Best programs to become a meeting, convention, and event planner
BLS lists a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for meeting, convention, and event planners. The fields of study that lead most directly to this job are Meeting and Event Planning, as well as Facilities Planning and Management (IPEDS completions).
2 college programs at 61 schools train meeting, convention, and event planners, graduating 855 people a year (IPEDS completions). The job pays a median of $61,160 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About meeting, convention, and event planners
Coordinate activities of staff, convention personnel, or clients to make arrangements for group meetings, events, or conventions.
Best programs to study to become a meeting, convention, and event planner
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 52.0907 | 781 | 91.3% | 54 | $34,218 | $23,364 |
| 2 | CIP 19.0604 | 74 | 8.7% | 7 | $38,637 | $25,683 |
Top 50 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
What meeting, convention, and event planners earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Floridamoderate | $60,270 | 10,480 | 1.15× | 3 | 176 |
| Iowalimited | $51,750 | 1,120 | 0.78× | 2 | 145 |
| New Yorkmoderate | $74,730 | 10,330 | 1.16× | 4 | 92 |
| Texasmoderate | $57,470 | 10,730 | 0.83× | 4 | 84 |
| Pennsylvania | $58,170 | 3,940 | 0.71× | 6 | 59 |
| Arizonamoderate | $61,330 | 3,440 | 1.16× | 3 | 42 |
| Georgiamoderate | $49,250 | 5,050 | 1.12× | 4 | 34 |
| Illinoislimited | $59,840 | 5,220 | 0.93× | 1 | 24 |
| Michiganlimited | $52,780 | 3,560 | 0.88× | 1 | 22 |
| North Carolinalimited | $54,990 | 4,340 | 0.96× | 1 | 21 |
| Californialimited | $71,120 | 20,650 | 1.23× | 1 | 18 |
| Utahlimited | $54,150 | 1,970 | 1.24× | 2 | 17 |
| Coloradolimited | $62,050 | 4,650 | 1.76× | 1 | 16 |
| Ohiomoderate | $49,900 | 4,750 | 0.93× | 3 | 15 |
| Wisconsinmoderate | $53,940 | 2,690 | 1.00× | 4 | 12 |
| Massachusettslimited | $75,740 | 4,640 | 1.39× | 2 | 11 |
| Indianamoderate | $50,090 | 2,140 | 0.73× | 3 | 7 |
| Louisianalimited | $61,150 | 610 | 0.35× | 1 | 5 |
| Missourilimited | $56,900 | 2,500 | 0.93× | 2 | 5 |
| New Hampshiremoderate | $63,250 | 510 | 0.81× | 3 | 4 |
| Washingtonlimited | $65,530 | 3,600 | 1.10× | 1 | 4 |
| Arkansaslimited | $53,040 | 550 | 0.46× | 1 | 3 |
| Nebraskalimited | $52,630 | 610 | 0.65× | 1 | 2 |
| Connecticutlimited | $70,010 | 1,450 | 0.93× | 1 | 1 |
| Marylandlimited | $63,280 | 2,570 | 1.01× | 1 | 1 |
| Minnesotalimited | $57,710 | 3,160 | 1.17× | 1 | 1 |
| West Virginialimited | $35,760 | 300 | 0.47× | 1 | 1 |
| Wyominglimited | $55,550 | 120 | 0.48× | 1 | 1 |
Skills and knowledge
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- 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, special needs requirements, printing and event security.
- Arrange the availability of audio-visual equipment, transportation, displays, and other event needs.
- Confer with staff at a chosen event site to coordinate details.
- Inspect event facilities to ensure that they conform to customer requirements.
- Maintain records of event aspects, including financial details.
- Monitor event activities to ensure compliance with applicable regulations and laws, satisfaction of participants, and resolution of any problems that arise.
Skills
- Reading Comprehension4.0
- Active Listening4.0
- Speaking4.0
- Critical Thinking3.9
- Writing3.5
- Monitoring3.5
- Active Learning3.4
- Mathematics2.5
Knowledge areas
- Customer and Personal Service4.3
- English Language4.2
- Communications and Media3.7
- Administrative3.5
- Administration and Management3.4
- Computers and Electronics3.3
Abilities
- Written Comprehension4.0
- Written Expression4.0
- Oral Expression4.0
- Speech Recognition4.0
- Oral Comprehension4.0
- Problem Sensitivity3.9
Core activities
- Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work4.6
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems4.6
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.5
- Communicating with People Outside the Organization4.5
- Working with Computers4.4
- Performing for or Working Directly with the Public4.3
How to get in
How to become a meeting, convention, and event planner
- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 2 majors mapped to Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners2 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 19.0604Facilities Planning and Management
- 52.0907Meeting and Event Planning
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
What degree do you need to become a meeting, convention, and event planner?+
BLS lists a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for meeting, convention, and event planners. The fields of study that lead most directly to this job are Meeting and Event Planning, as well as Facilities Planning and Management (IPEDS completions).
Which college majors lead to becoming a meeting, convention, and event planner?+
The fields of study that lead most directly to this job are Meeting and Event Planning, as well as Facilities Planning and Management (IPEDS completions). In all, the NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 2 programs to this job, which together graduate about 855 people a year.
How much do meeting, convention, and event planners earn?+
The median is $61,160 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $36,830 at the 10th percentile to $101,700 at the 90th. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for meeting, convention, and event planners growing?+
BLS projects a +4.8% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 15,500 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
61 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 2 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do meeting, convention, and event planners work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Events Manager, Conference Planning Manager, Conference Services Manager, Convention Services Manager (CSM) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 13-1121.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024-25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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