# Compensation guidance

Contents: the three named sources, kept separate · when to use the tech-industry premium · what's missing.

No dev/tech-conference-specific salary survey exists. Never blend the sources below into one number - name which one an offer is anchored to.

## PCMA Convene 2025 Salary Survey (275 event professionals, primarily North America)

By planner level: Coordinator $77,321, Manager $95,077, Director $133,147, Executive/VP $176,217. Use this as the general events-industry anchor when the hire is not specifically inside a tech company.

## US BLS "Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners" (occupation code 13-1121)

Median $59,440-$101,310 - a census-scale figure blending every seniority level and industry. Use only as a broad floor/ceiling check, never as a precise offer anchor.

## Glassdoor tech-industry premium, by title

Use this cut when hiring in-house at a tech company - Information Technology is the single highest-paying industry for every event title sourced:

- Event Manager: national average $85,244-$89,104/yr; IT median total pay $114,016.
- Event Marketing Manager: national average $100,135/yr; IT median total pay $175,690 - the widest tech premium of any title sourced.
- Events Manager (broader title): IT median total pay $157,737.
- Event Technology Manager: national average $116,910/yr.

Named top-paying IT employers across these titles: Amazon Web Services, Google, Meta, Amazon, Microsoft.

## Geographic cuts, when relevant

- San Francisco: roughly $83,000-$115,000 base, often $130,000-$150,000+ total comp at named top-tier tech employers. Sourced from a single practitioner blog post, not a survey - use as one data point, not a benchmark.
- New York City: Event Manager average $91,303/yr (8% above US national average).
- UK agency bands (Regan & Dean): Entry ~£18,000/yr, Producer £23,000-£35,000/yr, Manager/Director £35,000-£45,000/yr - no confirmed publication date, treat as likely stale.

## What's missing

No comp data exists for a first paid hire at a volunteer-community-run event, or for a standing for-profit conference business. State this plainly rather than extrapolating from the tables above - a posting for either context should not cite a PCMA or Glassdoor figure as if it were representative.