Event Proposal Template Checklist

An event proposal is a comprehensive document that outlines the services you will provide for an event. It’s your company brochure, your marketing campaign, and your sales pitch all wrapped up into one. 

The more detailed the event proposal is, the better the potential client will understand your capabilities and the unique guest experience you’re able to offer. 

Use this ‘Event Proposal Template’ checklist alongside the proposal document you plan to submit to paint a showstopping picture of what you can offer, what you can do and what you have previously done.

Process Street is super-powered checklists. It’s the easiest way to manage your recurring tasks, procedures, and workflows.

Create a checklist template and run individual checklists for each member of your team. You can check tasks off as you work through them, set deadlines, add approvals, assign tasks, and track each team member’s progress.

You can also connect to thousands of Apps through Zapier and automate your workflows even more.

Enter your company details in the fields below. 

Enter details about the person/company who will be reviewing your event proposal in the fields below. 

Upload the request for proposal guidelines, study them carefully, and list out the key RFP requirements in the field below.

They may specify evaluation criteria and allocate a certain number of points to specific sections or components. 

Missing or incomplete items often result in outright rejection or at least a lower score, which will limit your chances of success. 

If there are many new requirements, in addition to those included in this checklist, consider updating this checklist with each requirement as a new task.

Read this to find out how. 

The more you know about the person who will be reviewing your proposal, the better you can tailor your proposal to meet their requirements.

Look at the following sources of information to find out more about your funder:

Answer the following questions to make sure you know your proposal reviewer inside out: 

Call {{form.Proposal_Reviewer_Name}} to discuss the event in detail. 

This a great opportunity to develop your relationship with them, to gather insight about the event they are looking for and to get their recommendations.

Record their recommendations on the field below. 

Think about the purpose of your event proposal.

Answer the following questions to get your thoughts together so you can begin writing your proposal with some clear direction. 

Proposals are often organized into distinct sections. These sections can have different titles depending on the guidelines specified by the organization, but they frequently serve the same purposes.

Review the guidelines to see if they have specified a structure to follow.

If they have asked you to follow a specific structure, make sure you have a plan for each section they have requested.

If they haven’t specified a structure, list out what you might include in the following sections:

Your proposal title needs to be catchy, descriptive, informative and pre-dispose the reader favorably towards the proposal.

Brainstorm potential title ideas and record them below.

Run each title option through the below criteria and choose the final title by selecting the title which best meets the criteria. 

Record your final title in the field below. 

Add this to your proposal document cover sheet 

Your introduction should state exactly why you’re sending the proposal and why your event is the best for the prospective client.

After reading your introduction, even if they don’t read the full proposal, the prospect should have a clear idea of what your event is and how it fits the brief.

This is also where you should present the case for why you are the right company to run the event. Focus on the conclusions you want the reader to reach after reading it.

This is what you planned to include in your introduction: {{form.Introduction}}

Make sure your introduction includes the following: 

Your company overview should include vital details about your company. It should describe the vision and direction of the company so the reviewer can develop an accurate impression of who you are.

This is what you planned to include in the company overview: {{form.Company_Overview}}

As a guide, make sure the company overview section in your proposal document answers the following questions: 

This section provides you with the opportunity to show the proposal reviewer that you have a clear understanding of what kind of event they are looking for. 

It’s often a good idea to provide a summary of different options to show you have thought about it from all possible angles, and then narrow it down to one single showstopper event.  

Develop a clear, concise description of the event you are proposing to run. Define what will occur as a result of your event. 

Make sure your event description is customized to the client’s needs so they know you’ve created this proposal specifically for them.

You must convince the proposal reviewer that what you propose to do is essential and that your organization is the right one to do it.

Use the information gathered during the call with your key contact: {{form.Key_Contact_Recommendations}}

This is what you planned to include in this section: {{form.Description_of_Event}}

To make sure your event description is clear, concise and customized to the client’s needs, provide answers to the following questions in your proposal document:

List all the services that will be required to plan and run the event in your proposal document.

Be sure to include internal services to be provided by you and your company and also any third party/external services. 

Provide justification for each service that is required. 

This is what you planned to include in this section: {{form.Services_to_be_Provided}}

Provide a breakdown of all direct and indirect costs involved in the budget section of your proposal.

Include costs that directly relate to the event, including production, marketing or catering costs. 

Include indirect costs that are not directly identified with the event, including utilities, support staff, insurance, and legal /accounting expenses. 

This is what you planned to include in this section: {{form.Budget}}

In your proposal document, be sure to include all relevant qualifications, awards, case studies, client testimonials, and information from previous events to showcase your experience.

Include photos, sketches, news clippings, or any other visuals that will help paint a picture in the client’s mind of what you can do.

Demonstrate why they can trust you to deliver this event and prove why you’re the best choice.

This is what you planned to include in this section: {{form.Examples_of_Work}}

In this section of your proposal document, include any details concerning timings or next steps.

If the event has a firm date, make sure you indicate that a signed contract must be received by a certain date in order for you to plan and execute the event.

Your terms & conditions are essentially a summary of what you and the client are agreeing to if they accept your event proposal. Make sure you go into specific detail about the event services, pricing, and payment schedules.

Upload your terms & conditions below and make sure you send them to the legal team before adding them to the proposal.

Read through your proposal and check for the following aesthetic/formatting errors: 

Read through your proposal and check it follows the EXACT structure stated in the guidelines.

If the guidelines do not specify a structure to follow, make check your proposal has the following sections at least: 

• Title page
• Table of contents
• Introduction
• Company overview
• Description of event
• Services to be provided
• Budget
• Examples of work
• Next steps
• Terms & conditions

Read through your proposal again and answer the following questions to make sure your proposal is informative and interesting to read: 

Upload the first draft of your finished proposal document and send it to a “cold reader” to review. Give them a copy of the proposal guidelines/requirements, but little other information.

Ask them to read the proposal quickly (as this is how the proposal reviewer is likely to view your proposal) and ask them to answer the following two questions: 

• Do they understand it?
• Does it make sense?

Update your current proposal document and record the feedback you have received for future proposals.

Read the proposal through for the final time.

Double-check it is aligned with the RFP guidelines.

Here are the key RFP requirements: {{form.List_Key_RFP_Requirements:}}

Answer these questions before uploading the final proposal document, ready for internal approval: 

Submit your proposal in-line with any requirements. 

{{form.Final_Proposal}}

Sources 

• The Balance – 7 Things to Include in an Event Planning Business Proposal
• Amadeus – Create an Event Planning Proposal That Wins Business
• PandaDoc – Understanding the basics of a business proposal
• HubSpot – How to Write a Business Proposal [Tips & Examples]
• Shopify – Business Proposal 
• Instructional Solutions – How to Write a Winning Business Proposal [Ultimate Guide for 2019]
• SSWM – Project Proposal Writing
• Learn Sphere – Proposal Writing: The Six-Step Process
• National Council of University Research Administrators – Proposal writing: Stages and Strategies with Examples 
• The Writing Center – Planning and Writing a Grant Proposal: The Basics 
• ARC – How to Write a Grant Proposal
• The Balance – How to Write a Winning Grant Proposal
• The Writing Center – Grant Proposals (or Give me the money!)
• House of Commons Library – Government Grants Statistics
• eCivis – 4 Types of Grant Funding 
• eCivis – Top 3 Things to Know Before Applying for a Grant
• The Funding Centre – Grantseeking Basics
• USA.Gov – Government Grants and Loans
• Grants.Gov – A Short Summary of Federal Grants
• Grants.Gov – Workspace Process
• Grants.Gov Community Blog – What Is a Grant?
• Government Grants – Application 
• Government Grants – Things to do before Writing a Grant Proposal
• Government Grants – Understanding Government Grants
• Funds for NGOs – 11 Things to Consider Before Applying for Government Funding

Related Checklists 

• Project proposal template
• Construction Proposal Template
• Construction Progress Report
• Continuation Project Proposal Template
• Renewal Project Proposal Template
• Supplemental Project Proposal Template
• Writing a Proposal: Step-by-Step Guide
• How To Write a Research Proposal
• Social Media Engagement Campaign Proposal
• Budget Preparation Checklist
• Budget Template
• Budget Process
• Startup Due Diligence For A Venture Capitalist 
• Environmental Accounting Internal Audit
• Cash management process
• Financial Plan Template
• Cash Flow Report
• Expense Management Process
• Cash Management Process