Event proposals are what make or break your career as a planner. They are what help clients get to your door. Without it, they would not even bat an eye to the event service that you have to offer.
So to help you make a winning event proposal, we have created this guide to help you.
Table of Contents
What exactly is an event proposal?
An event proposal is like an event primer. It provides the base and direction of where the whole thing would go.
But, unlike a primer, your main goal is not just to inform the reader of how you are planning to accomplish the event. In the case of an event proposal, your goal is to inform as well as persuade the reader about your event.
Many planners often forgot to take the latter into consideration because they are too busy including everything in their event checklist. They sometimes fail to take into account that apart from informing the readers about the event, they have to persuade them to fund and support their event as well.
Remember that a successful event proposal is different from your event planning report. An event proposal is more like a sponsorship proposal rather than an event report.
You do not have to list all the details of the event in your proposal. Because at the end of the day, you only need the readers’ approval of the event. Once you managed to convince them to support your event, then that is when you need to iron out all the nitty-gritty details.
So when you are preparing your event proposal, be sure to keep all of this in mind. You are not preparing an event planning report for your event team. You are preparing a proposal for an event sponsor so that they would give your event team funding and go-signal to continue with your plan.
Setting the Tone
Now that you know where your proposal is headed, you need to set and match the tone of your target audience.
If you do a quick google search, you would find tons of event proposal template that you can easily use.
However, these event proposal example are often not a one-size-fits-all for your readers. So you have to tweak them a little bit and make sure that they match what your potential sponsor is looking for.
It bears repeating that your readers are still not your client; hence the reason why you are preparing an event proposal. Your goal is to win them over and make them your client or sponsors.
With that in mind, you need to match their requirements, and at the same time, present them with the services that you have to offer.
To put it simply, setting the tone means conforming to your reader’s wishes whilst also pitching them your event and services.
Create a proposal to your team’s advantage
Whether you are an agency or a corporate event planner, preparing a proposal would greatly benefit both your potential client and your event team.
For one, it is a great way to inform your prospective client about your plan for the event. This would give them an idea of what the event would look like, how they could prepare, and how much they can shoulder for the expenses.
Other than that, you and your entire event team can benefit from the proposal making as well. Since you are building an event proposal from scratch, it would be up to you to decide what and how you would want the event to be accomplished.
Creating a proposal with your team would also give them a head start because they can prepare and gather all the resources ahead of time.
That said, you should draft a proposal not only to persuade your prospective client but also to create a proposal that would work to your team’s advantage. Make sure that every detail and services that you put in the proposal can be done and accomplished by your team.
As much as possible, work within the means and manpower that you have. Avoid overpromising to your clients and setting their expectations beyond what your team can accomplish.
Doing this would not only prevent setbacks for your event but would also impress your clients as well. Once you flawlessly deliver what you promise during the event proposal meeting, then they are more likely to turn to you and your team for their next special event.
All in all, avoid overpromising so that you can establish a better, long-lasting relationship with clients. Because as much as you want to oversell your pitch and win that client against a competitor, it would be much harmful to win them and not fulfill all the empty promises you said to them during the proposal meeting.
What makes a good proposal?
This question is very subjective and it would ultimately depend on your readers or prospective clients.
That said, a great rule of thumb when it comes to writing a good proposal is to make sure that they are easy to understand at first glance.
There is no hard rule when it comes to making an event proposal. You can opt for a more traditional letter and document proposal, a pitch deck, a video presentation, poster, infographics, and so on.
The look, feel, and content should be based on what your readers want and what they want to hear from you. There are even some instances where a prospective client would want a specific information included in the proposal. Therefore, you need to make sure that they can easily find this information at first glance.
For instance, some of them might ask you to think of an event idea under a specific budget. The first thing that they would look for in your proposal is the budget. As for the event idea, they often decide these kinds of things as a group and get the consensus of their entire team before deciding.
In this case, your proposal should highlight that everything in your event plan is within their budget. For your event ideas, you can give them a few options to choose from. This, in turn, would give them the impression that you are flexible and can work under a specific budget.
However, does not mean that you should only focus on the information they are looking for and completely disregard the other aspects or elements of an event proposal.
Event Proposal Content
By structuring your proposal well, you can easily win over any prospective clients at your first meeting.
As mentioned earlier, a good proposal should contain all the information that the reader is looking for. Therefore, it is advantageous to place it in the first part of your proposal. This way, your reader can easily determine whether your event proposal fit the requirements that they are looking for.
For the succeeding parts or sections of your proposal, here are some of the key elements that you should include
Event Description
The reader should be able to get a gist of what the event would look like at first glance. This simply means including a summarization of the actual event, the event goals, and what the overall planning looks like in your proposal.
As much as the reader would want to know your story and inspiration behind the party themes, it is much better to provide them with a crystal clear description of what the event would look like and how they would benefit from it.
If possible, try to include only the relevant information that the reader wants. For the story and inspiration behind your party theme, you can just include this as a topic of conversation for when you meet and present your pitch to them.
Overview of your Plan
Keep in mind that the event proposal is different from your event planning checklist. In your event proposal, state how you plan to accomplish and pull off the entire event. Provide a realistic timeline, set achievable goals, and if possible, handpick or list out your event management team as well.
It does not have to be detailed like an event planning proposal. You only need to give the reader an overview of your plan so that they can discern whether or not it fits their brand, image, and event requirements.
Set the tone, match your readers’ requirements, and make sure that they would be on board with all your plans.
What You Have to Offer
Now that you pander and fulfill all their requirements, it is time to start listing all the services that you can offer.
As with any event organizer, you need to know both your strengths and limitations in event planning.
When you start drafting your event proposal, you should list all the services you offer, your line of expertise, and even the past events that you handle.
Given that not all clients know what they want until you suggest it, you can list out all the other related services you offer aside from the ones that they need.
For example, a prospective client might have asked for your help on how to set up the perfect trade show booths at a convention. Other than setting up a booth, you can suggest your other event services that might go well with their trade booth such as promotions events, party favor rentals, entertainment programs, catering services, and so on.
This would not only benefit your entire event team but would also provide convenience to your prospective clients as well. You can be a one-stop-shop that would handle all their event needs.
So it is a win-win for both of you and your client.
Flexible Quotation
It bears repeating that the reader of your event proposal is still not your client, you still have to convince them to agree with all your event plans.
With that said, budget is one of their biggest deciding factors. So even though you managed to craft and plan the best event ever, your reader might still be put off by your costing.
That is why you need to prepare a flexible proposal along with a flexible quotation. Do not be afraid to discuss the budget in your first meeting with a prospective client. This way, you can both set realistic expectations and budgets for the event.
If possible, give them other options so that they can keep you on tabs while they talk to other event planners. Remember that for every prospective client you talk to, there is a big chance that they are in talks with other event professionals as well.
Bearing that in mind, you have to make an impression and prove to them that you are flexible for their event needs and requirements.
Sending your proposal
Oftentimes, a prospective client would ask for the event proposal before setting up a team meeting with you.
So as much as possible, make sure that you send your proposal effectively and in time.
Some clients prefer them sent via mail, while others simply like a digital copy of your proposal. A quick Google search would give you an idea of what a proposal generally looks like. There are tons of event planning proposal template ranging from the traditional ones like the formal letter document to some modern ones like the event proposal webpage
The time when to send a proposal is also important. As we have mentioned earlier, a prospective client might also be in talks with other event planners as well. That said, sending a late proposal might result in a missed opportunity.
Following up
Once you send the proposal, it is crucial to follow up with the reader as well. A great rule of thumb is to follow up on your proposal 3 to 5 times max.
This, however, does not mean that you should completely abandon the prospective client altogether if they did not pick you as their event planner.
Even though they did not choose your proposal this time, they might choose you as their planner for their upcoming event. That said, you should still keep them as leads and include them in your mailing list as well.
Conclusion
Now that you know what makes an event proposal great, it is time to start crafting your own and start winning more clients.
