Whether you’re already working in meetings and events or trying to break it, it seems that event planning and meeting planning salaries tend to always pique the interest of everyone at all levels in the meetings and events industry. And it may be good news to some to hear that meeting professionals increased their compensation by $3,000 vs. 2006, bringing the average salary to nearly $70,000. This, according to 2007 data from Convene magazine’s 17th annual salary survey, produced by PCMA and American Express.
PCMA is an industry association that represents nearly 6,000 meeting industry professionals, including planners, suppliers, faculty and students.
Average Salaries by Job
Based on the sample, it seems that event planning salaries vary slightly throughout the U.S. based on geographic region throughout the U.S., data from the Convene 2007 salary survey identified the average staff salary as $38,000, and management salaries averaged (mean) as follows:
North
- Vice President: $112,500
- Director: $84,400
- Manager: $55,500
Central
- Vice President: $83,200
- Director: $83,700
- Manager: $56,500
South
- Vice President: $113,200
- Director: $75,800
- Manager: $58,800
West
- Vice President: $125,000
- Director: $87,200
- Manager: $57,100
How Much Are You Worth?
Managers who responded to the survey have about 10.5 years of experience, 56.3% are college graduates, and averaged 41 years old. Interesting, 91.2% were female.
Directors who responded to the survey have about 16.4 years of experience, 48% are college graduates and averaged 45 years old. 75.9% were female.
And those who responded at the highest ranks in the meeting planning profession, the vice president level, reflected the following:
- Average years of experience: 16.4
- Some college: 20%
- College graduate: 48%
- Some post-graduate: 24%
- Post-graduate degree: 8%
- Average age: 48 years old
- Female: 64%
- Male: 36%
Approximately half of the respondents identified themselves as employed by associations. The survey results are based on 431 responses from individuals in the U.S. and Canada.
