Corporate gatherings that need event planners to get sponsors are one example. They can reach a goal to benefit both themselves and the customer.

• Personalized or Custom Payment

Depending on the particular event they will be handling, some event planners decide to offer certain services at a flat charge, but at a customized price. Depending on their particular skill set or experience, event planners with specific knowledge of particular sectors or event kinds may modify their prices. Tailored pricing guarantees that customers get specialized event-planning services that meet their needs.

Conclusion

Event planning jobs in the United States offer a rewarding career path for creative people. This industry has opportunities in different roles suitable for different people. Due to growing demand, skilled event planners can bring their vision to life. There are consistent job openings, competitive salaries, and growth opportunities. With various skills, event planning jobs in the US can grow from assistant roles into leadership positions.