THE PRESENTATION GUILD 2018 ANNUAL SALARY SURVEY REPORT June 2018 CONTENTS Introduction 3 Our Presentationist Profile 4 Key Conclusions 5 Survey Results 6 Correlations 29 Objectives Based on Survey Results 34 Introduction Founded as an advocate for you, the presentation professional, the Presentation Guild is committed to supporting our industry. In our effort to give you a stronger voice and to establish benchmarks, last year we conducted the first-ever presentation professional salary survey. In late 2017, the Presentation Guild conducted the second annual salary survey. The survey consisted of 24 questions designed to reveal the compensation characteristics of the average presentation professional—or presentationist, as we like to say. This time we expanded our reach to include presentationists from around the globe. We received 204 responses, nearly double the number of responses in the benchmark survey. A big shout-out goes to those Guild members who volunteered countless hours to create and conduct the survey, aggregate the data, generate insights and write and design the report. Thanks also to those who completed the survey, contributing robust data that is the foundation of this report. We are grateful for your support of the presentation industry. Onward and upward! The Presentation Guild Salary Survey Committee The Presentation Guild 2018 Annual Salary Survey Report I © 2018 Presentation Guild 3 What is a Presentationist, Anyway? Wait a minute. Presentationist? Where in the world are these companies? Tell me about the demographics of What is a presentationist, anyway? presentationists. Who are they? Most of us work in the UK, Canada, and the US, It’s us—people who create, support, and deliver with most of the US members located in California The majority of us are female, between the ages presentations in a professional capacity—204 of and New York. of 46 and 55, well-educated, with an average of whom responded to the 2017 survey. As a result 16.5 years of experience. of the survey, we learned that, no matter what What do presentationists earn? our job title, while we are 3.5 times more likely to And finally, what is a presentationist’s We typically earn $51,000–$75,000 USD design presentations in our jobs than other areas design tool of choice? annually. When we work for ourselves, we of concentration, presentation work is an adjunct typically charge $50–$150 USD/hour. We are three times more likely to use PowerPoint responsibility of our primary job. than any other presentation tool. Many of us even receive benefits from our Where do presentationists work? employer—unless we freelance, in which case We are slightly more likely to work for a we’re out of luck. corporation and twice as likely to work for a company that employs 100 or fewer people. A full third of us work for very small companies of 1–5 employees. 4 There is a lack of professional titles that relate We fall into two categories: independent Annual Salary Survey specifically to presentation work. For the majority specialists and those who work for a corporation. of us, presentation work is considered an adjunct Those of us working for corporations enjoy a responsibility and is not considered our primary number of benefits while our independent folks Key conclusions job even though a majority of our work hours are have few to no benefits. spent on presentations. Unlike general graphic design, where the median Compared to last year, slightly more of us work annual earnings for women are 20% lower than on presentation design and, although we are for men, gender has very little to no impact on well educated, we lack specialized training in presentationists’ annual earnings. graphic or multimedia design. We think this is a result of the absence of standardized training Compared to last year, even more of us (98%) options for the industry as well as the common use PowerPoint as our primary tool. While we myth that presentation work requires minimal saw a slight decline in our use of Prezi and specialized skills. Keynote, we can still assume that many of us use a variety of adjunct tools along with our primary Most of us work on the North American coasts, presentation software. but unlike last year, this year’s survey discovered larger pockets of presentation professionals in Colorado and the Midwest. The high concentration of business and industry on the US east and west coasts may drive the increased need for high-quality presentations and presentationists in these locations. The majority of us beyond the US borders are working in the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia. Much like the findings for the US coasts, this may be attributed to localized businesses needing world-class presentations. For those of us working full time,* more than 36% of us earn $50,000–$75,000 USD annually. This is nearly three percentage points higher than last year’s US-only results, with business owners and freelancers edging out corporate salaries. Another 25% earns $75,000–$150,000 USD. This is five percentage points lower than last year’s benchmark survey. In general, corporate salaries are comparable to small business owners and freelancers. *Full time respondents working 35+ hours per week The Presentation Guild 2018 Annual Salary Survey Report I © 2018 Presentation Guild 5 SURVEY RESULTS Only 28% of us have a title that includes the word significant portion of our work week is spent on What is your job title? presentation. Perhaps the result of a larger sample presentation-related activities. For example, group, this is a drop from the 39% of last year’s Managers / Owners are spending an average of survey. Management titles more than doubled 43% of their time working on presentations and from 17% to almost 37%, with 7% of those being folks in education average 35%. business owners. An opportunity exists to establish clear and The lack of standardized titles is likely the result of recognizable presentation job titles based on presentation work being relegated to an adjunct a certified skill set. responsibility for many of us—even though a Accountant Director of Marketing IT Presentation Coach Researcher Adjunct Professor Director, Marketing & Sales Junior Designer Presentation Coach and Consultant Sales & Marketing Manager Administrative Assistant Director, Product Mgt Lead Analyst Presentation Consultant Self-proprietor Senior Design Consultant Common Job Titles Unique Job Titles Senior Associate Designer Senior Associate Designer Presentation 37.1% 61.9% Designer Senior Corporate Relations Analyst Agency Director Director, Visual Communications Learning And Performance Consultant Presentation Designer Senior Designer and Presentation Animated Video Ad Design Artist/ Distinguished Toastmaster Learning Consultant Presentation Designer - Freelance Specialist Founder Education Dept Lead, A/V Specialist Lecturer Presentation Designer And Owner Senior Graphic Designer Art Director Elearning Manager Management Consultant Presentation Designer, Manager Senior Multimedia Specialist Assistant Professor Executive Administrator Manager Presentation Director Senior Presentation Coach Associate Designer Executive Assistant Manager of Clinical Curriculum Presentation Graphics Designer Senior Presentation Designer Associate Director Field Support Supervisor Manager, Communications Presentation Operator Senior Presentation Specialist Asst. Manager - Visual Communications Financial Analyst Manager, Design and Microsoft Assets Presentation Services Manager Senior Production Specialist Author Financial Assistant Manager, Presentation Design Presentation Specialist Senior Training & Development Consultant Business Owner - Computer Training Founder and Creative Director Manager, Presentation Services Presentation Specialist / Senior Graphic SME / Developer CBRN Defense Officer Designer Freelance Powerpoint Specialist Managing Partner Sole Proprietor CEO Presentation Coach Freelance Presentation Specialist Marketing and Presentation Consultant Solutions Specialist Advisor Client Solutions Director Freelance Visual Designer / Trainer Presentations Expert – Adobe Creative Cloud Speaker/Author/Owner Commercial Manager General Accountant Marketing/Research/Web Design/ Presentation Design/Inhouse TV Design Presentations Manager Sr Instructional Technologist Communications Manager General Manager Middleweight Presentation Designer President Sr. Graphic Artist Communications Manager / Senior Graphic Designer Medical Editor Multimedia Designer Principal Sr. Presentation Designer Graphic Designer, Project Manager Community Relations Director Office Manager Principal / Owner Sr. Presentation Designer & Practice Lead Graphic Designer/Presentation Company Director Operational Analyst Principal Art Director Sr. Technical Trainer Graphic Operator Consultant Other Probation Officer Studio Manager Graphics Guru Consultant / Developer / Presentation Owner Product Commercialization Manager T&D Lead Graphics Specialist Designer Partner Product Manager Teacher Hardware System Architect Creative Director Powerpoint Designer Freelancer Professor at the Faculty of Technology Training Specialist Head of Department, Professor Creative Director, Owner Powerpoint Presentation Designer and Metallurgy Translator of English Independent Consultant Creative Services Associate Powerpoint Presentation Specialist Project Manager - Marketing Vice President Information Designer Communications Designer PPT Designer / Op Visual Communications Specialist Director Instructional Designer Project Manager, Marketing Visual Communicator