Last year I was lucky enough to go to the summer X Games, a festival which offers live music, extreme sports, athlete autograph sessions, and interactive elements in Los Angeles. While I was there sitting in the stands, surrounded by hundreds of screaming fans, watching Freestyle Motocross bikers soar through the air, I couldn’t help but think how amazing it was that someone was able to actually make this gigantic event happen. And the person that was the glue that held the X Games together, was an event planner– or probably a few. Basically an event planner is someone who organizes an event like a festival, ceremony, competition, convention, or party.
Photo Credit: Flickr user LiveLoudTX
An event planner handles every part of making an event a success. First comes finding the ideal location for the event–it could be a hotel, convention center, reception hall, or outdoor area. Once the location is selected, the coordinator finds the right staff to work the event, or sets clear expectations with the existing staff, selects and reserves the entertainment. Throughout the process, the event planner must keep contact with the client to make sure that expectations are being met so that everything goes smoothly on the day of the event. The event planner is also responsible for addressing additional details like food, drinks, music, guest list, decorations, transportation, and in some cases advertising and marketing (check out this infographic for details about what that entails). The event planner must accomplish all of this while keeping within a specific budget and a timeline that they help set–allocating resources is a key part of the job.
The key for a successful event planner is to be in constant communication. That means spending a lot of time in an office, making phone calls or writing emails to stay in touch with clients and vendors. The morning might be filled with negotiating contracts, discussing the layout of a venue, crunching numbers in a budget, studying a menu to select the best food options, or surfing the web for local DJs. In the afternoon a planner might pick up a printed banner or invitations, email the caterer, and book a limousine. And throughout the day, time will be spent fielding additional requests from clients. Many of the tasks can be administrative, but when you get to see the event come together without a hitch, it’s all worth it.
Pay for an event planner generally falls between $30,000 and $69,000 per year, and the median expected salary is $55,299 per year. In the event planning field, most folks start as Assistant Event Planners or Event Coordinators (the average salary for that role is apparently $44,318, though this seems a bit high to me). The next step up is becoming an Event Planner. If you want to venture further up the ladder, you either work at a larger events firm or start your own events business.
You can obviously be an event planner anywhere events happen, but the best places are usually in cities known for having large events like:
To be a great planner you might want a Bachelor’s Degree in event planning, but the exciting news is that you don’t have to have one. In this industry, determination might be all you need. A good place to start is to get a couple years of experience in the field–perhaps by assisting with catering an event, or helping out with a local concert. As long as you are creative, good at multi-tasking, able to envision the big picture, results oriented, and capable of working within a given budget, you should be able to land a job in event planning.
If event planning still sounds like your cup of tea, here are a few things you should do to get started.
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| Outside Sales | Santa Clarita, CA |
| Independent Sales Agent | New Brunswick, NJ |
| Business to Business Sales | Cincinnati, OH |
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| scala engineer | Beverly Hills, CA |
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| Operating Room Operating Room Technician | Warrenton, VA |
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| PHYSICAL THERAPIST ASSISTANT -SKILLED NURSING FACILITY | Washington, DC |
| OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST ASST -SKILLED NURSING FACILITY | Washington, DC |
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| Server | Boston, MA |
| Special Events Coordinator | South Lake Tahoe, CA |
| Physician Urgent Care | Iowa |
| Event Coordinator | Washington, DC |
| Special Events Coordinator | South Lake Tahoe, CA |
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| Event Management intern: Events Intern | Chicago, IL |
| Web & Multimedia Strategist | Princeton, NJ |
| Practice Connecticut Adult Psychiatry | Connecticut |
| Urology | Georgetown, KY |
| Connecticut Adult Psychiatry | Connecticut |
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| Coder HIMS | Mesa, AZ |
| Coder Sr HIMS | Phoenix, AZ |
| Compliance Training Officer, Hospital Coding, Days (CPC, CHC, CCS) | Washington, DC |
| PT Instructor CCE Holistic Health | Charlotte, NC |
| ARNP - Specialty Diabetes - East Orlando | Orlando, FL |
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| Occupational Therapist - Skilled - (OT) | Cloverdale, CA |
| Pediatric Cardiovascular Operating Room Nurse - (Peds CVOR RN - Pedi CVOR RN) | Kansas City, MO |
| Cardiovascular Operating Room Nurse - (Cardio - OR - CVOR RN) | Kansas City, MO |
| Restaurant Manager - Wichita Falls | Ardmore, OK |
| Assistant Restaurant Manager | San Rafael, CA |
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| Marketing Data Strategist and Account Lead | San Mateo, CA |
| Dell Compellent Storage Services Architect ICC | Plano, TX |
| Sales & Marketing Specialist | Decatur, GA |
| Marketing Specialist, Customer Engagement | Boston, MA |
| Director of Marketing | Charlotte, NC |
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| Marketing Internship | New York, NY |
| Member Services Associate / Summer Intern | New York, NY |
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| Social Media Intern | New York, NY |
| Sales and Marketing Intern | New York, NY |
| Sales & Merchandise Planner | New York, NY |
| Experienced Sales Person | New York, NY |
| Job Title | Location |
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| Quality Assurance Associate | Chicago, IL |
| Web Application Developer (R&D) | Chicago, IL |
| Web Developer (Production) | Chicago, IL |
| Quality Assurance Lead | Chicago, IL |
| Job Title | Location |
|---|---|
| Sr. Specialist Research & Content Strategy | Jersey City, NJ |
| Floor Manager and Sales | McLean, VA |
| Online Editorial Intern | New York, NY |
| Internist - Physician - (Internal Medicine) Locum Tenens | Bronxville, NY |
| Kitchen Manager | Corolla, NC |
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| Summer 2013 Management Trainee Internship (Westchester County, NY- New Rochelle, Mamaroneck) | New Rochelle, NY |
| Research Associate | Washington, DC |
| Sales Management Trainee Intern - Parkersburg/Marietta | Parkersburg, WV |
| Management Trainee Intern- Naugatuck/Oxford | Waterbury, CT |
| Sales Management Trainee Intern - New Martinsville | New Martinsville, WV |
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| Senior Specialist | St. Louis, MO |
| Media Relations Specialist--Aviation | Olathe, KS |
| Managing Developer (Life Sciences) | Belmont, CA |
| Managing Developer (Math) | Belmont, CA |
| Social Media/SEO Inside Sales Representative | Charlotte, NC |
| Job Title | Location |
|---|---|
| Marketing Intern | Santa Monica, CA |
| Sales Representative | Santa Monica, CA |
| Front End Developer | Santa Monica, CA |
| Sales Internship | Santa Monica, CA |
| Job Title | Location |
|---|---|
| Recruiter | Chicago, IL |
| Email Marketing Analyst | Chicago, IL |
| Vendor Relationship Manager | Chicago, IL |
| SEO Director | Chicago, IL |
| Fraud Analyst | Chicago, IL |
| Job Title | Location |
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| Audit Senior | Charter Township of Clinton, MI |
| Tax Senior or Tax Manager (Real Estate Industry) | Columbus, OH |
| Tax Solutions Group - Tax Manager or Tax Senior | Ann Arbor, MI |
| Tax Manager | Auburn Hills, MI |
| International Tax Senior or Manager | Southfield, MI |
| Job Title | Location |
|---|---|
| Account Manager | Pittsburgh, PA |
| Sales Intern | Pittsburgh, PA |
| Account Executive, Sales | Pittsburgh, PA |
| Customer Care Representative | Pittsburgh, PA |
| Software Engineer | Pittsburgh, PA |
| Job Title | Location |
|---|---|
| NGB Events Intern - USA Wrestling | Colorado Springs, CO |
| Social and Human Services Instructor - Temporary Full-Time (1 year) | Lynnwood, WA |
| Director, Communication/Public Relations | Richardson, TX |
| NGB Events Intern - Wrestling | Colorado Springs, CO |
| Venue Operations Specialist | Chula Vista, CA |
| Job Title | Location |
|---|---|
| Marketing Data Strategist and Account Lead | San Mateo, CA |
| Online Education Specialist | Watertown, MA |
| Sr. Inventory Planner - E-commerce | Maryland |
| Marketing and Enablement Specialist | Wellesley Hills, MA |
| Digital Marketing Analyst | Houston, TX |
| Job Title | Location |
|---|---|
| Content Marketing Manager | Redwood City, CA |
| Weekend Supervisor, General Diagnostics Department | Teaneck, NJ |
| Project Manager | Chicago, IL |
| Account Executive (Inside Sales) | Philadelphia, PA |
| Consultant - Client Development | Chicago, IL |
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| Vz FIOS Market Coordinator_MDU program_NYC | Valhalla, NY |
| Outside Sales Rep Verizon Fios-Washington,DC/PGC Area | Washington, DC |
| Outside Sales Rep for Verizon FIOS_Rhode Island Region | Providence, RI |
| Outside Sales for Verizon FIOS - Ewing, NJ | Trenton, NJ |
| Outside Sales Representative_Verizon FIOS_Medford/Deptford NJ | Medford, NJ |
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| Equipment Installer I or II | Baxter, IA |
| Freelance Guitar/Bass Players Needed for Video Demos | Scottsdale, AZ |
| Finish Worker for Trailer Manufacturing | Nampa, ID |
| Business Intelligence Analyst | Peachtree City, GA |
| Business Intelligence Analyst | Georgia |
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| Direct Sales | Pine Brook, NJ |
| Parenting Services (Parenting Instructor) | Texarkana, TX |
| Interdsciplinary Museum Educator (Art focus) | Anchorage, AK |
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| Sr. Scientist | Charlotte, NC |
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| LTC SOCIAL WORKER BSW | Homer, AK |
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| Patient Care Coordinator, RN | Kokomo, IN |
| RN, ICU - Telemedicine (experienced) Job | Baltimore, MD |
| Senior Applied Research Analyst | Franklin, TN |
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| Video Compression Algorithm Engineer (Staff/Principal) | Milpitas, CA |
| Consumer Loan Assistant Manager | Marlborough, MA |
| Territory Manager | Grand Rapids, MI |
| Copywriter, Marketing Communications | Chicago, IL |
| Physician | Saint Cloud, MN |
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| Sports Ticketing Firm - Senior Web Support Specialist | Town of Southeast, NY |
| Professional Sports Team - Manager, Ticket Operations | Chicago, IL |
| Manager, Ticket Operations | Chicago, IL |
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|---|---|
| Warehouse Management Systems - Intern | Omaha, NE |
| Call Center Administrative Assistant | Omaha, NE |
| Product Sourcing Assistant | Ralston, NE |
| Inventory Demand Planner | Ralston, NE |
| Associate Brand Merchant | Ralston, NE |
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| Literary Editor | New York, NY |
| Web Designer | New York, NY |
| Front-end Developer | New York, NY |
| Senior Ruby on Rails Developer | New York, NY |
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| Copywriter | Santa Monica, CA |
| Marketing and Social Media Intern | Santa Monica, CA |
| Graphic Designer | Santa Monica, CA |
| Product Management Intern | Santa Monica, CA |
| Senior Copywriter | Santa Monica, CA |
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| Senior SQL Database Administrator | Southfield, MI |
| Experienced Shipfitters | Pascagoula, MS |
| Sales Representative | Buffalo, NY |
| Data Integrity Specialist | Newton, MA |
| Office Assistant/Office Manager | Beaverton, OR |
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|---|---|
| Director of Marketing and Communications | New York, NY |
| Junior Graphic Designer | New York, NY |
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| Reservations Agent Part Time | Chicago, IL |
| Senior Software Developer | Philadelphia, PA |
| Create an Event Ticketing Website | United States |
| Accounting and Risk Associate | Philadelphia, PA |
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|---|---|
| Veterans Outreach Fellow | New York, NY |
| Web Developer | New York, NY |
| Laundry Attendant | Vienna, VA |
| Comp Food Attendant | Vienna, VA |
| General Manager | Vienna, VA |
| Job Title | Location |
|---|---|
| Sponsorship Manager | Annapolis, MD |
| Product and Services Coordinator | Silver Spring, MD |
| Trade Show & Event Planner - Customer Experiences Team | Schaumburg, IL |
| IT Project Coordinator | Washington, DC |
| Marketing Campaigns Lead, Business Solutions | McLean, VA |
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