Salary Range for an Event Coordinator
Event coordinators plan and direct every aspect of special events, from choosing a location, hiring caterers, musicians, or photographers, and selecting decor to ensuring the event begins on time and the day's activities go as smoothly as possible. While there are many independent event coordinators or those who own an event-planning business, a number of corporations and large non-profit organizations choose to hire a full-time event coordinator to handle business meetings, special promotions, company holiday parties and other corporate events. Thus, a range of factors affects how much an event coordinator earns.
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Independent vs. Employee
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Event planners who are employees of a company generally receive an hourly wage or salary and perform the majority of their work during normal business hours -- except when they need to coordinate activities during events that are held on evenings or weekends. The median hourly wage for event coordinators is $21.53 per hour.
Independent event coordinators or those who own an event-planning business may have more fluctuations in salary since their earnings are dependent on how many and what type of events they plan, as well as the cost of running a business.
Event Type & Size
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Most event planners coordinate a wide range of special events, including corporate meetings, banquets, birthday parties, holiday parties, family reunions and weddings. However, some choose to specialize in a certain type of event, such as weddings or professional conferences. Having a niche provides many event coordinators with greater earning power since they can focus their advertising efforts at developing new business on a specific market, and can leverage their expertise to charge higher fees. Additionally, since many independent event planners utilize a fee structure that charges clients a percentage of the overall budget of the event, planning special events with larger budgets such as weddings or corporate banquets results in higher annual salary.
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Experience
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As with most professions, event planners with significant experience can expect to earn more than someone who is just starting out. The median annual salary range for event coordinators is $34,480 to $57,820, with those possessing five or more years of experience generally making over $40,000 per year. Another consideration for event planners trying to make the choice between independent contracting versus employment with a company is that experience generated during your time as an employee may result in bonuses or pay increases at yearly performance reviews.
Education
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While it is not absolutely necessary to have any sort of formal education to become an event coordinator, many companies and individuals looking to hire an event-planning professional are more confident in hiring those with some type of education relevant to event coordination, and are generally willing to pay more for the demonstrated competency of an educated professional event coordinator. Common degrees held by event planners include logistics, business management, marketing, public relations, or hotel/hospitality management.
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