Clients
Free templateClient event brief template
Updated
The questions to answer with your client before you plan anything, written down and agreed in one place.
When to use it: Fill it in at the first meeting. Send it back the same day and ask the client to confirm it.
The event
Goals
Budget and decisions
Contacts and updates
Free to use and adapt for your own events. Check it against your venue’s rules and the laws where your event takes place.
How to write an event brief with your client
A brief is the written answer to “what are we doing, and why?”, agreed by the client before anything is booked. When the client changes their mind three months in, it’s the page you both go back to.
Fill it in during the first meeting, tidy it up the same day and send it back for confirmation. Start from the summer party example to see the level of detail that helps.
Step by step
Ask what the event is for before anything else
Clients often arrive talking about venues and menus. The purpose changes which venue is right, so ask it first.
Get a number for the budget
If the client won’t name one, offer three ranges and ask which is closest.
Write down who decides
Name the person with the final say. If it’s a committee, ask who breaks a tie.
Get it agreed in writing
A reply email that says “agreed” is enough. Keep it with the contract.
Mistakes to avoid
- Starting work on a brief that was only ever spoken.
- Skipping “what must not happen”. It’s often the most useful answer on the page.
- Not agreeing who owns the guest list.
Common questions
What should an event brief include?
The purpose of the event and how success will be judged, the date, venue, guest numbers and who the guests are, the budget, who makes decisions, the deadlines, and any must haves such as accessibility or brand rules.
Who writes the event brief?
Usually the planner, from a conversation with the client, and then the client confirms it. Writing it yourself means it’s in the shape you need to plan from.
What if the brief changes?
Update it, change the date at the bottom and send it back to be confirmed. Changes to the budget or the date should always be agreed in writing.