June 2026Bobby Morgan5 min read
US Events & Experiential Salary Guide 2026
The events and experiential industry continues to experience strong demand for commercial, technical, creative, and operational talent. Across our conversations with agencies, production companies, event technology providers, venues, brands, and corporate event teams, one trend remains consistent: experienced professionals remain difficult to attract and retain.
LVI Associates has supported hiring projects across experiential marketing, live events, AV production, event technology, trade shows, sports and entertainment, corporate events, and broadcast production. While hiring activity varies by region, organizations across the country continue to compete for candidates with proven experience delivering complex events and audience experiences.
The highest compensation levels continue to be concentrated in New York and California, while Massachusetts, Washington, and Pennsylvania remain active hiring markets with strong demand across commercial, production, project management, and leadership functions.
Markets covered:
- New York
- California (Los Angeles, San Francisco Bay Area, San Diego)
- Massachusetts (Boston)
- Washington (Seattle)
- Pennsylvania (Philadelphia)
Sales & business development
Commercial hiring remains one of the most competitive areas of the market. Throughout 2025 and into 2026, LVI Associates has seen organizations continue investing heavily in revenue-generating talent capable of winning new business, expanding client relationships, and driving growth. Competition is particularly strong for experienced business development leaders and sales executives with established industry networks.
| Role | New York | California | Massacusetts | Washington | Pensylvania |
| Account Executive | $100K-$170K | $105K-$180K | $90K-$145K | $90K-$145K | $90K-$140K |
| New Business Manager | $120K-$180K | $125K-$190K | $110K-$160K | $110K-$160K | $100K-$150K |
| Business Development Director | $170K-$300K | $180K-$325K | $150K-$250K | $150K-$250K | $140K-$220K |
| Sales Director | $220K-$400K | $230K-$425K | $190K-$325K | $190K-$325K | $170K-$275K |
| VP of Sales | $300K-$700K | $325K-$750K+ | $250K-$550K+ | $250K-$550K+ | $220K-$500K+ |
Figures include typical on-target earnings where applicable.
Production & technical
Technical and production professionals remain among the most sought-after candidates in the industry. LVI Associates continues to see strong hiring demand for professionals capable of delivering increasingly complex productions involving live event technology, immersive experiences, LED technology, broadcast integration, and large-scale corporate events.
Clients consistently report challenges finding experienced technical leaders, particularly in California and New York, where competition extends beyond the events industry into adjacent technology and integration sectors.
| Role | New York | California | Massachusetts | Washington | Pennsylvania |
| Production Manager | $110K-$155K | $120K-$175K | $100K-$140K | $110K-$145K | $95K-$135K |
| Director of Production | $200K-$325K | $220K-$350K | $180K-$275K | $180K-$275K | $175K-$250K |
| Technical Director | $150K-$275K | $165K-$300K | $140K-$220K | $140K-$230K | $130K-$210K |
| AV Engineer | $95K-$150K | $105K-$170K | $85K-$130K | $90K-$140K | $85K-$125K |
| Audio Engineer | $90K-$145K | $95K-$155K | $80K-$125K | $80K-$130K | $80K-$120K |
| Video Engineer | $100K-$165K | $110K-$185K | $90K-$145K | $95K-$150K | $90K-$140K |
| Lighting Designer | $115K-$190K | $120K-$210K | $100K-$160K | $100K-$170K | $100K-$150K |
| LED Engineer | $130K-$220K | $140K-$240K | $115K-$180K | $115K-$190K | $110K-$180K |
| Projection Engineer | $130K-$220K | $140K-$240K | $115K-$180K | $115K-$190K | $110K-$180K |
| Systems Engineer | $145K-$260K | $155K-$280K | $130K-$220K | $130K-$220K | $120K-$200K |
Creative & experiential
Experiential marketing continues to attract significant investment as brands seek to create more immersive and measurable audience experiences. Across the market, LVI Associates has seen growing demand for creative professionals who can combine strategic thinking, storytelling, design, and production expertise.
Demand is particularly strong for creative leaders and experiential producers capable of overseeing increasingly sophisticated activations across multiple channels and audience touchpoints.
| Role | New York | California | Massachusetts | Washington | Pennsylvania |
| Brand Activation Manager | $115K-$180K | $120K-$190K | $100K-$145K | $100K-$150K | $95K-$140K |
| Event Designer | $95K-$145K | $100K-$155K | $80K-$120K | $80K-$125K | $80K-$120K |
| Experience Designer | $140K-$240K | $150K-$260K | $120K-$180K | $120K-$190K | $120K-$180K |
| Scenic Designer | $105K-$165K | $115K-$180K | $90K-$140K | $90K-$145K | $90K-$135K |
| Environmental Designer | $120K-$200K | $130K-$220K | $100K-$160K | $100K-$165K | $100K-$155K |
| Art Director | $145K-$260K | $150K-$280K | $120K-$190K | $120K-$200K | $120K-$185K |
| Experiential Producer | $145K-$260K | $155K-$280K | $120K-$190K | $125K-$200K | $120K-$185K |
| Creative Director | $225K-$425K | $240K-$450K | $180K-$325K | $180K-$350K | $180K-$300K |
Project management & client services
Project management professionals continue to play a central role in delivering increasingly complex programs involving multiple stakeholders, technologies, locations, and production partners. Throughout the past year, LVI Associates has seen sustained hiring activity for senior project and program leadership professionals.
Many employers are prioritizing candidates with strong client-facing experience who can balance operational delivery with commercial accountability.
| Role | New York | California | Massachusetts | Washington | Pensylvania |
| Project Manager | $105K-$145K | $110K-$155K | $90K-$130K | $95K-$135K | $90K-$125K |
| Senior Project Manager | $145K-$225K | $155K-$240K | $125K-$185K | $130K-$190K | $125K-$180K |
| Program Director | $190K-$325K | $200K-$350K | $160K-$250K | $170K-$260K | $160K-$240K |
| Client Services Director | $190K-$325K | $200K-$350K | $160K-$250K | $170K-$260K | $160K-$240K |
Operations & leadership
Across agencies, production companies, event technology businesses, and venue operators, operational leadership remains a key area of investment. Organizations continue to seek leaders capable of scaling teams, improving delivery capabilities, and driving long-term growth.
Executive-level hiring activity remains strongest among organizations undergoing expansion, acquisition, or strategic transformation.
| Role | New York | California | Massachusetts | Washington | Pennsylvania |
| Director of Operations | $190K-$325K | $200K-$350K | $160K-$250K | $170K-$260K | $160K-$240K |
| VP of Operations | $275K-$450K | $300K-$500K | $220K-$350K | $240K-$375K | $220K-$350K |
| General Manager | $275K-$450K | $300K-$500K | $220K-$350K | $240K-$375K | $220K-$350K |
| C-Suite Executive | $400K-$800K+ | $450K-$900K+ | $300K-$650K+ | $325K-$700K+ | $300K-$600K+ |
Looking ahead
The event recruitment market remains highly competitive as agencies, production companies, event technology providers, venues, and brands continue investing in live experiences and audience engagement. While hiring demand varies across disciplines and regions, the challenge facing many organizations remains the same: attracting and securing experienced talent in a market where top professionals have multiple opportunities available to them.
We're continuing to see strong demand across commercial, production, creative, and technical functions. As the events industry evolves, organizations that take a proactive approach to recruitment will be best positioned to secure the talent needed to drive growth and deliver exceptional experiences.
As a specialist event recruitment partner, LVI Associates works with organizations across North America to connect them with the talent driving the future of live events, experiential marketing, event technology, production, and audience engagement.
Hiring talent?
Whether you're expanding your team, replacing key talent, or planning for future growth, LVI Associates specializes in event recruitment across sales, production, technical, creative, project management, and leadership functions.
Find out more about our services and contact us for a confidential discussion about talent availability, compensation trends, and your hiring plans for 2026.
FAQ
Salaries vary significantly by role, experience level, and location. Senior leadership positions such as VP of Sales, VP of Operations, and C-suite executives can earn $300,000 to $900,000+, while project managers, production managers, and creative professionals typically earn between $95,000 and $250,000 depending on market demand and specialization.
New York and California continue to offer the highest compensation levels across sales, production, technical, creative, and leadership roles. Major markets including Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York City remain highly competitive for experienced event professionals.
Employers are actively hiring sales leaders, business development professionals, production managers, technical directors, experiential producers, project managers, and operations executives. Demand remains particularly strong for professionals with experience delivering large-scale live events and immersive brand experiences.
Yes. Continued investment in live events, experiential marketing, event technology, and audience engagement has contributed to rising compensation levels, particularly for experienced professionals with specialist technical, commercial, or leadership expertise.
Many organizations are competing for a limited pool of experienced talent. Professionals with proven success in live events, experiential marketing, AV production, event technology, and production leadership often receive multiple opportunities, making recruitment increasingly competitive.
Event technology professionals, including AV engineers, systems engineers, LED engineers, and technical directors, often command higher salaries due to increasing demand for specialised technical expertise and the growing complexity of event production environments.
Compensation is typically influenced by location, years of experience, technical expertise, leadership responsibilities, revenue ownership, industry sector, and the scale of projects managed. Professionals with specialized skills and established industry networks generally command higher salaries.
Employers that move quickly through the hiring process, offer competitive compensation packages, provide clear career advancement opportunities, and promote a strong company culture are often more successful in securing high-performing candidates.
Hiring activity remains strong across experiential marketing, live events, AV production, event technology, trade shows, corporate events, sports and entertainment, broadcast production, and venue operations.
LVI Associates specializes in event recruitment across America, helping organizations hire sales, production, technical, creative, project management, and leadership professionals. The team provides market insights, salary benchmarking, and access to experienced event industry talent.