Do event planners make a lot of money

The wedding industry in the United States is a gigantic one, with over 2 million weddings taking place across the country every year and over 80 billion dollars spent annually. Working as a wedding planner takes grit and determination, you have to learn to be thick skinned as you work with people who are expecting the greatest day of their life and in some cases cannot be pleased. The wedding industry is an enormous one and because most people only hope to be married once they are willing to pay as much as it takes to have their dream wedding, and in demand wedding planners have the luxury of naming their price. Do event planners make a lot of money is what happens when clients fight for the privilege of obtaining their services. This makes sense when you think about it for a little bit, almost all aspects of the wedding industry survive completely on word of mouth. The salary of a wedding planner can range significantly, from a standard salary for newly minted wedding planners to mid-six figures for the highly experienced and business savvy ones. Most clients will not be using the services of a wedding planner more than once or at least they hope not to so to get repeat business there needs to be a recommendation factor.

An event planner will help to coordinate the planning and holding of meetings, and conventions. They will work with many aspects of these gatherings including the venue, food and beverage offerings, and music or other entertainment. Planners focus on the layout of a space based on the particular function and the expected attendance. Globally speaking, event planers are part of the hospitality industry. Salaries can vary widely, though, depending on the type of organization that employs you. However, if you instead choose to plan fundraising activities for a nonprofit, you may be on the lower side of the salary range. Location affects your salary as well. If you live and work in a metropolitan area, you can command a higher salary than an event planner in a more suburban or rural area. Demand for event planners is expected to grow during the decade from through , according to the BLS. Technology related to communication has improved considerably in recent decades, but not in a way that would replace the need for occasional events, seminars, or conventions designed to be attended in person. A good grasp of technology is something that can help an event planner grow in the field, as even events designed for those attending in person can be shared through live streaming or other options. If you are looking to break into event planning , most employers are looking for candidates who either have a bachelor’s degree or significant experience in meeting and event management, hospitality, or tourism management.

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If you are still in school, you can prepare yourself for your career and build a portfolio by taking on paid or unpaid internships. By working alongside experienced professionals while you’re still in college, you can get hands-on experience planning events. An internship can give you an edge when you’re job searching and can help build your professional network. Even small events have many different components, including vendors, caterers, guest speakers, audio-visual technicians, and more. You must be able to work with people at all levels, from senior executives to servers, to ensure that the event happens smoothly. Part of your job is to keep the event within budget, which often means going back to vendors to discuss pricing and negotiate a better deal. Finally, the most important part of being a successful event planner is your ability to maintain your composure. Things can go wrong, and they often do.

What Factors Can Affect a Wedding Planner’s Salary?

Your Event Career. When it comes to an event planning career, the amount of money you earn will depend on a number of different factors such as the services you offer, the events you work, and the amount in years of experience you have. Evidently, researching salaries can be quite difficult. Read on! There are several different factors to consider when pricing your services and understanding how much you should be compensated as certified event planner. The biggest considerations are as follows:. How much event planning training do you have? Not only is an event planning certificate an excellent way to set yourself apart as an event planner, but it will also increase your worth in the eyes of employers and potential clients. Experience is a huge factor. The more experience evident in your resume and event planner portfolio , the more faith your clients will have in your capabilities and the more your salary potential will increase. How many clients do you have?

However, when I looked further into the profession, there were a few of things that kept me from pursuing it as a career. Sachs says in the events industry, planners typically charge a fee for their services, plus a percentage of some or all vendor fees. What happens when you offer a prize along with the opportunity for hobbyists to compete against each other? If you are in it for the glamour of planning parties then it is definately not the carrer for you. Deadly avalanche strikes California ski resort. Figuring out what niche you want to focus on can be a challenge, but if you mind-map your passions, interests, experience, and knowledge you can narrow it down relatively easy. This keeps planning time to a minimum.

Improve event ROI & increase your salary with easy diagramming

This page includes affiliate links. A couple of years before I had my daughter, I entertained the thought of becoming an event planner. I was ready to do something other than nursing, and event planning seemed like the perfect career choice for me since I loved planning parties.

However, when I looked further into the profession, there were a few of things that kept me from pursuing it as a career. One, entry-level event planners earned less than I was making as a nurse. Two, there were a lot of nights and weekends involved. And three, most companies, wanted individuals with a Bachelor’s Degree AND additional event planning certifications.

Now, before you decide event planning isn’t for you, I was looking at companies that hired employees. If you want to start your own home-based event planning business, you’ll have more flexibility regarding work hours, pay, and what background training and education you’ll need.

Traditionally, to become an event planner, you would obtain a degree from a college or university in meeting and event planning, hospitality, or tourism. But if you want to launch your own event planning business, a specialized degree or certification is not needed.

In fact, successful event planner, Candice Coppola of Jubilee Events said. I just happened to have a natural affinity to the profession of being a business owner and event planner and constantly sought out to learn as much as I could which I still. Another successful event planner, Jenn Sbranti of the Hostess with the Mostesswent to college and got a Bachelor’s Degree in visual arts — not event planning.

She said. Now just because you don’t need a college degree or certification to run a business, doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t educate yourself and learn as much as you can about the industry. Sachs says in the events industry, planners typically charge a fee for their services, plus a percentage of some or all vendor fees.

Like any other home-based business, you will need to educate yourself on best business practices and tools, file all of the appropriate paperwork, and get your legal and financial ducks in a row. Once you step up the preliminary business framework, you can start working on the fun parts of your business. There are many different types of events you can work in.

While some event planners are generalists and work on a wide variety of functions, it is easier and more lucrative to choose a specialty. Figuring out what niche you want to focus on can be a challenge, but if you mind-map your passions, interests, experience, and knowledge you can narrow it down relatively easy. To be competitive as an event planner, you need to have a website. Having an online presence helps you attract more clients; it gives you a place to showcase your work, list your services, and testimonials, and it makes you look more professional.

This post has step-by-step instructions that will have you up and running in no time — and it’s very affordable! There are tons of ways to promote your event planning business; the thing you need to remember is consistency is key.

If you find yourself dreading a certain method, or that it’s not effective, drop it and try something. Some experts believe you should follow up with five to ten new prospects a day until you have a constant flow of customers in your pipeline. Luckily, they are events, tradeshows, webinars, teleconferences, online courses, books, membership sites, mastermind groups, and coaching sessions — there is something to fit every budget and every niche.

By investing in yourself and your business, you gain the knowledge, information, and skills to make your event planning business a success. Starting your own event planning business may seem like a far off distant dream — but if you take the first step, you can make it a reality.

Good luck on your journey! Through her unconventional career path of holding over 30 jobs and obtaining two college degrees, she’s been able to figure out how to find a career path that you’re truly passionate. Please see our disclosure policy for further information. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.

Today, any organization with an internet connection has the ability to compete on an international level. Across any industry, event coordinators are being called upon to bring people together and create experiences that result in lasting relationships. But how does growth across the industry impact the average event planning salary? Employment of meeting, convention, and event coordinators is projected to grow at least 10 percent over the next decade. Overfull-time meeting and event planners are employed in the U. Click To Tweet.

See the Top 5 Industries for Event Coordinators Ranked by Total Employment:

A majority of event coordinators are employed plajners small and medium-sized businesses, corporations, political organizations, or work in the hospitality industry. Today, event coordinators operate across the country in these organizations and are rapidly expanding throughout the workforce. This industry is where event planners are paid the most on an annual basis.