Demonstrate you have the skills needed to organise a successful event by putting together a proposal that’s clear, concise and comprehensive. Here’s how to write an effective event proposal. 

Great attention to detail, highly organised and able to juggle multiple tasks – these are just some of the attributes of a successful event planner that will inspire confidence in potential suppliers, stakeholders and sponsors. Convey your experience and professionalism from the start by writing an event proposal that makes people sit up and take notice. 

What is an event proposal?

From organising a seminar for members of your industry to seeking sponsorship in order to run a comedy evening, a proposal is a comprehensive document that outlines every element of an event. It is compiled at the early planning stages and covers the aim of the event, the individuals and companies who will be involved, and the logistics of running the event. It will work as a mission statement, a marketing tool and a roadmap, and leave no room for confusion or lack of clarity around your plans for an event. 

What should be included in an event proposal?

Your vision

How will you set your event apart from your competitors? Where will your event take place? What can attendees expect from your event? It’s not enough to say you plan to hold a food festival, run a conference or organise a charity fundraiser, your event proposal needs to paint a picture of what exactly it is you have in mind and how your vision will come to life. 

Your experience and professionalism

Why should a supplier, stakeholder or sponsor work with you? Having set out your vision for the event, now’s the time to give them another compelling reason to get involved – and that’s you. Your event proposal should outline your experience, be written in a confident voice and inspire trust in the reader. 

Your commitment to detail

Now that the reader is excited about your event, you need to deliver the details they need to make a final decision. This is the part of the proposal that drills into the execution of the event. Where and when it will be held, what are the logistics that will be involved, who are the people you already have it place? You also need to explain the value proposition. In other words, what are you asking for and what’s in it for the reader? For example, you might be seeking sponsorship in return for giving an individual or company exposure on your social media channels and the opportunity to have a presence at the event.

Your event’s wow factor

Just as words can persuade a supplier, stakeholder or sponsor to work with you, the design of your event proposal can also communicate a lot about you and your event. A clear layout can help communicate your main points, as can images of previous events or graphics that convey any statistics or data you might have to share. It could be worth working with a graphic designer to get the event proposal design just right.   

How to present your proposal to sponsors

A sponsor might be interested in working with you for a number of reasons: to secure access to your audience; to raise awareness of their brand and/or generate leads; or as part of their corporate social responsibility activity. They will either provide monetary support or goods and/or services at a reduced cost or for free.

Once you’ve included everything you need to and finished designing your proposal, it’s time to set about securing sponsorship for your event. Your sponsorship proposal is an essential introduction to you and your event – share it with potential sponsors, send it as a follow-up to an initial conversation or ask to pitch face-to-face. In all three cases, it is important to include the key facts relating to your sponsorship proposal, but remember to tailor your pitch to each individual or company that you approach in order to demonstrate that you’ve done your research. You want to identify individuals or companies who operate within your event’s niche and find ways the event could enable them to communicate with your attendees. 

Just as your sponsorship proposal should grab a potential sponsor’s attention and demonstrate your professionalism, every email you send and every conversation you have should do the same thing. Write a subject line that prompts people to open your email, get to the point of your presentation quickly and be upfront about the kind of support you are looking for. To help you out, we’ve asked an events expert to share his top tips and tricks to securing sponsorship success. 

Event proposal writing template: 5 steps 

1. Story

A well-written proposal starts with a description, before explaining the details of your event and ending with a compelling conclusion.

2. Share

Demonstrate your experience and showcase any previous events you have organised. It’s also worth highlighting any coordination and project management experience you have acquired in any field.

3. Sell

Explain how a mutually beneficial relationship between you and the sponsor will work by being upfront about what you are asking for and what you can offer in return. 

4. Smart 

Whether it’s a PowerPoint presentation or a PDF, the design of your event sponsorship proposal should be clear and concise. 

5. Sincere

Express that you appreciate each potential sponsor taking the time to consider your proposal. 

When it comes to writing an event proposal for sponsorship, our downloadable template can help support your pitch.