Follow up on an event proposal two business days after sending it, ideally by phone, then by email around day 5, day 10 and day 15, with something new each time: a floor plan, an alternative menu, a hold on the date. After three unanswered follow-ups, send a closing email that releases the date, and stop there.
The proposal for a 40-person leadership offsite went out on Tuesday. It is now the following Monday and nothing has come back. The easy move is a one-line "just checking in". It is also the easiest message to ignore. This article covers the follow-up timeline, what public data says about how many emails to send, six proposal follow-up emails written for a venue rather than a software company, and the rules that apply.
When should you follow up on an event proposal?
Two business days after sending it. That is late enough for the planner to have opened it and early enough that it has not been buried. The phone works better than email at this stage: it surfaces the objections nobody puts in writing ("the budget is closer to $90 a head", "leadership is torn between two dates").
The first reply matters even more than the follow-up. In their Harvard Business Review study The Short Life of Online Sales Leads, Oldroyd, McElheran and Elkington found that most companies respond far too slowly. A proposal sent the same evening needs less chasing than one sent a week later. Our piece on answering event inquiries in under two hours covers that first window.
| When | Channel | What you bring |
|---|---|---|
| Day 2 (business days) | Phone, then a short email | Confirm receipt, surface objections |
| Day 5 | Something new: photos, layout, menu option | |
| Day 10 | Email or phone | An honest availability update, a short hold |
| Day 15 | Ask for a decision, then release the date |
How many times should you follow up on a proposal?
Three follow-ups plus a closing email are enough for an inbound request. Two public datasets show the second and third messages are worth sending. Yesware's data shows that when a first email gets no reply, the second still has a 21% chance of one; the company recommends waiting about 48 hours. Backlinko's analysis of 12 million outreach emails, run with Pitchbox, found that one additional follow-up lifted replies by 65.8%.
Read those numbers in context: both studies measured cold outreach, with an 8.5% baseline reply rate in Backlinko's case. A planner who sent you their date, headcount and budget is a much warmer contact. Six-touch cold sequences do not apply to someone who asked for your price.
On length, Boomerang analyzed 40 million emails: messages of 50 to 125 words had reply rates above 50%, one to three questions beat none, and subject lines of three or four words did best. Every template below fits those limits.
Proposal follow-up email templates for event venues
Six situations come up again and again at a venue that sells corporate events and private events. Replace the brackets, cut what does not apply, and never send two follow-ups on the same day.
1. Day 2 after sending the proposal
Call first. If it goes to voicemail, leave ten seconds and send this.
Subject: Your [date] offsite
Hi [first name], I just tried you by phone. I wanted to make sure the proposal for your offsite on [date] reached you, and to ask whether the room setup, timings or lunch package need adjusting. Happy to rework any of it. You can reach me at [phone].
2. After a site visit
The next day, no later. Pick up on something they said during the visit: it shows you listened.
Subject: Following up on Thursday's visit
Hi [first name], thanks for coming by. You weren't sure the main room would work for [number] people, so I've attached the theater and classroom layouts with the two breakout rooms next to it. I've also added the afternoon break you mentioned to the proposal. Would you like me to place a hold on [date] while you check with your team?
3. When a hold is about to expire
Two business days before the hold ends. Only mention another inquiry if it really exists: invented urgency gets found out, and planners talk to each other.
Subject: Hold on [date] until Friday
Hi [first name], the hold on [date] for your [event] runs until Friday at [time]. After that the date opens up to other requests. If you need a few more days for internal sign-off, tell me and I'll see what I can do. If plans have changed, a quick reply is fine.
4. The annual meeting that hasn't been rebooked
Repeat clients are the ones venues forget to follow up with, because they feel like a sure thing. Write before they send out a new RFP.
Subject: Your [year] meeting
Hi [first name], last year your annual meeting was here on [date], for [number] people. The equivalent dates this year are still open, and I can hold them based on last year's program, adjusted for anything you want to change. Shall I send an updated proposal?
5. An inquiry that came through a platform
See the next section for which channel to use. Keep the message short.
Subject: Your inquiry from [date]
Hi [first name], following up on our proposal for your [event] on [date]. If anything has changed since your request (headcount, timings, food and beverage), I can send an adjusted version today. Do you have a decision date in mind?
6. The day-15 closing email
You ask for a decision and release the date. It is the last message in the sequence.
Subject: Should I release [date]?
Hi [first name], I haven't heard back about [date], so I'll assume plans have changed and release the date on our side. No problem at all. If the event comes back up, just reply to this email and we'll pick up where we left off.
How do you follow up on an inquiry from Peerspace or Tagvenue?
Through the channel the inquiry came from. Marketplaces handle payment for bookings made on the platform and expect the conversation to stay there. Peerspace, for example, charges hosts a service fee of 20% on the booking amount and add-ons, which only works if the booking stays on the platform. Reply from the host dashboard or the notification thread, on the same timeline as above; template 5 works as is.
To see what each platform actually brings you, read our breakdown of what Peerspace, Tagvenue and The Knot bring a venue.
Is it legal to keep emailing someone who asked for a proposal?
Following up on a proposal someone requested is ordinary business correspondence. The rules start to matter when you keep writing after a no, when you add the contact to a newsletter, and when the client is an individual rather than a company.
- In the United States, the FTC's CAN-SPAM compliance guide applies to commercial email, business-to-business included: accurate subject lines, your physical postal address, and opt-out requests honored within ten business days.
- Keep a record of anyone who asks you to stop, and make sure every template carries your venue's name and address.
- Put an expiry date on the proposal itself. It gives your sequence a natural end and makes the day-10 availability note honest.
When should you stop following up?
After the closing email. Earlier if the planner tells you they booked elsewhere (thank them, ask for nothing), asks you to stop, or the date has passed.
Do not confuse "too expensive" with "no". A price objection opens a conversation: ask for their range, then move one variable (headcount, hours, bar package, a Thursday instead of a Friday). Our article on defending a quote without dropping the price goes further. And when they are "still thinking", offer a step smaller than signing: a visit, a revised layout, a hold of a few days.
How do you make sure no follow-up gets missed?
Automate the reminder, never the wording. Most follow-ups get lost because the reminder lives in the head of someone who is setting up a room. Set the follow-up dates the moment the proposal goes out, attach them to the inquiry so the notes from the first call are one click away, and let your CRM remind you. In Joinways, reminders are created when the proposal is sent; the emails are yours to write.
Frequently asked questions
- How long should you wait to follow up on a proposal?
- Two business days for the first follow-up, ideally by phone. Then leave three to five days between touches: around day 5, day 10, and a closing email around day 15. Yesware suggests about 48 hours between emails; event proposals usually involve several decision-makers, so a little more space is reasonable.
- What should a proposal follow-up email say?
- Something the planner can use: a floor plan, a menu alternative, an honest note on the date's availability. Under 125 words, one clear question, a subject line of three or four words. Avoid "just checking in", and never invent a competing inquiry to create urgency.
- Should you follow up by phone or by email?
- Both, alternating. A call on day 2 surfaces objections; email leaves a record, photos and a layout the planner can forward to whoever decides. For an inquiry that came through a marketplace, follow up in the platform's messaging.
- Can you follow up after a client says no?
- No. A no or a request to stop ends the sequence. Thank them, wish them a good event, and only get back in touch if they come back to you.
