1. Exclusive Senior Meeting Manager Salary Survey http://meetingsnet.com/news/sr_salary_survey0628/
MeetingsNet Logo
You are here: Home » News » Exclusive Senior Meeting Manager Salary Survey August 21, 2012
Exclusive Senior Meeting Manager Salary Survey
Jun 28, 2012 2:04 PM, By Barbara Scofidio
Highlights
Benchmark your salary based on education, certification, years of experience, staff size, meetings volume,
and more
Two years ago, we published the first-ever salary survey geared toward senior meeting managers. This
year, we have updated it, in conjunction with SPIN (Senior Planners Industry Network), and once again,
we hand-picked only those at the top level of the meetings profession.
The average respondent in this survey has 18 years of experience in the meetings industry and has been
with his or her company for 10 years and present job for seven. His department manages an average of 62
meetings annually. Just over half of respondents (57 percent) have direct reports, three on average. The
vast majority (73 percent) are responsible for corporate travel in addition to meetings.
This year’s findings reflect the new economy. Significantly more respondents got salary increases last
year than in 2009 (76 vs. 61 percent) and the average bonus was $1,000 more. But 82 percent got salary
increases that were under 5 percent. And outsourcing was down, as was the number of direct reports,
indicating that companies are doing more with less.
Fewer respondents in this year’s sample have strategic meetings management programs (29 percent vs. 45
percent two years ago), though of those who do, 65 percent either have taken them global or plan to.
1 de 8 21/08/2012 13:23
2. Exclusive Senior Meeting Manager Salary Survey http://meetingsnet.com/news/sr_salary_survey0628/
The average salary of survey respondents was $88,726 in 2011 vs. $101,344 in 2009. (Note, however,
that we partnered with a different association this time; the 2010 survey was done in conjunction with the
Global Business Travel Association.) The vast majority of respondents (65 percent) received a bonus last
year, and slightly more are expecting one this year. A little more than half of those bonuses were under
$10,000, and 23 percent were between $10,000 and $14,999.
Raises were moderate, with 82 percent of respondents receiving raises that were less than 5 percent of
their salaries. The average increase is expected to remain just about the same this year (3.6 percent) as last
(3.8 percent), and those numbers are about the same as they were in 2009 and 2010.
According to respondents, salary increases are determined primarily by merit (81 percent) and cost of
living (34 percent).
In our results, there was no correlation between higher salaries and whether respondents manage
both meetings and travel or just meetings. (In fact, those who manage just meetings made about $5,000
2 de 8 21/08/2012 13:23
3. Exclusive Senior Meeting Manager Salary Survey http://meetingsnet.com/news/sr_salary_survey0628/
more.) On the other hand, there was a direct connection between average salary and number of years in
the meetings industry, with the most seasoned respondents (25-plus years) making an average of $20,000
more per year than those with the least amount of experience (less than 15 years). Also not surprising is
the connection between annual salary and the number of people managed, with those who manage more
than five people making an average of $108,261 versus those with no direct reports ($78,134). Education
also influences salary, with respondents with graduate degrees making an average of $100,750 versus
those with high school degrees and some college ($84,934).
CMP certification appears to have a only slight influence on salary, with those holding CMP
designations making just under $1,700 a year more than their counterparts with no certifications.
Salaries varied slightly according to industry, with those who work at tech companies on the low end.
The number of years respondents spend at their companies matters more: The average salary of those with
10 years or more at their companies was significantly higher at $95,127 than that of those with less than
five years, who made $77,663.
3 de 8 21/08/2012 13:23
4. Exclusive Senior Meeting Manager Salary Survey http://meetingsnet.com/news/sr_salary_survey0628/
Respondents planned an average of 62 meetings each year. One in three respondents are responsible
for more than 100 meetings annually. We found no correlation between the number of meetings planned
and respondents’ salaries until that number reached 100 meetings. Those who plan 51 to 100 meetings per
year made just about the same as those who plan 1 to 50, then salaries rose several thousand dollars (to an
average of $93,443) for those who planned more than 100 meetings per year.
4 de 8 21/08/2012 13:23
5. Exclusive Senior Meeting Manager Salary Survey http://meetingsnet.com/news/sr_salary_survey0628/
Strategic meetings management and outsourcing continue to be significant trends among this
group, though fewer respondents to this survey (29 percent) had an SMMP in place than those who
responded to our last survey (45 percent). (Note: The previous survey included GBTA members, many of
5 de 8 21/08/2012 13:23
6. Exclusive Senior Meeting Manager Salary Survey http://meetingsnet.com/news/sr_salary_survey0628/
whom are mature SMM practitioners.) Of the respondents who do have an SMMP in place, 65 percent
either have rolled it out globally or plan to.
With SMMPs come preferred suppliers, and their use is clearly on the rise. For our updated survey,
we added a question to see how prevalent they are, and found that more than half of respondents have
preferred-supplier contracts with hotels, followed by third-party meeting management companies (36
percent) and DMCs (21 percent). As companies take their programs global, the use of preferred vendors
will spread as well.
Methodology
In May, Penton Media e-mailed invitations to participate in an online survey to 28,279 subscribers of
Corporate Meetings & Incentives and SPIN (Senior Planners Industry Network) e-mailed invitations to
478 members. We received a total of 253 responses. Of those, only 210 respondents with the following
senior-level titles (senior meeting manager, director of meetings, VP of meetings, senior meeting
manager, meeting manager, meeting/travel manager, and senior meeting planner) were included in these
analyses.
You Might Also Be Interested In
Our Careers One-Stop, a portal for salary and career info and insight
2010 Senior Meeting Manager Salary Survey
Share 3 retweet
Share 0
Explore Our Newsletters
Sample
Subscribe
Sample
Subscribe
6 de 8 21/08/2012 13:23
7. Exclusive Senior Meeting Manager Salary Survey http://meetingsnet.com/news/sr_salary_survey0628/
Sample
Subscribe
Sample
Subscribe
Sample
Subscribe
Sample
Subscribe
Inside Current Issue
July/Aug 2012 MM
July/Aug 2012 CMI
July/Aug 2012 FIM
7 de 8 21/08/2012 13:23
