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What Is a Group Coordinator?

Erin J. Hill
Erin J. Hill

A group coordinator is a professional who directs, plans, and puts together various events for a particular group. Events can range from business meetings and engagements to fundraisers and parent teacher association gatherings. This person may be responsible for finding members or guests to attend the function, hiring contractors to carry out the various tasks needed for the particular get together, and greeting guests upon arrival.

The primary job of the group coordinator is to direct any other people involved with the planning of a business or organization function. This can include handing out assignments to coworkers and colleagues, as well as hiring contractors to handle other aspects of the event. Caterers are on example of a contractor that may be hired by the coordinator. She is responsible for pricing different aspects of an event, making out a budget, and sticking with the prices originally decided upon.

Inviting guests may also be the job of the coordinator. She may hire guest speakers and other entertainment, depending on the gathering. In many cases, the coordinator will not carry out all of these tasks personally, but assign others to them.

Group coordinators sometimes hold meetings to ensure their goals are being met.
Group coordinators sometimes hold meetings to ensure their goals are being met.

This type of coordinator must be organized and work well with others in a group setting. Her job is to direct and guide other members of her team in planning and implementing a successful function. She may hold meetings with others to determine if things are going as planned, and discuss any ideas that may help things go more smoothly.

There are many types of businesses and organizations who may hire a group coordinator. Non-profits and schools are prime examples, as they often hold functions and fundraisers to raise money for specific causes. Corporate settings may also have needs for a group coordinator for business gathering and networking events.

A group coordinator must be organized and work well with others in a group setting.
A group coordinator must be organized and work well with others in a group setting.

A group coordinator may also work as a manager within a company to plan and coordinate specific projects. These can include marketing projects, product launches, and information systems between the company and clients. This role, much like a group coordinator who plans events, involves the direction and planning of a particular project. There may be several coordinators within the same company, with each one overseeing a particular department of project. All may work together for a common goal by holding meetings and comparing notes on current developments.

Group coordinators may host business presentations with community members.
Group coordinators may host business presentations with community members.

Most coordinators have four-year college degrees in a variety of fields. Majors may include business-related courses as well as targeted courses based on industry. Experience working within a company or industry may also allow employees to find work as a coordinator.

Discussion Comments

TreeMan

@jmc88 - I would say amusement parks could have group coordinators working for them. I remember when I was in high school, our band always took a trip to Disney World every 4 years. Instead of just going to the parks, the band always got to do a bunch of extra things like marching in one of the parades and doing some behind-the-scenes activities that the general public couldn't do.

When we first got to the park, we were introduced to the person who was going to be showing us around for the week. It was her job to make sure we knew where to be and how to get to certain places. I would assume a job like that would be classified as a group coordinator, because they would be in charge of organizing unique events for all the different groups that showed up.

I would be interested in the pay, as well. I'm guessing it is like most things where it depends on your company and skills. I could easily see group coordinators making a pretty good salary.

jmc88

I am curious whether group coordinators only typically work for one-time events or if they are sometimes hired to organize regular events at a particular location.

I understand where there would be a need for a coordinator for a business meeting or something along those lines. I am talking more like times when a group would be visiting a place like Disney World. Would they have people in place whose job is just to set up events for those people while they are at the park? Would they actually be called group coordinators or have a different title?

Also, does anyone have any idea how much group coordinator jobs pay? It sounds like it probably wouldn't be a very high paying job, but I could be wrong.

Izzy78

@kentuckycat - I agree. I went to a conference a couple of months ago where the same sort of thing happened. It was a pretty big conference, but it was sponsored by a university, so they didn't hire anyone to design the thing. Instead, they just had a couple of people from the department organize everything.

They didn't reserve enough hotel rooms for people, so that turned into a mess. Luckily, I made my reservation early. Besides that, they were supposed to get everyone's dinner order and didn't. It ended up causing a disaster in the kitchen, because they were supposed to know how many people needed each type of meal and who needed vegetarian meals, etc.

Even though it may cost a bit more, I think it is well worth having a group coordinator as part of your event.

kentuckycat

I didn't know that careers like this existed, but it seems like an important job. I know I have been to quite a few business functions. Some of them are very well run, while others have turned into examples of how not to run a conference.

It seems like most of the time, the functions that don't have someone special running the event turn out to be a disaster. I remember going to one a couple of years ago. I showed up to the thing, and they hadn't done a good job of organizing name tags, so everyone had to stand in a big line and wait for them to sort through a box to find it. That was just the beginning. The organization of the event was very poor in general, and most people ended up very annoyed by the whole situation.

Needless to say, the group that was responsible for arranging everything did not hire a professional, and it made them look bad in the end.

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    • Group coordinators sometimes hold meetings to ensure their goals are being met.
      By: contrastwerkstatt
      Group coordinators sometimes hold meetings to ensure their goals are being met.
    • A group coordinator must be organized and work well with others in a group setting.
      By: Photographee.eu
      A group coordinator must be organized and work well with others in a group setting.
    • Group coordinators may host business presentations with community members.
      By: razihusin
      Group coordinators may host business presentations with community members.
    • Group coordinators make sure attendees stay focused on goals.
      By: gstockstudio
      Group coordinators make sure attendees stay focused on goals.
    • Coordinators may organize groups to beautify areas around a community.
      By: Photographee.eu
      Coordinators may organize groups to beautify areas around a community.
    • Group coordinators may start a local sports league for at-risk youth.
      By: cfarmer
      Group coordinators may start a local sports league for at-risk youth.