Event Planning Resume Examples
When you’re ready to launch or redefine your event planning career, use LiveCareer’s tools, tips and resume examples to create a stand-out event planning resume.
Our Recommended Example
Event Coordinator
Popular Example in the Event Planning Space
Event Manager
Catering Coordinator
Event Assistant
Conference Coordinator
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Table of Contents
Event Planning Resume
Event Planning Cover Letter
Get Expert Writing Recommendations for Your Event Planning Resume
Having a stellar resume is crucial to getting a job in the event planning field. Our resume builder offers prewritten text suggestions, honed by our certified resume writers and designed to make you stand out. Use these professionally written, industry-specific phrases to make the resume creation process fast and simple.
Here are a few examples of content our builders might recommend for your event planning resume:
- Coordinated florists, photographers, videographers and event attendees during rehearsals and events.
- Led vendor negotiations to obtain cost-effective products and services.
- Generated 25 leads per event, resulting in $5.8 million additional revenue.
- Developed planning strategies while maintaining best practices for budgets, project plans, event timelines and presentations.
- Ensured client retention by accurately organizing and executing over 50 successful events.
- Oversaw preparation of marketing copy, images, emails and other collateral.
8 Do's and Don’ts for Writing an Event Planning Resume
- Do describe all relevant education you have. Potential employers want to hear not only about your hospitality management or other event planning-related degree but also about event planning classes, seminars and workshops that you’ve taken . Education and training combined with your experience will make you stand out among other job applicants.
- Do list specific event planning skills you possess. It’s important to include the skills you have acquired that are specific to the event planning industry. Including proficiencies such as budget creation, coordinating vendors and marketing demonstrates the assets you could bring to a potential employer.
- Do include examples and details regarding problem-solving. Event planners have to problem-solve every day leading up to and then during an event. Your resume should assure hiring managers that you dealt successfully with any issues you encountered in previous situations. Be sure to include specific situations and the positive outcomes you generated, such as: “Investigated and resolved customer complaints on Yelp and Google reviews, increasing star ratings from 3 to 4.”
- Do include times when your skills generated revenue or saved money. Adding instances where your skills directly led to making and/or saving money will grab the attention of a potential employer. For example, an event manager at a convention hall might include: “Generated 15 leads per special events, resulting in $2.5 million new revenues.” Other applicants may have the same skill set as you, but if you are successfully adding revenue, you will stand out from the rest of the crowd.
- Don’t list every event you have ever worked or supervised. Instead, hit the highlights to show how you have progressed from smaller to larger events, or group similar events together and describe your roles and responsibilities in measurable terms. For example, a seasoned senior event manager might include: “Worked closely with over 1,000 couples to meet wedding goals, maintain deadlines and resolve complaints or service issues.”
- Don’t skip people management skills. Successful events are all about the team members involved working together to get the job done. Including event details such as the size of the event and the number of people managed can help you show off this essential skill to hiring managers. For example, an event manager might note: “Supervised an onsite team of 35, including caterers, audio-visual technicians and facility management team.”
- Don’t simply list job titles. Detailing job responsibilities in your resume is imperative. Be sure to note exactly what each position entailed, as potential employers could interpret job titles differently. Don’t leave it up to a hiring manager to assume what it meant to be an “Event Specialist” at your last employer. Instead, explain that you “analyzed performance and trends to recommend program improvements,” for example, and “accurately calculated and processed expenses during and after events.”
- Don’t rely on a one-size-fits-all resume. If you plan on applying for different jobs in the event planning field, be sure to create more than one resume. For example, an event manager has qualification requirements a catering coordinator may not need. Customizing your resume for the position to which you are applying is crucial. Your knowledge of food service regulations, for example, isn’t as important on a resume for an event manager position as it is for a catering coordinator position.
Beat the ATS With These Event Planning Resume Skills
If you have ever submitted a resume online to a large corporation, the odds are high that it passed through an applicant tracking system (ATS). ATS software essentially uses an algorithm to sort resumes based on whatever keywords the employer deems necessary. Its job is to weed out resumes that don’t include the desired words and phrases. Even some smaller businesses employ an ATS to save hiring managers valuable time.
LiveCareer’s Resume Builder helps job seekers identify the right mix of skills for the event planning industry to make sure their resumes make it through an ATS and onto the desk of a hiring manager. Some of the words and skills our expert event planning resume writers might recommend you include to get past an ATS include the following:
- Event planning.
- Event logistics management.
- Lead generation.
- Budget tracking.
- Health, hotel, and food service regulations.
- Staff management.
- Wedding trends proficiency.
- Catering services.
- Menu planning.
- Logistics management.
- Vendor and contract negotiations.
Event Planning Resumes for Every Professional Level
This entry-level job seeker has limited work experience in the event planning field, with a few months as an office intern and over a year with a popular cruise line as an events intern. Because of this, she focuses on her professional skills and uses a functional resume format.
Her Summary Statement neatly encapsulates her student status and highlights some of the work skills she has acquired. This resume also highlights her comprehensive skills such as budget management, customer service and vendor relations.
Build My Resume
This mid-career job seeker has seven years of event planning experience and has held several roles in the industry. She uses a combination resume format to accentuate her background in event planning and the skills she has accumulated.
This resume shows that the candidate has grown in each role during her career, from her start as an event organizer through her current position as a director of special events. It thus highlights her successes and potential value to future employers.
Build My Resume
This executive-level resume focuses on the candidate’s decades of experience in event planning using a chronological resume format. It shows his professional expertise in marketing and events strategies, along with how his skills helped to generate business for past employers. The resume details his education, along with his career trajectory over the past 20 years.
The resume also puts an emphasis on his people management and team-building skills, along with his event planning industry knowledge. This shows he is ready to move into an executive role in his next position.
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More event-planning resume samples
Find resume examples for your desired event-planning career. Get access to expert writing recommendations, do’s and don’ts and everything you need to write a perfect resume.
Resume Success Stories
Statistics and Facts About Event Planning Jobs
Popular Event Planning Job Titles
- Catering Director
- Conference Services Director
- Special Events Coordinator
- Conference Planner
- Events Manager
Source: O*NET
Median Annual Pay for Event Planning Jobs
| 0k | 50k | 100k |
|---|---|---|
| Meeting, Convention, Event Planner | $49,370 | |
| Administrative Services Manager | $96,180 | |
| Food Service Managers | $54,240 | |
| Fundraisers: | $56,950 | |
| Lodging Managers | $53,390 |
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
Important Skills for Event Planning Job Seekers
- Reading comprehension
- Critical thinking
- Speaking
- Judgment and decision-making
- Active listening
- Negotiation
Source: DataUSA
Race and Ethnicity Data for Event Planners
(By Degrees Awarded)
| 0% | 50% | 100% |
|---|---|---|
| White | 64.5% | |
| Black | 19.2% | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 8.96% | |
| Asian | 1.86% | |
| Non-Resident Alien | 1.86% | |
| Two or more races | 1.75% | |
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 0.328% |
Source: DataUSA
What Event Planners Typically Do
- Meet with clients to understand the purpose of the event
- Plan the scope of the event, including its time, location and cos
- Solicit bids from venues and service providers
- Inspect venues to ensure that they meet the client’s requirements
- Coordinate event services such as rooms, transportation and food service
- Monitor event activities to ensure that the client and the attendees are satisfied
- Review event bills and approve payments
Largest Employers of Event Planners
| 0% | 15% | 30% |
|---|---|---|
| Religious, grantmaking, civic, professional, and similar organizations | 19% | |
| Accommodation and food services | 11% | |
| Arts, entertainment, and recreation | 11% | |
| Administration and support services | 10% | |
| Self-employed workers | 8% |
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
Projected Job Growth for Event Planners
(2018–2028)
- Employment:
134,100
- Projected employment, 2028:
143,800
- Overall growth:
7% (faster than average)
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
Specialized Colleges Awarding the Most Event
Planning Degrees
- Albany Technical College
- University of Central Florida
- Stephens College
- Atlanta Technical College
- Dakota County Technical College
