The Professional Convention Management Association has released the results of its annual salary survey and there is a lot for meeting planners to celebrate in this snapshot of the state of the industry.
1. You Are Highly Educated
Of the 800 people who responded, 65 percent have a college degree and 12 percent have advanced degree. On top of your civilian qualifications, 90 percent of you have earned Certified Meeting Professional status and because of that your compensation is an average of $10,500 a year more than those without it. Seven percent of you have earned the Certification in Meeting Management and five percent of you are Certified Association Executives.
2. You Are Wise and (Mostly) Women
More than half of respondents were over age 40, and 61 percent have more than 10 years experience in meeting management. Ninety percent of you are women.
3. You Get Paid!
Some average salaries include association executive, $108,669; corporate meeting professional, $84,527; independent meeting professional, $81,944; association meeting professional, $77,205. For those of you just starting out, average salary for 1–3 years experience is $51,754; 4–5 years experience is $62,000. Congratulations to the 75 percent who got a pay rise last year!
4. You Work Too Hard
More than half of survey respondents work between 41 and 50 hours a week, 19 percent of you work 51 to 60 hours a week, and a dedicated 6 percent of you spend 60 hours a week on the job. Unfortunately, 67 percent of you had responsibilities added to your job description last year, and most weren’t paid for the additional tasks.
5. You Do It for Love
Seventy-one percent of you like your jobs, despite the fact that only fifty-one percent of respondents are satisfied with their current salaries. And you are in the right industry, 87 percent of you reported being satisfied with the meetings industry as a whole.
Click here for the complete survey results from PCMA.
