Event proposal software that makes it easy to make a big impression

Generate more revenues with colorful, detailed event proposals and save time with branded event proposal templates

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1 OF 20+ TOOLS IN OUR PLATFORM

Our event proposal generator 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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"With Planning Pod, I have built a more professional image for our company with the proposals and templates we are using - as opposed to outdated Word documents - and I can rest assured that clients are receiving accurate information."
- Christine Wakelee, Collision Bend Brewery

Christine Wakelee, Collision Bend Brewery

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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Streamline how you build event proposals and enhance your image with prospects and clients

Add detailed product/service descriptions + pricing

Our event proposal software lets you clearly define your vision for your clients’ events, including sections for overviews/summaries, descriptive line items (qty/hours, unit costs, taxes, markups/discounts) with categories, client messages/thank-yous and image galleries

Build branded event proposal templates

Save tons of time by creating reusable event proposal templates and line item templates you can add instantly to new proposals. Add your organization’s logo, colors and contact details to proposal headers. Attach documents and files like company brochures and pricing lists.

Sell your vision with colorful images and design

Step up from bland documents and stand out from your competitors with images and color. Choose a font and color that reflects your brand. Tell a visual story by building out an image gallery. Upload an image for each line item. Build and share to-scale event layouts and floor plans.

Manage electronic signatures and change orders

Easily share proposals via email communications or online and have your clients sign off on your event proposals with electronic signature capabilities. And because there are usually modifications to proposals, you can create change orders that track previously signed versions.

Easy and convenient for clients and staff alike

Our event proposal software is cloud-based and mobile-friendly, so you can use it anywhere, anytime, on any Web-enabled device, including smartphones and tablets. Invite other users into your account to collaborate, and email clients with latest versions and signature/signoff links.

Proposal Dashboard Totals

FYI ... If you’re interested in our event proposal software tool, you may also like our: Contracts and e-Signatures ToolEvent Email Communications ToolEvent Floor Plans and DesignsEvent Invoicing and Payments Manager


USED BY 20,000+ EVENT PROFESSIONALS

What’s inside our Web-based event proposal generator

See why event planners, venues and caterers use our event proposal templates and tools to land more conferences, corporate events, fundraisers, galas, meetings, parties and weddings

Unlimited Line Items

Create event proposal line items with detailed descriptions, quantities/hours, unit costs, taxes and markups/discounts. Add more detail by uploading an image for each line item.

Image Gallery

Illustrate your capabilities and bring your vision to life with images you can upload in gallery format. Embellish them with titles and captions.

Branding and Design

Embellish your event proposals with your logo and a font and color that reflects your brand. Your clients will appreciate the clean, easy-to-read design of our online and downloadable proposals.

Event Proposal Templates

Save time and build out reusable event proposal templates with line items, categories, messaging, etc. Create line item templates to quickly add frequently used items and packages.

Content Fields

Script detailed overviews/summaries that offer up your qualifications, event strategies and goals, legal terms and policies. Add personal messages for thank-yous and next steps.

Line Item Categories

Need to break your event proposals down into sections? Or want to group multiple line items into a package? Just add categories and assign line items to them to display subtotals.

Email Communications

You can email event proposals directly from inside your Planning Pod account to your prospects. Plus you can create boilerplate email messages and customize them for each client.

Event Proposal PDFs

Fully designed PDF files are included in proposal emails sent from our system, and you can also download event proposal PDFs directly to your laptop or desktop.

Electronic Signatures

It’s always a great idea to have your clients sign off on your event proposals, and our proposal e-signature tool lets you email clients a link so they can review and sign your proposals online.

Change Orders

Need to make modifications to a proposal after it has been signed? No worries ... just create a change order, edit the proposal and send out the new version to be re-signed by the client.

File Attachments

If you have additional files to accompany your proposals (like documents or PDFs of electronic brochures, pricing sheets, case studies), just attach them to be emailed out with the proposal.

Integration With Invoices

Our event invoicing feature works hand-in-hand with our event proposal software tool. Simply click a button to create a new invoice that carries over all line items and categories from the proposal.

Service Fees and Gratuities

If you run a business (like an event venue or catering company) where you customarily add service charges and gratuities for staff, you can quickly build those into your event invoices.

Delivery / Shipping and Setup Fees

Do you offer rentals, products or food-and-beverage service? If you do, you can easily add delivery and setup charges to your proposals (by dollar amount or percentage).

Integrations and Reporting

Share your event proposal data with hundreds of other applications via the Zapier platform (including CRM and accounting apps). Download custom reports for proposals and conversions.

Event Planning Tools

Take advantage of our additional event management solutions like our client CRM tool, lead manager, electronic contract builder, event invoicing tool and event schedule builder.


Learn more about our solutions for event planners and venues


RECENT POST
Jeff Kear · Owner, Planning Pod

How to write an event proposal that lands more clients


If you manage an event venue or event planning business, you already know that client and event management begins long before you start drawing up budgets, timelines or floor plans. In fact, it begins with the first email, call or meeting with a prospective client and extends through the first deliverable, which is usually an event management proposal or estimate.

Often these initial prospecting activities get lumped in with lead generation, sales and marketing tasks, and this is all well and good. However, during those first discussions and exchanges of information, you will need to be wearing your event planner hat as well as your sales and marketing hats because the questions you will encounter and the educated decisions you will need to make all rely on your event management acumen.

Regardless of the types of events your clients request or that you specialize in - concerts, conferences, corporate events, fundraisers, galas, meetings, networking events, parties, product launches or weddings - the same processes and steps apply to learning about their needs and creating a proposal that describes how you will meet and exceed those needs within the client’s stated budget.

Not to add pressure, but your clients are also probably shopping multiple event vendors and are talking to your competitors, so getting this process right and delivering impressive event proposal documents is definitely in your best interest.

With that said, here are 13 critical details you should keep in mind for how to create an event planning proposal that not only sells your services but instills confidence and trust in your new customers.

1. One-on-one client communications

It’s always best to meet new prospects face-to-face so you can get a full sense of who they are and their needs regarding their potential events (plus you can also read their body language and facial expressions). Often clients will come with a list of requirements - and some will even provide you with an event RFP (request for proposal) ahead of time. But if they don’t, here are some pieces of information you will need to collect at that time in order to start the event proposal building process:

  • Vision, needs and goals (essentially the purpose of the event and what it needs to accomplish)
  • Fears and risks (what could possibly go wrong or if their goals aren’t met)
  • Audience type and estimated headcounts
  • Event ticketing needs (including online event registration / RSVP, at-the-door check-in processes, etc.)
  • Dates and time frames
  • Theme and design/decor
  • Potential locations
  • Venue requirements
  • Food-and-beverage / catering program requirements
  • Content needs (speakers, entertainment, etc.)
  • Other vendor requirements (AV, transportation, lighting, etc.)

At this point, you will also want to inquire about the event budget that they have to work with. Sometimes they will offer a number or a range, but often they won’t because either they don’t want to divulge this information or simply don’t know how much such an event will cost. If this happens, simply start framing the budget by saying something like "If I came back with a proposal that was around $10K or so, would that scare you off?" This way you can start working up or down based on their reaction to an initial number.

NOTE: It’s always great to write everything down during this conversation, or better yet use a notes tool or event proposal software that lets you type in notes on-the-fly.

2. Handy event proposal templates

If you plan the same types of events over and over or often include the same things in event proposals, it will save you tons of time if you develop one or more event proposal templates that include common line items and language.

The little secret about event proposal templates among event professionals is that, after you have modified and adapted them based on your success with them, they will contain messaging and details that position you in the best light and make it easy for prospects to see the value in hiring your firm or venue. You can also keep a content library of event proposal templates, line item templates, pricing sheets, etc., so you aren’t reinventing the wheel all the time (some event proposal software tools offer these features).

HINT: If you are just getting started with your business, there are many event proposal examples and event proposal sample PDFs online that you can review.

3. Branded documents and portals

From the start you want to position yourself properly and differentiate your business from your competitors, and a great way to do this is with branded event proposal documents. This includes downloadable event proposal PDFs or other event documents that you can customize with your logo, colors and contact information. Another event proposal design technique that you can employ is to build spec event floor plans and layout designs in color (or even 3D) to help your prospect visualize your plan for their event.

HINT: Flexible event proposal software can allow you to automate tasks like this. Just make sure that the event proposal generator you choose is mobile-friendly, has data security protocols, integrates with accounting software and offers customer support for their product.

4. Clean design and layout

There are many event proposal design tools (from programs like InDesign and Canva to event-specific tools) that can assist you in creating easy-to-read layouts that are professional and let you apply appropriate themes, color palettes and fonts.

5. Background and qualifications statement

You need to make your customer start to feel comfortable with you from the outset, so in your proposals you should include language about your history serving clients as well as customer testimonials, case studies, bios of your team members and anything else that differentiates you from your competitors.

6. Overview summary that echoes client’s needs

Your event proposal summary should cover everything you covered with your prospect in your first conversation (goals, themes, dates, audience, etc.) and then add your own sizzle of how you are going to pull off their event and make them shine. This is where you can innovate and offer up fresh ideas. In addition, you could include an initial event schedule or timeline to walk them through your plans step-by-step ... this always impresses clients as it shows you have put significant thought into their event already.

7. Well-delineated service and product offerings

Your clients want to know exactly what they are paying for, so don’t hide anything but instead clearly outline exactly what services and products you will be providing (including quantities and hours). These can include:

  • Catering
  • Entertainment
  • Venue Rentals
  • Equipment Rentals (tables, chairs, etc.)
  • Decor
  • Audio-Visual
  • Video
  • Lighting
  • Setup
  • Breakdown
  • Cleanup

If you want, you can break these down into packages or categories for easier comprehension.

8. Clear pricing

Some event professionals try to hide costs at the back of the proposal, but at the end of the day it’s probably the one thing your clients are most interested in, so be upfront and very clear about your quoted costs and fees (this is very important in earning their trust). Also, break them down by line item or service offered so they can see what each one costs.

This step may also require you to get proposals and quotes from your vendors (like catering proposals and quotes, venue proposals, etc.), so be prepared if your clients ask for these pass-through quotes.

9. Vivid, colorful imagery

Another aspect of good event proposal design is to add photos that literally give your clients a clear picture of your ideas and the types of events you have planned in the past. It’s best to use your own photography (not stock photos) as well as videos, and remember that pictures with happy people in them will warm up your proposal! Some event proposal software apps give you areas where you can upload and organize images.

10. Client-focused messaging

Your event proposal language should always focus on the client, not you. This can be difficult to do, so it’s a good rule of thumb that for every time you use the words "I, we, me, us" you should use the words "you, your" at least 2-3 times. And it goes without saying that your event proposals should be free of misspellings and have proper grammar.

11. Clear terms and policies

Nobody wants the worst to happen, but if you have well-defined event contracts and agreements in place ahead of time, if the worst does happen then it isn’t as painful for either party. Such terms and conditions that you can include in your event proposals include policies for cancellations, refunds, insurance and damages.

12. Client sign-off

You should never, ever start work for an event client without having them sign off on your event proposal and contract. This insulates you when there is a misunderstanding and turns your event proposal into a legal document (just make sure you consult an attorney to include the proper legal language to make it binding).

These days, many event proposal software applications offer electronic signature features so your clients can view your event proposals online and apply their e-signature.

13. Accurate reporting and analytics

With prospecting as with many other things in life, you often don’t know where to go unless you know where you’ve been. This is why it’s vital to be able to access data on your proposals and to run reports for things like conversion rates, outstanding proposals, quoted amounts, etc. Again, event proposal software tools as well as event accounting tools like Quickbooks and Xero offer such reporting and data analytics for proposals.


Learn more about our solutions for event planners and venues