Event Planning Certification

Two kinds of event credential

Before comparing names, separate two kinds of credential. A professional certification is awarded after you demonstrate experience and pass an exam, and it usually has rules for keeping it current. A certificate course is awarded for completing a set of lessons, and usually has no experience requirement. Both can help, in different ways.

A certification signals that your experience has been assessed against a standard. A certificate course signals that you have learned a topic. If you are new to events, a course may come first, and a certification later. If you have years of experience, a certification may be the better fit. Neither replaces a record of events that ran well.

When you read any claim about a credential, ask four questions. Who issues it, and is that an association, a school or a company selling its own badge? Does the issuer publish its eligibility rules and exam outline openly? Does the credential need to be renewed, and how? And do the employers or clients you want to work for recognize it? A credential with clear, public answers to all four is easier to trust than one with a polished sales page and vague rules.

Be wary of any program that promises a job, a salary or a guaranteed pass. Official bodies describe what they assess and how, not what you will earn afterwards. If a page makes promises the issuing body itself does not make, check the issuer's own site before paying.

Certified Meeting Professional (CMP), Events Industry Council

The Certified Meeting Professional credential is issued by the Events Industry Council (EIC). According to the EIC's CMP page, the CMP program was launched in 1985, its exam was developed and is maintained by meeting professionals from all over the world, and the qualification is based on professional experience, education and a rigorous exam. The EIC also lists a healthcare meetings credential, the CMP-HC, launched in 2014, and states that candidates must first pass the CMP exam.

The EIC's eligibility page sets out what applicants must show. For professional experience, applicants choose one of three options: 36 total months of full-time work experience in the past five years, with a resume showing meeting management responsibilities; 24 months of experience plus an associate's degree or higher in hospitality, tourism or event management, with both the degree and the experience in the past five years; or 36 months of full-time teaching in meeting, event, exhibition, hospitality or tourism management, with an official course outline or syllabus. For continuing education, applicants choose either 25 clock hours of educational activities completed in the past five years, with up to five of those hours allowed as general education related to one of the nine CMP-IS domains, or an industry internship of at least 200 hours of work experience with a professional organization in the past five years, which the page says is typically used by applicants who chose the second experience option.

The EIC pages we reviewed do not give the exam format, fees or pass rates, so see the Events Industry Council's CMP pages for current details before you apply.

If you are weighing the CMP, read the eligibility page with a calendar and a list of your events beside you. Work out which of the three experience options fits your history and which continuing education option you could complete, because the page sets five-year windows for several of these items. Planning early avoids discovering a gap after you have paid to start.

Certified Special Events Professional (CSEP), ILEA

The Certified Special Events Professional designation is endorsed and managed by ILEA, the International Live Events Association. ILEA's CSEP page states that the designation was established in 1993, that the program is voluntary, and that it recognizes event professionals who have demonstrated the knowledge, skills and ability essential to perform all components of a special event.

ILEA describes the exam as experience based, and its preparation page advises candidates to gain industry experience by talking with colleagues, volunteering or shadowing at events. The page also describes on-demand testing with remote proctoring, an exam blueprint, a recommended reading list and a practice exam of 50 questions that allows three attempts. Candidates with questions are invited to contact their local ILEA chapter.

The pages we reviewed do not list formal eligibility requirements, fees or pass rates, so check ILEA's CSEP pages for current details.

Digital Event Strategist (DES), PCMA Institute

The PCMA Institute lists the Digital Event Strategist certification among its on-demand, self-paced courses. Its course page describes DES as a self-paced, 8-module certification course that teaches how to move past outdated digital event models. A Spanish-language version is also listed.

The course list does not give prerequisites or a price, and other PCMA pages may describe the course differently. See the PCMA Institute's site for the current course details, including what it includes and what it costs.

Learning offered by MPI

MPI describes its education on its own site as MPI Academy, with instructor-led live online certificate courses, on-demand webinars and training sessions, and streaming. It also lists CMP Prep, which it presents as a way to achieve or renew the CMP certification, and states that MPI is approved by the Events Industry Council.

MPI's page is useful as a way to find preparation and ongoing learning, not as a separate credential to compare with the CMP. Check MPI's site for current course titles and requirements.

A practical way to use association education is to take the preparation or short courses a body offers while you build experience, and to treat them as learning rather than as proof. The proof, for the credentials that ask for it, is your documented experience, which is why keeping records from your first events matters.

Comparison by issuing body

Every cell below comes from the issuing body's own page, as reviewed on the date in this guide. Where a page did not state something, the cell says to see the body's site, rather than guess.

How to choose

Match the credential to where you are and where you want to go:

1. 1

   Start with your experience

   If you have not yet worked events for long, a credential that asks for years of experience is a later step. Build experience and learning first, using the courses guide.

   Event planning courses
2. 2

   Match your sector

   Credentials are aimed at different areas of the industry. Read each body's own description and pick the one that fits the work you want to do.

3. 3

   Read job posts

   Search the roles you want and note which credentials appear. Some employers ask for one, many do not.

4. 4

   Read the body's own handbook

   Eligibility, exam rules, fees and renewal belong to the issuing body and change. Treat its current page as the only source.

5. 5

   Count the whole cost

   Add application and exam fees, study materials, time away from work and the cost of keeping the credential current. Get these figures from the body, not from a blog.

How to prepare for an event certification

Preparation depends on the credential, but the pattern is the same. Get the official outline, honestly rate yourself against it, close the gaps with study and experience, and practice the exam format before the day. ILEA's preparation page, for example, suggests marking the exam blueprint items you already know well and reviewing the rest, then using a practice exam to find strengths and weaknesses. Keep a record of your events, roles and dates as you go, because experience-based applications ask for documentation.

Build a simple study routine around the official materials. Read the outline, list the topics, schedule short sessions across several weeks rather than one long push, and use your real events as examples when you review each topic. Ask colleagues who hold the credential what they found useful, and where a body runs local chapter or member events, attend one to meet people who have been through the process.

Certification is one part of a career. If you are earlier in the path, read our guide on how to become an event planner for experience, portfolio and first jobs.

• How to become an event planner

  A practical path from first event to first job, with a 90-day plan.

  How to become an event planner

• The event planning process

  A framework for the work most exams test: brief, budget, logistics, risk and review.

  Event planning process