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Corporate & weddings
Event Planner
Months of spreadsheets for one day that cannot go wrong.
Typical pay
$42k-$85k
How you get in
Experience plus a portfolio; certifications optional
Outlook
Recovered and growing
Event planners manage logistics, vendors, budgets and timelines for weddings, conferences and corporate events. The glamour is the last eight hours; the job is the four months before it.
A day in the life
- 9:00aVendor emails and contract follow-ups
- 10:30aSite visit and floor plan walkthrough
- 1:00pBudget reconciliation for a client
- 3:00pTasting or a rehearsal call
- 5:00pBuild the run-of-show timeline
- 9:00pOn event days, this is hour fourteen
How to get in
Assist an established planner
Duration
1-3 years
Cost
$0
Credential
None — a portfolio of events
- Get hired as a day-of assistant or coordinator
- Work as many events as you can across types
- Learn vendor relationships — they are the real asset
- Take your own clients once you have a portfolio
Hospitality or event management degree
Duration
2-4 years
Cost
$15,000-$150,000
Credential
Degree in hospitality or event management
- Complete a program with required internships
- Work events throughout school
- Enter a hotel, venue or agency as a coordinator
- Move to planner, then senior planner
Venue or catering side first
Duration
1-3 years
Cost
$0
Credential
None
- Work at a venue, hotel or catering company
- Learn how events actually execute from the operations side
- Build a vendor network from the inside
- Move into planning with credibility most newcomers lack
What people love
- · Highly visible, tangible results
- · Freelance and agency options
- · Strong vendor relationships compound over years
- · No specific degree required
What wears people down
- · Event days are 14-16 hours on your feet
- · Weekends are the business
- · Client stress lands entirely on you
- · Seasonal income swings