Meeting Planner Careers

So you are thinking of becoming an event planner? Congratulations! You are about to choose an important and rewarding career. However, before you do, make sure you understand your job responsibilities. Here is a sample job description for a corporate event planner.

Event Planner Job Responsibilities

You will be responsible for planning all aspects of the company’s meetings and events. This includes holiday events, customer appreciation and incentive plans, sales meetings, and conventions. Smaller meetings may include motivational meetings for sales staff and team building for various departments.

Travel

Some travel may be required for large events out of town. There is also the possibility of international travel, so candidates should have an up-to-date passport and travel clearances.

Education and Experience

A degree in business, marketing, meeting management, public relations, communications, or hospitality is required. A combination of experience and education will be necessary for those with two-year degrees, and the Convention Industry Council’s Certified Meeting Professional certificate will be a plus for all applicants.

Other Job Descriptions

The above description is obviously for an experienced event planner who is looking to move up the ladder a bit. Event planners who are looking for entry level positions should be armed with the best educational background they can get, plus some job experience that required organization, budgeting, promotions, and event management.

For those of you who are currently in school or about to enter, plan to land an internship in the field. That way you can claim experience, get college credit for it (or a small stipend), and be certain that is the career path you want to take. In fact, more and more employers are making internships and externships part of their employment requirements for entry level personnel in almost all business fields.

Remember that there are many variations on the even planner career path, and you should investigate as many as you can before you decide on one.