Free template
Free event proposal template, with a full example
The proposal tells the client what they are booking and at what price, line by line: rental, catering, staffing, sales tax, and deposit. Download the blank proposal, formulas included, and the filled example of a corporate dinner for 120, in Excel or PDF.
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Download the free event proposal template
One Excel file with two tabs: a blank proposal with the formulas in place, and the corporate dinner example from this page. It also works as a catering proposal template, with the detail in the food and beverage block. The PDF is the same document, ready to print.
- DownloadEvent proposal template, Excel (.xlsx)
Event proposal template, Excel (.xlsx)
Two tabs: a blank proposal and the filled example below. Amounts, service charge, sales tax and deposit are formulas.
- DownloadEvent proposal template, printable PDF
Event proposal template, printable PDF
The filled example, then a blank proposal to print. US Letter.
Free, with no sign-up and no email address required.
Event proposal example: a corporate dinner for 120
The proposal a Chicago event space sends for Talvenor's annual dinner, line by line. Prices, service charge, and tax rate are illustrative: which lines are taxable depends on your state and city. The same proposal, with live formulas, opens the Excel file.
| Item | Unit | Qty | Unit price | Amount | Taxable |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venue rental | |||||
| Main Hall rental, 2:00 PM to 1:30 AM | flat | 1 | $4,500.00 | $4,500.00 | No |
| Terrace rental, cocktail hour | flat | 1 | $1,200.00 | $1,200.00 | No |
| Food and beverage | |||||
| Passed hors d'oeuvres, 6 pieces per guest | per guest | 120 | $22.00 | $2,640.00 | Yes |
| Three-course plated dinner | per guest | 120 | $85.00 | $10,200.00 | Yes |
| Hosted bar, 5 hours (beer, wine, 2 cocktails, soft drinks) | per guest | 120 | $55.00 | $6,600.00 | Yes |
| Staffing | |||||
| Servers (8 x 6 hours) | per hour | 48 | $40.00 | $1,920.00 | No |
| Bartenders (3 x 6 hours) | per hour | 18 | $50.00 | $900.00 | No |
| AV and entertainment | |||||
| AV package: PA, 3 mics, projector, 10 ft screen | flat | 1 | $950.00 | $950.00 | Yes |
| AV technician (6 hours) | per hour | 6 | $85.00 | $510.00 | No |
| DJ, 10:00 PM to midnight | flat | 1 | $1,400.00 | $1,400.00 | No |
| Decor | |||||
| Linens and centerpieces | per table | 12 | $65.00 | $780.00 | Yes |
| Totals and deposit | |||||
| Subtotal | $31,600.00 | ||||
| Service charge (on food and beverage) | 22% | $4,276.80 | |||
| Sales tax (on taxable lines and service charge) | 10.25% | $2,608.30 | |||
| Total | $38,485.10 | ||||
| Deposit due at signing | 30% | $11,545.53 | |||
| Balance due November 5, 2026 | $26,939.57 | ||||
| Add-ons (not included in the total) | |||||
| Late-night snack station at 10:30 PM (sliders, fries) | per guest | 120 | $14.00 | $1,680.00 | Yes |
Terms on the same proposal: 30% deposit at signing, final headcount due 10 days before the event, balance 7 days before, adjusted to that headcount. Cancellation: deposit kept more than 90 days out, 50% of the total from 90 to 31 days, 100% within 30 days. One rescheduling allowed, at least 30 days out, to a date within 12 months.
The seven sections of an event proposal, in order
The sections in the order the client reads them, with what tends to be left out when the proposal is put together in a word processor.
Header, validity and proposal number
Include the venue's legal name and address, the client's company and contact, a unique proposal number, the issue date and a validity date, usually two to three weeks out. Two things often go missing: the validity date, which is what lets you release the hold when the client goes quiet, and the version number when a proposal is revised.
Event summary
Give the event name and type, the date, and start and end times including setup and teardown windows. Add the guaranteed headcount and the date it must be confirmed, and the spaces reserved with their setup style. The setup and teardown windows are the usual gap: without them, a client can assume the room is theirs from 8 AM when the previous event ends at noon.
Line items grouped by block
List room rental per space, food and beverage per course or per package, staff per role and per hour, AV and equipment, extras and vendor services. Use one block per category and one line per item, in the order the client thinks about them. What goes missing are the staff and AV lines mentioned by email but never priced, which then show up as a surprise on the invoice.
Pricing logic and quantities
Each line states its unit (per person, per hour, per unit or flat rate) with the quantity and the unit price. Per-person lines are tied to the guaranteed headcount and say so, while flat-rate lines stay fixed whatever the headcount. What is often missing is the headcount behind the per-person lines, and what happens to the total when it moves by ten guests.
Service charge, tax and totals
Each line says whether it is taxable, and the service charge usually applies to food and beverage only. The proposal shows the subtotal, the service charge, the sales tax and the total, with any discount on its own line instead of buried in a unit price. The usual gap is the service charge base: applied to every line, it inflates the total and has to be corrected after the fact. Which lines are taxable depends on your state and city.
Deposit, payment schedule and cancellation terms
State the deposit amount and due date, the balance and its due date, and the accepted payment methods. Then give the cancellation scale (what is kept at each date before the event) and the rescheduling policy. The F&B minimum and guaranteed headcount rules belong here too. The cancellation scale is what most often goes missing, even though it is the clause a venue relies on when a client cancels.
Add-ons and signature
Add the optional lines the client can check off, priced but left out of the total until chosen: an extra hour of bar, a late-night snack station, a sound engineer. Then comes the signature block, with the name, the date and the sentence stating that signing the proposal confirms the booking under the attached terms. That sentence is the one most often missing from proposals put together by hand.
What belongs on the proposal, and what does not
A last check before you send the proposal: for each section, what is always on it, what to add when relevant, and what belongs on another document.
| Section | Always on the proposal | Add when relevant | Never on the proposal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Header and summary | Proposal number, validity date, event date and times, headcount, spaces reserved | Version number, setup and teardown windows, agency reference | The client's full history and past prices |
| Line items | One line per item with unit, quantity, unit price and tax rate, grouped by block | A short description under the line for packages, the menu per course | Your cost price and the margin per line |
| Pricing and totals | Subtotal, service charge, sales tax and total, discounts on their own line | A per-guest average for the client's budget owner | Other clients' prices, seasonal rates not offered here |
| Payment terms | Deposit and due date, balance and due date, cancellation scale, rescheduling policy | F&B minimum, guaranteed headcount rule, damage deposit | Vendor rates and the referring agency's commission |
| Add-ons and signature | Add-ons priced and excluded from the total, the sentence that makes signing a booking | The public signing link, the terms attached as an appendix | Operational instructions, which belong on the banquet event order |
A complete proposal gets signed without back-and-forth
Most back-and-forth comes from what the proposal leaves out: the headcount it assumes, access times, what happens if the group grows.
Price on the announced headcount, and write on the proposal the date it must be confirmed by and how it adjusts
Show the per-person price next to the total: it is the number your client compares from one venue to the next
Plan for the company's purchasing process: sign-off by management, a purchase order, an invoice in the company's name. A proposal that carries those references gets signed faster
To check before you send
- Every line has a unit, a quantity, a price, and a tax rate, and per-person lines name their headcount
- Validity date, deposit, balance date and cancellation scale are on the proposal
- The signature block says that signing confirms the booking
The signature confirms the booking
Until signing, the date stays a hold on your calendar. The client signs the proposal online, the event moves to confirmed, and the BEO is drafted from the signed lines.
Every proposal starts from the last one, and that is where the errors get in
You open the last proposal that looks similar, change the name, the date, and the headcount, then redo the tax by hand. The cancellation terms are in a separate PDF. The proposal goes out as an attachment, and you don't know whether it was opened.
An old price, a date, or another client's name survives the copy of the last proposal
With JoinwaysThe proposal is drafted from your price list when the event is created. The date, headcount, and spaces from the inquiry are already there, and nothing carries over from a past client
Flat fees and per-person prices get mixed: when the headcount goes from 40 to 55, the total has to be redone
With JoinwaysEach item has its pricing mode: flat, per person, or tiered. The total follows the headcount, and a change after signing goes through an amendment
Room rental, food, and beverages are not always taxed the same way, and one rate for everything skews the total
With JoinwaysEach line carries its tax rate, and the proposal shows the subtotal, the tax by rate, and the total. Discounts have their own line
The proposal has to be addressed to the agency, the parent company, or the booking platform, not to the person who wrote in
With JoinwaysThe proposal can be addressed to the client, to another company (agency, parent company), or to the booking platform the inquiry came from
Sent as an attachment, the proposal has no tracking: you follow up too late, or never
With JoinwaysThe proposal goes out from the event as a link. It shows as Viewed when opened, a follow-up goes out by your rules, and the client signs online
Related product pages: Reports
The product, screen by screen
What you can check during the trial
On your own inquiries, alongside your current tools.
The client checks their add-ons
An optional line stays out of the total. The client picks it from the proposal link, and the total updates before they sign.
The deposit is invoiced from the proposal
The deposit invoice comes from the signed proposal, payable online if you connect your Stripe account. The final invoice deducts the deposit.
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Draft proposals for your next inquiries and compare them with the ones you send today. No credit card.
The same template, from one event to the next
Each format has its own blocks of lines.
A corporate dinner
Main hall and terrace at a flat fee, cocktail hour and dinner per guest, servers and bartenders by the hour, and a late-night snack station as an add-on.
A full-day meeting
A per-person day package covering the room, breaks, and lunch, then flat fees for a breakout room or the projector.
A private party
Venue rental at a flat fee, dinner and drinks per guest, and an extra bar hour offered as an add-on.
Frequently asked questions
The essentials: what an event proposal contains
- Each line has its unit, quantity, unit price, and tax rate
- Per-person lines follow the guaranteed headcount, and flat fees stay fixed
- The deposit, the balance, and the cancellation scale are on the proposal itself
What is the difference between a proposal, a quote, and a contract?
How long should a proposal be valid?
How should per-person lines and flat fees be presented?
What deposit and cancellation terms are usual for a venue?
How do I present add-ons without inflating the total?
Is there an event proposal template I can download?
How do you write an event proposal?
What does an event proposal example look like?
What do you need to write a proposal for a corporate meeting or conference?
What happens if the headcount changes after the proposal is signed?
Should you build event proposals in Excel, Word, or software?
Does this template work as a catering proposal template?
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