Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners

What Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners Do

Coordinate activities of staff, convention personnel, or clients to make arrangements for group meetings, events, or conventions.

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience

None

On-the-job training

None

Self-employed

5.1%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

• Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 4.3/5
• English Languageimportance 4.2/5
• Communications and Mediaimportance 3.7/5
• Administrativeimportance 3.5/5
• Administration and Managementimportance 3.4/5
• Computers and Electronicsimportance 3.3/5
• Public Safety and Securityimportance 3.1/5
• Law and Governmentimportance 3.0/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

• Telephone Conversations4.9/5
• Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.9/5
• Contact With Others4.9/5
• E-Mail4.9/5
• Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team4.8/5
• Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals4.7/5

Related Careers

• Fundraisers
• Public Relations Specialists
• Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants
• First-Line Supervisors of Entertainment and Recreation Workers, Except Gambling Services
• Project Management Specialists
• Social and Community Service Managers
• Producers and Directors
• First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

• Entertainment and Recreation Managers, Except Gambling97% skill match
• Sales Managers97% skill match
• General and Operations Managers96% skill match
• First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers96% skill match
• First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers96% skill match
• First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives96% skill match
• Social and Community Service Managers96% skill match
• Residential Advisors96% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

• Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.9/5
• Coordinationimportance 3.9/5
• Service Orientationimportance 3.9/5
• Time Managementimportance 3.8/5
• Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.6/5
• Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.6/5
• Persuasionimportance 3.5/5
• Negotiationimportance 3.4/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

• Dependability
• Attention to Detail
• Social Orientation
• Adaptability
• Cooperation
• Stress Tolerance
• Self-Control

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

• EnterprisingHigh
• ConventionalMedium
• SocialMedium
• ArtisticLow
• InvestigativeLow
• RealisticLow

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where meeting, convention, and event planners make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).

1. 1Napa, CA2.70× national avg
2. 2Salisbury, MD2.38× national avg
3. 3Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA2.08× national avg
4. 4Boulder, CO2.03× national avg
5. 5Fort Collins-Loveland, CO1.99× national avg

Possible Career Moves

A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.

• FundraisersLateral Move
• Social and Community Service ManagersCareer Change
• First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales WorkersCareer Change
• Administrative Services ManagersCareer Change

See the full career path from Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners →

Related Education Programs

Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.