Business and Financial Operations Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 13-1121

Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners

The published band from $36,830 to $101,700 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Financial Risk Specialists.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners: Financial Risk Specialists ($117K) , Compliance Officers ($81K) , Management Analysts ($102K) , Personal Financial Advisors ($105K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 13-1121 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Consult with customers to determine objectives and requirements for events, such as meetings, conferences, and conventions
  2. 2. Review event bills for accuracy and approve payment
  3. 3. Coordinate services for events, such as accommodation and transportation for participants, facilities, catering, signage, displays, speci…
  4. 4. Arrange the availability of audio-visual equipment, transportation, displays, and other event needs
  5. 5. Confer with staff at a chosen event site to coordinate details
  6. 6. Inspect event facilities to ensure that they conform to customer requirements
  7. 7. Maintain records of event aspects, including financial details
  8. 8. Monitor event activities to ensure compliance with applicable regulations and laws, satisfaction of participants, and resolution of any p…
  9. 9. Negotiate contracts with such service providers and suppliers as hotels, convention centers, and speakers
  10. 10. Evaluate and select providers of services according to customer requirements
  11. 11. Plan and develop programs, agendas, budgets, and services according to customer requirements
  12. 12. Hire, train, and supervise volunteers and support staff required for events

Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners: O*NET ranks Reading Comprehension first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 13-1121 - lead skill Reading Comprehension at 4.0 ; lead knowledge Customer and Personal Service. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Reading Comprehension 4.0
  2. 2. Active Listening 4.0
  3. 3. Speaking 4.0
  4. 4. Critical Thinking 3.9
  5. 5. Social Perceptiveness 3.9
  6. 6. Coordination 3.9
  7. 7. Service Orientation 3.9
  8. 8. Time Management 3.8

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Customer and Personal Service 4.3
  2. 2. English Language 4.2
  3. 3. Communications and Media 3.7
  4. 4. Administrative 3.5
  5. 5. Administration and Management 3.4
  6. 6. Computers and Electronics 3.3
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$36,830 to $101,700
median $61,160 · ~2.8× spread
$61K
National median
↑ +5%
Growth 2024-2034
15,500
Annual openings
142,860
Estimated US jobs
Financial Risk Specialists
Highest-pay peer · $117K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Bachelor's degree

Top Paying States for Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners

1. Washington $65,530
2. Maryland $63,280
3. Connecticut $70,010
4. New Jersey $72,780
5. Massachusetts $75,740
6. District of Columbia $76,970
7. New York $74,730
8. Vermont $74,310
9. California $71,120
10. Hawaii $74,460

Other Business and Financial Operations Occupations titles

  1. 1. Management Analysts $101,860
  2. 2. Personal Financial Advisors $105,070
  3. 3. Compliance Officers $80,730
  4. 4. Business Operations Specialists, All Other $83,050
  5. 5. Credit Analysts $83,510
  6. 6. Financial Risk Specialists $117,330

The OEWS band for Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners runs from $36,830 (10th) to $101,700 (90th), about 2.8× wide, with median $61,160. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect +5% change between 2024 and 2034 (about as fast as average vs baseline 3.1%). About 15,500 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Washington at $65,530. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Financial Risk Specialists at $117,330. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners pay-rank #29 in Business and Financial Operations Occupations

On the Business and Financial Operations Occupations median table (32 detailed occupations with OEWS medians), Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners lands at #29, in the lower third. That rank is a table position, not a statement about individual workers.

Other lower-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

SOC 13-1121 · national median $61,160 · lower third of Business and Financial Operations Occupations (#29/32). Open the full OEWS map or a named state before treating the card median as a local ask.

Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 13-1121

Washington · top state for Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners

$66K published median

Maryland · #2 state pay

$63K · behind Washington

Financial Risk Specialists

Highest-pay peer vs Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners · $117K

Compliance Officers

Lower-pay peer beside Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners · $81K

Compare Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners with another occupation →

Pay-band next reads

Entry-Level vs Experienced Pay

What percentile bands reveal

Using Salary Data for Negotiation

Leverage BLS percentiles

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners land on the Business and Financial Operations Occupations median table? ▼
Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners is pay-rank #29 of 32 in this major group, lower third of the median table. Closest lower-third titles: Tax Examiners and Collectors, and Revenue Agents ($62K), Farm Labor Contractors ($58K), Tax Preparers ($55K), Property Appraisers and Assessors ($68K). That position is a table rank, not a worker percentile.
What do meeting, convention, and event planners do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners. Leading ones include: Consult with customers to determine objectives and requirements for events, such as meetings, conferences, and conventions; Review event bills for accuracy and approve payment; Coordinate services for events, such as accommodation and transportation for participants, facilities, catering, signage, displays, speci…; Arrange the availability of audio-visual equipment, transportation, displays, and other event needs. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for meeting, convention, and event planners? ▼
For SOC 13-1121, O*NET importance scores lead with Reading Comprehension (4.0), Active Listening (4.0), Speaking (4.0), Critical Thinking (3.9). Knowledge areas emphasize Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Communications and Media. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How wide is the published pay band for Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners? ▼
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $36,830 and the 90th at $101,700 for Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners (2.8× spread). The national median is $61,160. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners is +5%. Projected annual openings: about 15,500. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: about as fast as average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners? ▼
BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners? ▼
Washington ($65,530), Maryland ($63,280), Connecticut ($70,010) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 13-1121. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics