Event quotes

Event quote automation software, from catalog to signature

AI drafts a quote from the inquiry in seconds; you adjust and approve from your item catalog. Accurate VAT-ready totals, built-in sending, read tracking, follow-ups and e-signature: your quotes go out in minutes, not hours.

Try Joinways View the demo

Event quote automation: the essentials

Joinways generates a quote draft with AI the moment an inquiry arrives, built from your item catalog: tax-exclusive and tax-inclusive totals calculated with VAT, email sending attached to the event record, read tracking, prepared follow-ups and e-signature. You approve every quote before it goes out. A quote drops from the best part of an hour to minutes, and the signature no longer drags on paper.

A quote draft generated as soon as the inquiry lands: the likely items are prefilled from your catalog, and you approve before sending
An item catalog with prices, VAT rates and discounts: every quote line comes out right, tax-exclusive and tax-inclusive
Built-in email sending: the quote and every exchange stay attached to the event record
A "Read" status the moment the client opens the quote, a follow-up draft ready and reminder tasks if nothing moves. Followed-up quotes get markedly more replies
E-signature through a public link, signed and time-stamped: quotes get signed in days, not weeks
Amendments and the invoice flow straight from the quote, with no re-typing of amounts

Building a quoting process that gets signed

A good module isn't enough: venues that sign fast have structured their catalog, set follow-up rules, and read their signature numbers every month.

An exhaustive catalog first: as long as one item is missing (an hour of staffing, a technical option), re-typing creeps back. Aim for 100% of quote lines coming from the catalog

Follow-ups as a discipline, not intentions: a follow-up draft ready when a read quote goes quiet, plus a reminder task at the cadence you choose, and you approve and send each one in seconds

E-signature offered by default: every paper round-trip adds days, so the signing link goes out with the quote

Metrics to track

Average time to build a quote (target: under ten minutes with a prepared draft and a complete catalog)
Median time from sending to signature (e-signature removes the paper round-trips)
Response rate of followed-up quotes versus quotes never followed up (track the gap monthly)

What sets venues with fast quotes apart

The venues that convert the most quotes aren't the ones that send the most: they're the ones that send the same day, follow up after the quote is read, and get it signed online. At equal offers, the quote that goes out the day of the inquiry beats the perfect quote sent three days later almost every time.

The problem

The best part of an hour per quote, and no idea what happens to it next

Word, Excel, your inbox: the best part of an hour per quote, totals checked by hand, and once it's sent, silence. You don't know if it was read or when to follow up, and the signature drags on for weeks.

An offsite quote can swallow the best part of an hour between Excel and Word. At three inquiries a day, teams end up picking which ones get an answer
Totals are calculated by hand: VAT rates, discounts, weekend surcharges. One mistake and it's lost margin, or a client who starts doubting
Every salesperson has "their" Word template: the quotes that go out don't look alike, and some carry outdated terms
Zero visibility after sending: no way to know whether the quote was opened, so follow-ups go out at random or not at all
Paper signatures drag on: printing, scanning, email back-and-forth, weeks between the verbal yes and the signed contract

What Joinways prepares

Accurate quotes in minutes, tracked through to signature

The inquiry is read on arrival and a first draft of the quote is prepared; you complete it from your catalog, and every total calculates itself. You decide what goes out, and Joinways prepares the rest.

A draft generated automatically from the inquiry: the likely items are placed on the quote in seconds, and you keep the final say before anything is sent
An item catalog and quote templates: spaces, packages, options, with every line arriving with its price, VAT rate and discounts
Tax-exclusive and tax-inclusive totals calculated automatically, a clean PDF export, up-to-date terms on every document
Built-in email sending and a "Read" status: you know when the client opens the quote and follow up at the right moment, with the follow-up already drafted
E-signature through a public link, signed and time-stamped; amendments in a few clicks, and the invoice follows without re-typing anything

What changes in practice

What a properly equipped quoting process changes

What the quote module is built to change. Judge it on your own quotes during the free trial.

< 5 min

Per quote, not an hour

The draft is prepared automatically, and the catalog and templates remove the re-typing and the manual math: a complete quote goes out in minutes, not the best part of an hour.

24 h

From send to signature

With e-signature through a public link, no more printing or scanning: quotes get signed in days, not weeks.

Forgotten follow-ups

The "Read" status shows you the right moment and the follow-up is already drafted: quotes get chased on time instead of when someone remembers.

Figures are illustrative: they describe what a structured process is designed to make possible, not measured Joinways customer results. Actual results vary by venue.

A quote module built for events

Private hire, offsites, catering services, multi-day events: the same few minutes, whatever the format.

Related product pages: Inquiries · Quotes & Signatures

Private hire and offsite quotes

Pick the space, the full-day meeting package or the private-hire formula from your catalog and adjust the quantities: the quote is ready to send, tax-exclusive and tax-inclusive, with your terms attached.

Catering quotes and per-person pricing

Menus, drinks packages, staffing: items priced per person recalculate with the guest count, and the VAT rate specific to each service applies line by line.

Amendments when the event changes

The headcount moves, an option gets added the day before: create an amendment from the signed quote, have it signed online, and the invoice follows. The full history stays attached to the event.

Illustrative scenario

A Manchester caterer-venue goes from 45 to 8 minutes per quote

Starting point

A caterer-run venue in Manchester (two event rooms, in-house catering) sends 80 quotes a month. Each one takes 45 minutes between Excel and Word: per-guest quantities, separate VAT rates for room hire and catering, layout. Follow-ups go out when someone thinks of it, and signatures come back as scans, sometimes three weeks later.

What they put in place

A complete item catalog (spaces, menus, drinks, staff) with VAT rates and volume discounts. A draft generated automatically on every inquiry, four quote templates by format: drinks reception, seated dinner, full-day offsite, wedding. Built-in email sending, the "Read" status, a follow-up draft ready when a read quote goes quiet plus reminder tasks at the cadence the team chose, e-signature on every quote.

Results after six months

8 minutes per quote on average, across 80 quotes a month: nearly fifty hours of data entry saved every month. Signature times cut in half. In this scenario, the quote goes out the day of the inquiry, the team sees who has read it, and follow-ups land on the right files at the right moment.

Owner

Illustrative scenario: caterer-run venue

Illustrative scenario based on typical venue outcomes, not an actual named customer.

Frequently asked questions about the quote module

How does the item catalog work?

The catalog holds everything you sell: spaces, packages, menus, technical options, staff. Each item carries a label, a unit (per person, per hour, flat rate), a tax-exclusive price and a VAT rate. To build a quote, you pick the items and quantities: tax-exclusive and tax-inclusive totals and discounts are calculated automatically, and every line stays editable before sending.

Do quotes handle VAT and tax-inclusive totals?

Yes. Each line applies its own VAT rate (room hire, catering, services), and the quote shows tax-exclusive, VAT and tax-inclusive totals, discounts included. The exported PDF carries your wording and terms. Amendments and the invoice are generated straight from the quote, with no re-typing of amounts.

How do I know whether the client has read my quote?

A quote sent from Joinways switches to "Read" as soon as the client opens it. You see at a glance which quotes are waiting on an answer; a follow-up draft is ready when a read quote goes quiet, plus a reminder task at the cadence you choose, and you approve and send each one. Followed-up quotes get markedly more replies: track the gap monthly.

Is the electronic signature legally valid?

Yes. The client signs online through a public link, no account needed. The signed, time-stamped document is archived automatically in the event record. No printing, no scanning: a verbal yes can turn into a signature the same day.

How do I handle a change after signature?

With an amendment: you start from the signed quote, adjust the lines concerned (headcount, options, timings), and the client signs the amendment online. The version history stays attached to the event, and invoicing picks up the updated amounts.

Where is my quote and client data hosted?

In the European Union, in line with GDPR. Access is role-based within your team (who sees the amounts, who sends the quotes), and you can export all of your data (quotes, contacts, events) at any time.

What's the best way to automate venue quotes?

Generate the quote draft from a priced item catalog the moment an inquiry arrives, then approve it before it goes out: tax-exclusive and tax-inclusive totals come out right, and a quote drops from the best part of an hour to minutes. Send it from the same place to see when it's read, keep a follow-up ready, and close with an online signature. The point is to automate the typing and the chasing, not the decision: you stay in control of every quote before the client sees it.

Related product pages

Inquiries Quotes & Signatures Clients & companies