While the average annual salary is $97,130 for the nearly 850 business-event planners who responded to a fall 2023 survey by Convene, the publication of the Professional Convention Management Association, the salary range is fairly wide for planners based on a number of factors.
For instance, the average salary of respondents who identify as event marketers is $128,551, while those who identify as planners is $85,213. What’s more, the average salary of those who have earned the Certified Meeting Professional designation (53 percent of respondents) is $90,330, while those who have not done so have an average salary of $72,429. And those who have earned the digital event strategist designation (24 percent of respondents) earn an average of $97,186, while those who have not done so earn an average of $83,048.
On a larger scale, the typical corporate planner makes $91,289, while the average association planner earns $89,416. And those who supervise a staff bring in an average of $101,364, while those who have no direct reports earn an average of $74,978. Some good news: about 60 percent of respondents expect a raise in 2024, while 27 percent say they are not sure.
On average, respondents are 45 years old with 15 years of experience. The majority (59 percent) work for associations or nonprofits, while 19 percent work for corporations; 14 percent for independent firms, management companies, or agencies; and five percent for governmental or educational entities. Three percent identify their organization as “other.”
Time Is Money, or So They Say
In an environment where in-person meetings have come back strongly after a roughly two-year hiatus and staffing levels are generally not back to the pre-pandemic baseline—in fact, respondents cited staffing issues as one of their largest present concerns—it is interesting that 26 percent of respondents say they work between 30 and 40 hours a week. Fifty percent say they work 40 to 50 hours a week, while 24 percent say they work more than 50 hours per week.
When it comes to taking time off, planners seem to have an inability, either employer-imposed or self-imposed, to get away from their work. Given that respondents average 15 years of experience, it might be surprising to learn that 59 percent of respondents take 15 days or less of paid time off each year.
Specifically, 30 percent of respondents take 10 days or less of paid time off, while 29 percent take 11 to 15 days. Twenty-one percent take 16 to 20 days, and 17 percent take more than 20 days.
Lastly, 54 percent of respondents say that their overall job satisfaction (considering both their duties and pay) is at least an 8 out of 10. Thirty-three percent say their overall satisfaction is a 6 or 7, and 14 percent say their overall satisfaction is 5 or lower.
However, there is a notable discrepancy related to that “overall” category: 61 percent say their satisfaction with the work they do is at least 8 out of 10, but just 39 percent say their satisfaction with the pay they receive for that work is at least an 8 out of 10.
The full survey and analysis from Convene can be found here.
