Skip to main content
Occupational Stress Research

Conference and Event Organisers: how stressful is the job?

Ranked #160 of 317 Australian occupations for workplace mental health hazards, with a composite stress score of 47.1/100. The biggest exposure is precision and monotony.

Composite stress score

47.1/100

National average: 47.4

Rank (most stressful)

#160 of 317

Australian ANZSCO occupations

More stress-exposed than

49.5% of occupations

By composite stress score

Quick answer: Conference and Event Organisers are moderately stress-exposed compared with other Australian occupations — ranked #160 of 317 by workplace mental health hazard exposure, with a composite stress score of 47.1/100 against a national average of 47.4. The biggest drivers are pace and demands and responsibility burden.

Conference and Event Organisers stress profile vs the national average

Each occupation is scored across six categories of workplace mental health hazard, built from 22 stress factors identified in SafeWork Australia's occupational hazards data. Higher scores mean greater exposure.

Emotional demands39.5 vs 37.9 avg
Responsibility burden64.8 vs 60 avg
Pace and demands63.9 vs 56 avg
Lack of control9.4 vs 24.5 avg
Precision and monotony65 vs 67.7 avg
Physical environment40.4 vs 38.2 avg

Scores range 0–100; higher = more stress-inducing. Source: SafeWork Australia Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset.

What drives the score for conference and event organisers

Compared with the average Australian occupation, conference and event organisers score furthest above the norm on pace and demands (63.9 vs 56 average), responsibility burden (64.8 vs 60 average) and physical environment (40.4 vs 38.2 average). The single biggest individual stress factor is coordinate or lead others at 90.8/100 — against an all-occupation average of 64.9.

The occupation scores below the national average for lack of control (9.4 vs 24.5) and precision and monotony (65 vs 67.7), which moderates the overall ranking.

See how this compares across all 317 Australian occupations, ranked by stress score.

The biggest stress factors for conference and event organisers

  1. 1Responsibility burden

    Coordinate or Lead Others

    90.8/100

    All-occupation average: 64.9

  2. 2Pace and demands

    Time Pressure

    89.2/100

    All-occupation average: 71.6

  3. 3Pace and demands

    Frequency of Decision Making

    87.8/100

    All-occupation average: 70.7

  4. 4Responsibility burden

    Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results

    82.8/100

    All-occupation average: 70.4

  5. 5Precision and monotony

    Importance of Being Exact or Accurate

    74/100

    All-occupation average: 78.6

All 22 stress factors for conference and event organisers

The complete scorecard: every stress factor measured for this occupation, grouped into the six categories, with the all-occupation average alongside.

Emotional demands

39.5 vs 37.9 avg
  • Deal With Physically Aggressive People2.8 vs 14
  • Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People52.5 vs 50.4
  • Frequency of Conflict Situations63.2 vs 49.3

Responsibility burden

64.8 vs 60 avg
  • Responsibility for Outcomes and Results72.8 vs 58.5
  • Responsible for Others' Health and Safety55.8 vs 57.3
  • Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results82.8 vs 70.4
  • Consequence of Error21.8 vs 49
  • Coordinate or Lead Others90.8 vs 64.9

Pace and demands

63.9 vs 56 avg
  • Time Pressure89.2 vs 71.6
  • Duration of Typical Work Week63 vs 62.1
  • Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment6.8 vs 23.1
  • Frequency of Decision Making87.8 vs 70.7
  • Level of Competition72.5 vs 52.4

Lack of control

9.4 vs 24.5 avg
  • Lack of Autonomy to Make Decisions12 vs 23.6
  • Amount of Highly Structured Work6.8 vs 25.3

Precision and monotony

65 vs 67.7 avg
  • Importance of Repeating Same Tasks56 vs 56.9
  • Importance of Being Exact or Accurate74 vs 78.6

Physical environment

40.4 vs 38.2 avg
  • Sounds and Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable64.5 vs 52.3
  • Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting38 vs 24.9
  • Very Hot or Cold Temperatures27.8 vs 32.4
  • Exposed to Disease or Infections0 vs 20.2
  • Physical Proximity71.8 vs 61.1

The elevated stress categories for conference and event organisers map to recognised psychosocial work factors under ISO 45003 and Australian WHS legislation. Learn what each one is and how it can be controlled:

Methodology

Clearhead scored 317 occupations in the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) using SafeWork Australia's Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset. We kept only the 22 hazard variables relating to mental health — such as conflict exposure, decision-making pressure, and time pressure — and deliberately excluded physical safety risks like working at height.

The 22 variables are grouped into six categories: emotional demands, responsibility burden, pace and demands, lack of control, precision and monotony, and physical environment. An occupation's composite score is the equally weighted average of its six category scores. All scores run 0–100, where higher means more stress-inducing.

Two control-related variables are reported by SafeWork with inverted polarity (“freedom to make decisions” and “structured versus unstructured work”). We reverse these and present them as lack of autonomy to make decisions and amount of highly structured work, so that a higher score consistently indicates greater stress exposure.

Hazard exposure describes the average conditions of an occupation, not any individual's experience — everyone has a different tolerance for these challenges, and conditions vary between workplaces.

Frequently asked questions

Conference and Event Organisers: how stressful is the job?

Conference and Event Organisers rank #160 out of 317 Australian occupations for workplace mental health hazards, with a composite stress score of 47.1/100 against a national average of 47.4. That makes the occupation more stress-exposed than 49.5% of Australian jobs.

What are the biggest mental health stress factors for conference and event organisers?

The highest-scoring hazards are coordinate or lead others (90.8/100), time pressure (89.2/100) and frequency of decision making (87.8/100). Overall, the occupation scores above the national average in emotional demands, responsibility burden, pace and demands and physical environment.

Which stress factors are lower for conference and event organisers?

Conference and Event Organisers score below the national average for lack of control (9.4 vs 24.5 average) and precision and monotony (65 vs 67.7 average), which partially offsets the higher-scoring hazards.

Where does this data come from?

Scores are derived from SafeWork Australia's Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset. Clearhead filtered the dataset to the 22 mental-health-related hazard variables — excluding physical safety risks — and scored 317 ANZSCO occupations across six categories: emotional demands, responsibility burden, pace and demands, lack of control, precision and monotony, and physical environment.

Beyond the average

This is the average hazard exposure for conference and event organisers. Your workforce isn't average.

Clearhead's Psychosocial Risk Pulse measures the actual psychosocial risk in your organisation, quarterly — across 18 ISO 45003-aligned work factors.

Clearhead Psychosocial Risk Pulse Tool

Know your industry's risks. Then measure your own.

Population-level data shows where the hazards concentrate — but psychosocial risk legislation requires you to identify and manage the risks in your own workforce. Clearhead's Psychosocial Risk Pulse gives you that evidence, quarterly.

Book a demo