19 tasks, each one witnessed by the sources that watched the job — and behind every one, a prompt you can use tonight.
You usually start by checking email and calendar in Microsoft Outlook for client requests, vendor arrival times, and ticketing shifts. Midday is often answering walk-up customer questions, troubleshooting printer or barcode problems, and updating ticket inventories in Microsoft Excel or your ticketing software.
Afternoons often have meetings with event producers to confirm seating, coordinate security and catering, and sign off on bills. After the event you run sales reports, reconcile cash/credit, and file a post-event evaluation to improve the next show.
Expect Microsoft Outlook for schedules and client contact, Microsoft Excel for sales reports and budgets, and Google Docs or Microsoft Word for contracts and event programs. If your employer uses marketing tools, you may see Marketo for email promotions and ESRI ArcGIS maps for seating or accessibility planning.
Ticketing-specific platforms vary, but you’ll export data to Excel and write meeting notes in Docs or Word. Know how to make a simple spreadsheet pivot table and send calendar invites in Outlook.
Use AI to draft emails, event descriptions, or post-event summaries, but never paste customer credit card numbers, full names with addresses, or payroll details into a public AI chat. Treat AI like a first draft generator that still needs human editing for accuracy and tone.
Keep contracts, permits, and sensitive vendor negotiations in protected company systems (Outlook, Google Workspace) and follow your employer’s data-handling rules. If unsure, ask your manager or legal team before using AI on sensitive content.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), meeting, convention, and event planners (SOC 13-1121.00) had a median salary of $61,160 per year, with the lowest tenth at $36,830 and the top tenth at $101,700. There were about 142,860 employed in this category.
Pay varies by venue size and city. Working for a large arena, major arts organization, or corporate meeting typically pays more than a small local theater. Benefits and overtime can change total compensation.
Begin with basic software skills: practice Outlook calendars, learn Excel for simple budgets and sales reports, and use Google Docs or Word to write event outlines. Volunteer at local venues to handle registration, box office shifts, or backstage logistics to see how ticket flows work.
Read trade publications and attend a meeting-professional seminar to learn standards and trends. Small events let you practice permits, vendor contact, and post-event evaluations before applying for paid roles.
A ticketing manager focuses on sales, registration, seating, and front-of-house operations: organizing participant registration, monitoring event satisfaction, and reconciling sales. An event planner builds the program, selects speakers, and plans the event scope and content.
A venue manager handles the facility: permits, maintenance, vendor contracts with hotels or suppliers, and venue inspections. In smaller operations one person may do both jobs; in larger organizations they are separate roles.
Improve spreadsheet skills in Microsoft Excel: learn sorting, filters, basic formulas (SUM, VLOOKUP or XLOOKUP), and simple pivot tables. You will use Excel for budgets, ticket inventories, sales reconciliation, and post-event reports.
Pair that with clear written updates in Outlook or Google Docs—accurate numbers plus short, organized messages prevent mistakes on busy event days.