Your event proposal could make all the difference between a successful event and an event that doesn’t reach its full potential.
Many corporate event planners and organisers feel disappointed when their event is not as successful as they had initially hoped. This is after they have put plenty of time and effort into planning, organising, and marketing it.
At the same time, not many realise the importance of the initial event proposal. More often than not, the event’s success is predetermined by the research and work that goes into creating the event proposal. It’s an important part of the event planning equation and not paying it the required amount of attention can prove detrimental to the event’s success and the associated business goals.
If you are serious about learning the basics of writing event proposals, you have come to the right page! In this article, we will share with you everything that goes into creating event proposals that ensure nothing but the best results from your event planning efforts. Most importantly, we will share a template outline and also highlight where things could potentially go wrong, so you can avoid making the most common mistakes when working on your next event proposal. But before we dive in, let’s understand what event proposals are.
What’s an event proposal?
Event proposals are documents that event planners use to comprehensively compile several important details to plan an upcoming event. Such a document is created during the initial stage of the event planning process. It’s often used to clearly outline your vision for the event, and demonstrate how your expertise and skillset can help achieve the set business goals. It supports the organisation planning the event in their due diligence and allows them to decide whether or not the presented proposal aligns well with their goals and vision for the event.
There are several types of event proposals, depending on the purpose, whether the goal is to gain sponsorship for the event or for creating an outline and agenda for the event. Virtual event proposals would include a different set of requirements compared to typical event proposals, including but not limited to the virtual event platform and its functionality.
Creating an Event Proposal Template
An effective event proposal template typically has the following key ingredients:
- easy-to-follow structure
- persuasive content
- visually appealing design
To get the best results, you should ideally craft your own event proposal template, as it allows you to have a personalised approach for each project. With that being said, there are some commonly used formal elements of an event proposal which can support your presentation and make it easier for the decision-makers to sign the dotted line. Ideally, an event planning proposal template should consist of these elements:
- Company’s name and logo
- Cover page
- Table of contents
- Executive summary
- Name, overview, date, and description of the event
- Purpose and objectives of the event
- The plan and the scope of work for the event
- Services provided
- Proposed timeline, costs, and expected budget for the event
- Contractual terms and placeholder for signatures
How to Create an Event Proposal
It’s important to take time and clearly understand the vision for the event, in order to support the event proposal process. This is crucial if you want to create the best possible event proposal. Keeping this in mind, here are some steps to consider when creating an event proposal.
Ask the right questions
For both your proposal and the event to have maximum impact and the best outcomes, you must align it with the event’s objectives. Sometimes, however, the organiser is unable to clearly define their expectations when it comes to planning the event. By asking the right kind of strategic questions, you can create a better event plan and proposal:
- What are the purpose and the ultimate goal of the event?
- What kind of audience is going to attend the event?
- How many guests are expected to attend the event?
- Is there any suggested environment or aesthetic the event should incorporate?
Understand the audience
It may not be easy to drive results and achieve the business goals set for the event without having a deep understanding of the event’s audience. You should be aware of their needs, desires, and motivations. Perform audience research and gather as much useful information as possible. This will help you not just in creating a suitable event proposal but also in the event planning process.
Have a clear idea of the event goals
Events usually have a purpose and business goals attached to them. When creating an event proposal, gain a clear idea of the event goals set by the organisers:
- Define the vision for the event
- Understand what would make the event successful
- List the measurable business goals and expected event outcomes, including ROI and audience engagement
Consider the experiential elements
Now that you understand the audience better, it’s time to think about the experiential elements and ways to engage the audience. Consider the event theme, how the event is supposed to look and feel, and the kind of emotions you seek to inspire in the attendees. In this step, it’s important to keep in mind the event vision and how the event will benefit everyone involved, including the attendees, organisers, and sponsors.
Demonstrate your expertise
Give the event organiser’s the much-required confidence in your team’s calibre by describing how your team will bring the event concept and vision to life. Their needs should be the focus as you begin to highlight the results your team has achieved in the past, using visual examples and some metrics like:
- Total event registrations
- Attendance rates
- Ticket sales generated
- Event ROI metrics
Outline your scope of work
At this point, the event organisers are aware of what your team brings to the table and your alignment with their vision and purpose. It’s time you shared with them the proposed event plan and logistics, and briefed them regarding your event planning services. Consider including the following elements in this section of your event proposal, if they are within your scope of work:
- Event experience design and development
- Experiential planning
- Venue selection and rental
- Event technology
- Speaker sourcing
- Management and coordination of the sessions
- Food, beverage, logistics, and vendor contracts
- Event marketing
- Event website creation, registration and ticketing
- Live event coordination
- Staffing
- Attendee assistance
- Organising contests or giveaways
- Managing sponsors
- Lighting, audio-visual equipment, and technical assistance
- Content, signage, and graphic design
- Follow-up surveys and post-event communication
Try connecting each of the elements mentioned in this section back to the event organiser’s goals, objectives, and vision for their event, in order to highlight their value and importance in the event plan. Don’t forget to include a timeline to tell them about how long it takes, realistically, to deliver each of the services you have mentioned.
Tips for Designing Your Event Proposal
While you are writing a detailed proposal for an event, keep in mind the following design tips to make it appear more presentable:
Make sure the cover looks professional
You have put a lot of effort into writing the proposal, and the same level of attention to detail should reflect in your proposal cover as well. Make sure you use a high-quality photo for the cover and also include your company’s logo and website.
Make the document easy to read
Making your proposal easy to read is just as important as including all the important details inside it. Use an appropriate, readable font type and text formatting. Try using short paragraphs, bullet points, headings and sub-headings to make the text easy to read. Make sure you leave enough white space between the images, text, and other elements in your proposal to avoid making it look cluttered.
Follow your company’s branding style
To ensure that your proposal is recognisable and reinforces your brand, it pays to use your unique branding style. Use the same type of brand colours, fonts, images, and styles throughout your proposal document.
Pay attention to the call-to-action
Needless to say, you should include a clear call-to-action towards the end of the proposal that should specify what the next action should be, whether that’s signing on the dotted line, filling out a form, emailing you, or calling you. Try using a contrasting colour to grab their attention and make it stand out from the rest of the sections in the proposal.
Final Thoughts
Remember that a successful event proposal is captivating and results-oriented. It’s an opportunity to set yourself apart from the crowd, leave a solid first impression on the event organisers, and tell them you understand what they need.
