Beautifully designed event proposals that contain accurate information are critical for securing event bookings at your venue.
But, manually creating proposals can be time-consuming while you pull together the details. The trouble with a slow turnaround in preparing and sending these documents is your emails can get lost among competitors’ proposals in your prospects’ inboxes.
The trick to securing business is to respond quickly to booking inquiries. Using event management software, you can access templates and automatically fill in the required information. This allows you to quickly craft and send professional-looking documents that perfectly answer the inquiry.
This guide covers everything event managers need to know about creating winning digital event proposals. Be sure to include these elements the next time you respond to event booking requests for your venue.
What is an Event Proposal?
An event proposal is a comprehensive document outlining the details and pricing of an upcoming event. Event managers create digital proposals to respond to online booking inquiries received via their website, email, or social media channels.
The document may contain information such as:
- the event objectives
- a roadmap for achieving those objectives
- venue space availability for proposed dates
- the team available on-site
- unique event features
- an event costing, including catering and bar costs
- general event inclusions and exclusions
Once the prospective client receives your proposal, they will compare it with quotes from other event venues. Armed with all the information, they can decide which venue is most suitable to book for their proposed event.
Generally speaking, consider your event proposal a mission statement, a roadmap for executing the event, and a marketing tool for your venue. It should:
- provide clarity around your event plans
- be eye-catching in design, preferably branded with your company logo and information
- filled with pertinent event information to help the prospect make an informed booking decision
- delivered quickly to be top of the inbox
Why is it Important to Create Great Proposals for Your Event Venue?
First off, a proposal communicates critical event- and venue-related information to prospective clients. As a result, everyone is on the same page about what your venue can offer.
It can also clarify your unique value proposition (UVP) so prospects understand why your event space is one of a kind. In fact, a good event proposal gives you a competitive edge over other event spaces. It shows prospects that you understand and can meet their event venue needs. By providing information, such as catering options, equipment inventory, and proposed pricing, interested parties can get a feel for why your venue might be perfect for their event.
After winning the contract, proposals provide a planning and management framework for the upcoming event.
How to Craft a Winning Event Proposal
Each digital event proposal you create will be unique based on the specific events requirements that have been submitted. Use the steps and elements discussed below as guidelines for crafting your own event proposal template. In turn, you can win bookings and make the event planning process much more efficient.
1. Use an Appealing Design
One of the best ways to make your event proposal stand out is to ensure it is professionally designed. Include the prospects’ details and logo (if applicable), venue imagery, and an eye-catching layout to capture their attention.
Doing this adds a personal touch to the proposal and makes your business look professional. You don't have to be a graphic designer to pull this off, either. Simply use a suitable event proposal template and incorporate visual layouts and elements to make it look amazing.
2. Breathe Life Into the Booking Inquiry Details
The person making the inquiry has submitted information for their booking request - how can you give life to the details and help the prospect envision the occasion at your venue? Write a brief event description outlining how the event might take place and how your team might approach the timeline.
Of course, there’s no need to seize control of the event planning process. Instead, take the submitted information and become a storyteller. Grab your audience’s attention by painting a picture of how their day might pan out based on the details they provided.
3. Highlight Venue Draw Cards
Your venue is unique, and it's important to outline this in the event proposal. Doing so will give the prospective client an idea of what sets your space apart from the competition.
What features does the venue have to offer? What makes the space unlike any other? Consider details like different event spaces, unique decor, stand-out features, equipment inventory, and venue views.
Where possible, include images or videos that showcase your space and demonstrate what’s on offer.
4. Connect the Venue to the Client’s Needs
You’ve given life to the event details and outlined your venue’s wow factors. Now it’s time to connect these elements and underline how the venue is perfect for your client’s event. Talk about their requirements one point at a time, and describe how your venue and team can live up to the brief.
Say the prospect is planning a fairytale wedding. Speak about your ballroom space, fairy lights, and raised dancefloor.
Or, maybe you receive an inquiry about your outdoor space? Mention the garden with beautiful water features.
Perhaps there’s interest in vegan menu options? Talk about the highly-rated local caterers you use for events.
5. Communicate Your Expertise and Event Management Skills
This part of your event proposal is particularly important if you’re trying to secure new clients.
An impressive proposal should include an outline of who you are, what you’ve done, and why you’re a great event manager. This is necessary for getting the prospective client to trust you and see value in your offering.
List out past events you’ve overseen, outlining what you did to make those occasions memorable and achieve the event goals. If the person can see you have an excellent event management track record, they will have a lot more reason to want to work with you on the event.
When doing this, put yourself in your client’s shoes and try to establish what specific skills or relevant certifications they would like to see from an event venue manager. Be sure to highlight any relevant expertise or experience that matches this particular event.
6. Introduce the Team
An ideal event proposal showcases the team that will be running the event. This should include your internal team members, as well as any vendors you work with.
List out the event management team and other stakeholders involved in the project, outlining their roles and event experience. Prospective clients will want to understand who will handle the event and provide the excellent experience you're pitching.
By naming the team and showing off their relevant expertise, you’ll be able to instill a lot more confidence and trust in the client. It’s also necessary for establishing your proposed event budget.
7. Propose a Budget
You’ve outlined your event vision and how to execute it. The potential client understands the value you’re offering, and they’re (hopefully) excited to see it turn into action. Before taking any further steps, the person will want to ensure everything aligns with their budget.
In light of this, the perfect event proposal should include a quotation outlining the cost of venue hire and required extras. Of course, there will always be room in the proposed budget to add pricing for additional requests along the line. But at this stage, provide a decent ballpark figure to work with.
This is essential, as no one books a venue without understanding the costs. Where possible, include a breakdown of the pricing for transparency.
It’s a good idea to offer some flexibility in your price. You could offer a few event package options or include optional elements with their price differences. This will help clients to customize the event more towards their specific budget and requirements.
8. Include Relevant Additional Information
An essential function of the proposal is to prevent surprises from cropping up further down the line. It’s the perfect place to cover any relevant information about how you handle the event and what potential clients can expect when working with you.
As examples, other points to make room for in your event proposal templates are details like your venue cancellation policies, client testimonials, or venue payment terms. Basically, consider any other background information that will help set you and your clients up for a smooth working relationship.
9. Use Automation to Your Benefit
Event management software, like Perfect Venue, is your friend when it comes to creating the best event proposals. It automates the proposal generation process, allowing you to craft and send professional-looking proposals much more quickly. Using built-in templates, you can customize the documents with your and your client's branding to look professional.
The software will automatically populate information submitted into your lead forms to generate custom proposals faster and more accurately. Because the software is cloud-based, proposals are always up to date with the most recent changes and notes.
Perhaps one of the most significant benefits of using an event management system to automate proposals is the digital signing feature. Proposals can be digitally signed by prospects, helping you close the deal with less friction. There’s no need to print, sign, and send back documents, which take time and effort.
Another advantage of automating digital proposals is preventing double bookings at your venue. Once a proposal is signed, the event status in Perfect Venue automatically changes to confirm the booking and block the calendar, taking one more task off your plate.
All in all, you can effortlessly create and send proposals, have them approved, and turn them into active event venue bookings. Then, you can oversee the event management process from one connected dashboard.
Conclusion
Whether you use event proposals to secure new events or gain repeat business, they’re critical documents for putting your venue’s best foot forward. The documents can help prospects understand what your venue offers and how much it costs while bringing their event vision to life.
Among other things, great software allows you to generate proposals quicker and get ahead of your competitors in your client’s inbox. Sign up here to get a free 14-day trial of Perfect Venue.
