The Problem with the Event Planner Title

The event planner title covers such a wide range of talent and experience that it barely means anything anymore. It's the same three words for the person who planned their own wedding and started a business last month, and for someone who's spent a decade earning a CMP or running a DMC. Two completely different skill sets, one title. In a market this saturated, that's a problem, because it makes it nearly impossible for anyone on the outside to quickly understand what you actually do, and even harder for you to stand out.

Did you know a client spends about 30 seconds looking for an event planner, and a hiring manager spends 7 to 11 seconds? In a saturated market, why would you not make it easy for them to find you?

That's why adding a certification, whatever certification, to your title matters. It's not about ego. It's about giving someone a way to scan your resume or your LinkedIn in those few seconds and know exactly what you do.

I have held some pretty prestigious titles over my last 25 year career, VP of Marketing and the coveted CMO role. But even though that was my title, I still identified as being an event planner. People would ask what I do and I would reply that I plan events, no matter what my title or my MBA.

Some of my clients still refer to me as a "party planner." It used to really sting and even make me a little upset. Do you not know that I can fill a room with 700 people and design a room so intentional that they all whip out their phones and post to their Instagram story? This title used to really matter to me, the differentiator between party planner and event planner.

The reason I never earned one of these certifications ibelow s that none of them ever really spoke to what I actually did. I work with brands and corporations, and I design experiences that provide business outcomes. So once I realized there was no certification for that, I went to work. I built an advisory board, and we built the certification that proves experiential marketing and certifies experiential strategists.

Now I can withstand those low blows because I'm not just an event planner, I am a certified professional experiential strategist. I have the credentials. I have the case studies to prove it, and I created the Edgucation Institute with my just as passionate advisory board so that those wanting to show they are not just glorified party planners have the title that proves they can do the work and prove the results.

I highly recommend that if you are an event planner, you add a certification next to your name. Make that 11-30 seconds as impactful as it can be. I laid out the options so you can decide which one speaks to what you want to do and who you want to work with. It's you careerr identity so don't take it lightly.

Here's the landscape as it exists today.

CMP, Certified Meeting Professional (Events Industry Council). The one you've heard of. Corporate meeting planners, conference producers, association teams. It's been around since 1985 and it's still the baseline most RFPs are looking for.

CSEP, Certified Special Events Professional (ILEA). The special events side, weddings, galas, activations, live production. It says "I can run any kind of event," full stop.

CMM, Certificate in Meeting Management (MPI/Indiana University). Executive-level. You need 7+ years in the industry and management experience just to apply. This is the one built for people heading into the C-suite.

DES, Digital Event Strategist (PCMA). Hybrid and virtual event strategy. No experience gate, six modules, built for the planners and marketers who never got formally trained when the industry pivoted digital.

CPCE, Certified Professional in Catering and Events (NACE). The financial and operational side of catering, F&B cost control, contracts, risk management. The credential for the business of catering, not just the creativity of it.

CGMP, Certified Government Meeting Professional (SGMP). Built for planners whose work runs through federal rules and regulations. Extremely niche, and many government contracts require it outright.

GTP, Global Travel Professional (GBTA). Business travel management, not events exactly, but adjacent enough that it shows up in the same ecosystem.

CPES, The Certified Professional Experiential Strategist. Designed for planners who have been in execution roles wanting to learn experiential marketing. The 3 course certification followed by a formal board reviewed case study is for those wanting to work in the experiential industry with corporations and agencies. The curriculum teaches the language of business outcomes so graduates can tie their events directly to pipeline, revnenue and ROI.

Eight solid, respected certifications. The investment is worth truly defining what you actually do.