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How to become an event planner in Canada

Education options, certifications compared, what planners charge, and the first-year path most working GTA planners actually took.

October 19, 20261 min readBy dankranstz

CorporateWeddings

There is no licence to be an event planner in Canada. There is a path that works.

Narrated walkthrough · 1-minute video
Read the transcript

How to become an event planner in Canada.

There is no licence to be an event planner in Canada.

There is a path that works.

Learn the craft.

College programs: George Brown and Humber run event management diplomas and post-grad certificates in Toronto.

Free: the Event Planner Academy here: 12 modules, 7 specialist tracks, about 150 lessons, a final exam and a certificate, at no cost.

Get experience.

Assist a planner on event days, work for a venue or a caterer, volunteer for a festival.

Six events on a résumé beat any certificate.

Start the business.

Register the name, get insurance, build a day-of package at a clear price, and work venues and vendors for referrals.

Module 12 of the Academy walks through it, with an idea-to-launch process as the worked example.

What planners charge in the GTA.

Full planning: 10 to 20 percent of budget or 6,000 to 15,000 dollars+

There is more on this page, just below the video.

Learn the craft

  • College programs: George Brown and Humber run event management diplomas and post-grad certificates in Toronto.
  • Free: the Event Planner Academy here: 12 modules, 7 specialist tracks, about 150 lessons, a final exam and a certificate, at no cost.
  • Industry certifications: CMP (meetings), CSEP (special events), WPIC (weddings). Useful for corporate buyers; not required for most private-event work.

Get experience

Assist a planner on event days, work for a venue or a caterer, volunteer for a festival. Six events on a résumé beat any certificate.

Event assistant carrying centrepieces through a hotel service corridor

Start the business

Register the name, get insurance, build a day-of package at a clear price, and work venues and vendors for referrals. Module 12 of the Academy walks through it, with an idea-to-launch process as the worked example.

What planners charge in the GTA

Event planner pricing work at a condo dining table at night
  • Day-of coordination: $1,200–$2,500
  • Partial planning: $3,000–$6,000
  • Full planning: 10–20% of budget or $6,000–$15,000+

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