In this guide, I’m going to show you how to create an event proposal that’ll get you hired in a fraction of time.

Preparation Before Writing The Proposal

Step 1: Talk with your client to find out what they want

The better you know your prospect the better your event proposal is going to be.

Each prospect is like an individual Rubik’s cube that you’ve to solve. Fortunately, there are ways to make it easier to understand your prospect. Let’s explore one by one,

• Research your client’s business: This will include as many stories, articles related to the business of your client as possible. Forums, online communities even social media are great platforms to gain a general understanding of your client’s brand and industry trends.
• Identify their decision-makers: Identify the decision-makers and the decision-making process before you set up a meet. Once you’ve identified the decision-makers, you can then decide your approach for engaging them.
• Identify their business KPIs and goals: Discuss your client’s goal with them If they can’t define the clear event goal, guide them. Give them examples of how your event planning services can help them achieve their ultimate goal.

Step 2: Verify the communication

To avoid misunderstanding always repeat what the client says to verify whether you’ve understood what they wanted. If you talked over the phone, write the summary of your conversation in an email, send it over, and ask them to confirm the information. Remember to include as many important details as possible to avoid any further surprises.

Major components to include in an event proposal

The typical sections you should include in your event proposal are these:

Cover image: You only get one chance to make a first impression and the cover page of your proposal is your only chance. A cover page of your business proposal should look neat and should be easy to read. Here’s a checklist for your cover page,

• Name of applying organization and logo
• Project title
• Date
• Contact Information (personal contact name, address, country, phone, email, website)
• Name of the client you are applying to

Business introduction letter: The cover letter in your event proposal sets the tone for the rest. The best practice of writing an impressive pitch is using your prospective client’s words to them. This means simply describe what they want from you. Your cover letter should include,

• Opening paragraph
• Reason for the pitch
• Showing you understand what they want
• Benefits of your event planning services
• Goals

Outline of your solution: Giving too many details about the event planning is the biggest mistake many new event planners make. The details should only be about the approach and not about the solution.

• The key here is to give a rough sketch of the process you will use for the execution.
• Include the list of the specific event planning services that are being offered.
• You should be ultra-careful about not going into detail.

Implementation Timeline: You must break down all the key steps and the timeline for your client in your event proposal template. Providing an accurate timeline with deliverables allows you to set the client’s expectations early. An ideal event proposal template’s timeline section includes

• List of activities to perform
• The dates on which the activities should be completed (start and end time)
• Expected duration required for each task

Pricing table: Keep things short and to the point and use a pricing table with a range of options that let your prospect or customer edit the quantities, select the services that best fit their needs, and allow them to customize your solution.

• Standard package (includes all the services mentioned)
• Less expensive package (where a client can choose the services)
• Deluxe package (with extra services)

Why Work With Us: You can fill out this section with the expertise you have, the awards you won, the big list of your happy clients.

• Introduction 
• Name, faces, and credentials of the people who will be working on the campaign
• Client benefits

Case Study/Testimonials: In this section, you can make your clients visualize themselves working with you by telling the past clients’ success stories (case studies).

• Project goal
• Solution
• Result

Terms of Services: Keep the contract and your terms and conditions part of your event proposal template and get them signed together to avoid future conflict.

• Payment
• Warranty
• Termination 
• Agreement

CTA: It is where you need to explain in-depth what you want your client to do next to get things rolling. You can include something like,

• Sign the proposal (digitally with e-signature)
• The initial amount to be payable while signing the contract
• Schedule the next meeting call to discuss further steps.

Spend time on designing your proposal

A messy and unattractive event proposal can be a real turn-off to your prospective clients. It sends a message that you didn’t care enough to make your proposal look good. So, make sure you include the following elements in your event proposal,

Table of Contents: It is sometimes overlooked but is still a major part of a proposal design. All event proposals must include a table of contents as it gives readers a route map to go directly to a particular section.

Visuals: Visuals such as videos, infographics, screenshots, and photos complement your event proposal to another level. You can also include the video testimonials of your other happy clients.

Wrap Up

If you follow the tips and the format above, you won’t face any challenges and you’ll find yourself writing an ideal event proposal, the one that pulls together all the required information concisely and helps the prospect to make an informed buying decision.