12103 Conference and event planners

What this occupation covers

Conference and event planners plan, organize and coordinate conferences, conventions, meetings, seminars, exhibitions, trade shows, festivals and other events. They are employed by tourism associations, trade and professional associations, convention and conference centres, governments and by conference and event planning companies, or they may be self-employed.

Official main duties

The NOC profile lists 8 main duties for this code.

• Meet with trade and professional associations and other groups to promote and discuss conference, convention and trade show services
• Meet with sponsors and organizing committees to plan the scope and format of events, to establish and monitor budgets and to review administrative procedures and progress of events
• Coordinate services for events, such as accommodation and transportation for participants, conference and other facilities, catering, signage, displays, translation, special needs requirements, audio-visual equipment, printing and security
• Organize registration of participants, prepare programs and promotional material, and publicize events
• Plan entertainment and social gatherings for participants
• Hire, train and supervise support staff required for events
• Ensure compliance with required by-laws
• Negotiate contracts for services, approve suppliers' invoices, maintain financial records, review final billing submitted to clients for events and prepare reports.

Do not copy these lines into your reference letter. The letter has to describe what you actually did, in your employer’s words. DUTYPROOF flags wording lifted from the NOC as something to review, and an officer reading a letter that mirrors the NOC reads it the same way.

What DUTYPROOF screens for

This is DUTYPROOF’s screening threshold, not IRCC’s decision. For this NOC, screening requires at least 2 of its 8 official duties to be evidenced in your own words, plus the required letter elements. IRCC asks that you performed the actions in the occupation’s lead statement and a substantial number of its main duties — so treat the duty coverage as the number that matters, not the badge.

Codes this one is confused with

The NOC profile names these itself. Choosing the wrong code of a look-alike pair is the most common way genuine work experience fails to establish eligibility.

• 13100 Administrative officers
• 10022 Advertising, marketing and public relations managers
• 12100 Executive assistants
• 11202 Professional occupations in advertising, marketing and public relations
• 64101 Sales and account representatives - wholesale trade (non-technical)

Excluded from this code

• Administrative officers (See 13100 Administrative officers)
• Advertising, marketing and public relations managers (See 10022 Advertising, marketing and public relations managers)
• Executive assistants (See 12100 Executive assistants)
• Professional occupations in advertising, marketing and public relations (See 11202 Professional occupations in advertising, marketing and public relations)
• Sales and account representatives - wholesale trade (non-technical) (See 64101 Sales and account representatives - wholesale trade (non-technical))

Job titles filed under this code

A title on this list does not by itself put your experience in this code — the duties in your letter decide that.

conference and meeting planner · conference coordinator · conference organizer · conference planner · conference services officer · convention and special events planner · convention coordinator · convention planner · convention planning services officer · event coordinator · event planner · exhibition coordinator · festival organizer · meeting coordinator · meeting planner · social events coordinator · special events coordinator · special events organizer · special events planner · special events program planner · trade show organizer · trade show planner

Employment requirements

• A university degree or college diploma in business, tourism or hospitality administration is usually required.
• Several years of experience in hospitality or tourism administration or in public relations are usually required and may substitute for formal education requirements.
• Certification relating to special events, meetings or conference management may be required.