Event contract manager for tracking clients, agreements and signatures

Create event contracts and agreements and collect electronic signatures with our event management contract tools

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Our event contract agreement manager is included in the Planning Pod software suite

INCLUDED IN THE FOLLOWING PRODUCTS:

Venue Management Software

Perfect for event centers, hotels, restaurants, corporate facilities, non-profit venues and reception halls.

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Event Management Software

Perfect for corporate events, meetings, weddings, galas, fundraisers, educational events and more.

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"Planning Pod has streamlined getting contracts and proposals signed and keeping them stored securely in one central place."
- DeAndra Davidson, The Orchard Event Venue and Retreat

DeAndra Davidson, The Orchard Event Venue and Retreat

4.89 out of 5 stars

See why more event professionals and venues rely on our tools to build their businesses!

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Simplify every step of the event contract process, from building templates and tracking signatures to deposits and payment schedules

Start with timesaving event contract templates

Build event contract templates from scratch or import your legal language from an existing document. Add polish to your terms-and-conditions with text formatting and layout tools. Brand downloadable PDF documents and online signature screens with your logo and colors.

Effortlessly collect contract signatures online

Track your clients with our events CRM tool and easily add them as signers to event contracts. Collect signatures electronically in person or send an email to event clients with a link to a secure online signature page. Once they’ve signed, you and they can download PDFs with their IP address as an identifier.

Streamline your contract tracking and management

Track every contract and its status and history via the event contracts overview page. At-a-glance event dashboards let you know what contracts have been signed and which are still outstanding. Download contract PDFs with signature information included.

Improve processes with our event management tools

Our event contract manager integrates with our invoicing tool so you can track deposits, build out payment schedules and set up payment reminder emails. And it also integrates with our proposals manager so you can collect electronic signatures on your estimates and proposed fees.

Use it anytime, anywhere, on any device

Now you can access your event contracts and business details on-the-go. Because our event planner contract / venue contract tool is mobile-friendly and Web-based (as is our entire platform), you can use it on any Web-enabled device, including smartphones, tablets and desktops.

Planning Pod Contract Dashboard

FYI ... If you’re interested in our event contracts tool, you may also like our: Budget ManagerFloor Plans and DesignsInvoicing & Payments ManagerProposal Builder


USED BY 20,000+ EVENT PROFESSIONALS

What’s inside our cloud-based event contract agreement tool

See why event planners and venues use our event contract templates and tools for clients that plan conferences, corporate events, fundraisers, galas, meetings, parties, weddings and more

Event Contract Templates

Save tons of time by creating reusable event contract templates from scratch or importing your terms-and-conditions from an external document.

Customizable Contracts

Tidy up your text with formatting tools and personalize it for each client (services offered, timeframes, etc.). Add your logo and brand colors to online screens and PDF downloads.

Client CRM

Manage client contact details with our CRM tool and easily assign clients as signers to event contracts.

Electronic Signatures

Collect signatures in person with our contract signature portal or email clients a link to sign via our online signature form. All terms are displayed on-screen and signatures collected securely.

Notifications and Downloads

Signers are notified via email when another signer has agreed to the contract. And all signers are provided with downloadable, printable PDFs of the signed contract.

Dashboards

Our up-to-the-minute dashboards always let you know the current status of outstanding event contracts to be signed and recent signatures collected.

Deposit Tracking

Easily enter deposits you have taken in from clients, track any refunds you have distributed and be able to reclassify a deposit as an invoice payment.

Payment Schedules

Via our invoicing tool, you can create schedules for payment installments and set up timed email payment reminders with links to online payment forms.


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RECENT POST
Jeff Kear · Owner, Planning Pod

19 items to consider adding to your event planner contract or venue contract


NOTE: We are not attorneys here at Planning Pod, so the information in this article should not be interpreted or construed as legal advice. Please consult your attorney regarding the drafting of any contracts for venues or event planners.

New relationships with event clients can be exciting and full of promise. You want to start off right with them and not give them a reason to turn-and-bolt before you start managing their special events, and sometimes event professionals don’t want to scare them away by putting an event contract full of legalese in front of them to sign.

However, event contract agreements are for the benefit of both you and your client because it spells out in black-and-white a clear understanding between the event planner or venue and the client. Ideally it protects both of you, and this is a good way to explain this to a client who is balking at signing an event management agreement that has been drawn up in good faith and is easy to understand (so don’t fill your contracts with lots of complex legal terms without describing them fully).

In a solid contract, expectations are clearly defined on what materials and services will be delivered, how much they will cost, how the provider will be paid and how the two parties will handle most situations that could arise during the course of the project.

And although in many cases verbal agreements are legally enforceable, without a signed document you will have a difficult time proving the terms and conditions of the agreement … which is why it’s always smart to get it all in writing and signed.

Also, make sure to give your client enough time to adequately review the terms and conditions you lay out in front of them and give them time to raise objections and concerns and negotiate before both parties sign.

Another key thing to remember is that signing a legal contract is usually at the very bottom of your clients' priorities, so you should not let their reluctance to sign translate into you putting it off for so long that you never get their signature. A few event planning apps and venue software platforms like Planning Pod offer online signature capabilities to simplify the signing processes for clients so you can focus on other vital tasks.

So what’s included in a typical venue contract or event planner contract? Here are 19 things you typically see in these agreements.

Note that many of the items here are also applicable in catering contracts, venue rental agreements, photographer contracts and entertainer contracts.

1. Client details

Include the names of signers (that is, all parties who are identified as the client being served under the contract) and their address and contact information.

2. Timeframe of contract

This should include any date-related information, including the actual event dates and times (including setup/teardown periods), venue rental dates or periods and date change policies. Also include fields where the signers can provide the date(s) they applied their signatures.

3. Services and materials offered

Be thorough in describing the scope of the services and materials you will be offering, including any details (like hours allotted, headcounts, menus, rental items, etc.), definitions and limitations (that is, any key services you will not be providing).

4. Venue spaces

Often event venue contracts define the rooms or spaces that will be rented for the event.

5. Fees and billing

Along with the services and materials offered, you should include descriptions of prices and costs of those items (and for event planner contracts you should include hours and hourly rates, if applicable). This is also where you would include minimums (like minimum food-and-beverage purchase or minimum room bookings in the case of a hotel). A good idea here is to include your event proposal, quote or estimate as an attachment to the event contract.

6. Payment schedule

Don’t forget to include in your event planner contract or venue contract a payment schedule, which includes payment installment due dates and milestones as well as late fees and how they will be assessed.

7. Deposits

As part of your payment schedule, you should also include any required deposits (like damage or security deposits), whether they are refundable or non-refundable and terms of forfeiture of the deposit.

8. Cancellation clause

Sometimes clients need to cancel their event (like weddings or performances), so your event contract should include cancellations terms that outline acceptable cancellation reasons plus milestones and costs for cancellation. For event planner contracts, you may want to also add that the client is responsible for all work completed up to the day of cancellation and for any vendor commitments and deposits that you have already agreed to on their behalf.

9. Termination clause

There may also be cases where you - the venue or event planner - need to cancel your services due to an unforeseen and unpredictable circumstance (fire, flooding, etc.). This is often called a force majeure or act-of-god clause, and it should delineate when this would apply. You should also define when you can terminate the agreement if your client violates the terms and conditions of the event contract.

10. Refund policies

If applicable, you can also add refund policies on to your cancellation and termination terms, when refunds apply and how much will be refunded at particular milestone dates.

11. Indemnification clause

This clause is important because it protects the event planner, event management company or venue against damages, injuries, losses, lawsuits and settlements that are due to negligence of the client, the client’s guests and/or the client’s vendors/suppliers. For example, if guests become critically ill due to the client’s catering vendor, the indemnification clause shifts the responsibility to your client instead of you. Or if the client’s transportation vendor hits a bystander, then the client is responsible for all damages and not your business or venue.

12. Outside vendors/contractors

Often event facility rental agreements include vendor guidelines for any vendors and suppliers hired by the client (caterers, entertainment, DJs, rental companies, etc.). In addition, some venues also include preferred vendor lists that outline specifically which vendors can be hired to provide services in their venue.

13. Decor policies

Identify what kinds of decor your clients are permitted to hang or display and provide guidelines for such.

14. Setup, teardown and cleanup policies

This is important information to include, especially in venue contracts where you need the client to be out of the space by a certain time and what they are responsible for cleaning up.

15. Noise restrictions and permits

A clause commonly included in venue rental agreements (especially for facilities in residential settings), this outlines any noise restrictions and ordinances that the client must comply with as well as what types of permits the client is required to obtain and when they need to have them by.

16. Alcohol policies and guidelines

Any facility that either serves alcohol or that allows clients to hire bar vendors to serve alcohol on-premise should have alcohol serving and consumption policies as part of their overall event space rental contract.

17. Insurance requirements

Recommended if you require event clients to carry certain types of insurance (like liability insurance for accidents and damages).

18. Photo release clause

Do you want to be able to use event photography (that includes faces of guests) in your marketing and promotional materials? Then you will need to add a photo release clause to your event planner contracts or venue contracts to get the client’s approval to use such photography.

19. Confidential information or NDA clause

If you offer proprietary processes or reveal any trade secrets to your clients, you may want to include a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) clause in your event contract to protect against that information being disclosed.

Finally … once you and your attorney have determined all the legal language and clauses you need in your contracts, you may want to create one or more event contract templates that you can easily modify when necessary. You can also search the Web for event planner contract templates or event venue contract templates to use as a starting point.


Learn more about our solutions for event professionals and venues