A good brief produces a better proposal

Start with who you are. Not as PR copy, but as relevant context for the agency. What does your organisation do? How big is the company? What industry are you in? And what is the culture: formal, informal, international, down-to-earth or ambitious?

This is the context an agency needs to come up with a concept that fits. A health insurer has a different events culture from a design agency or a bank. If you do not describe it, the agency makes it up themselves, based on what they know.

Also add who the decision-makers are. Who takes the final call on the proposal? Who are the stakeholders with influence? And: has there been previous collaboration with an events agency? If so, what went well and what less so?

Here is the heart of your pitch document. Describe the event as concretely as possible. These are the minimum elements a good pitch document contains.

Reason and goal: why are you organising this event? What should it produce? Think concretely: motivating staff, launching a new strategy, thanking customers, celebrating an anniversary. The goal steers the concept.

Date and venue: is there a fixed date or a period? Is there a preference for a particular region? Is this at your own venue or are all options open? Agencies that know you are flexible about venue can put forward more creative proposals.

Audience: who is attending? Employees, customers, clients, stakeholders, members? How many? What is their seniority, age, background? This sets the tone, the programme and the budget.

Programme: what do you already know? A plenary moment, a dinner, an activity, a workshop? Or is the concept completely open? Indicate what you already know and what you deliberately leave open for the agency’s creativity.

Budget is the most avoided topic in a pitch document. Clients keep it vague out of fear that agencies will milk it to the maximum. But that backfires: agencies without a budget present proposals that are way off. That costs everyone time.

Give a range. "We are working with a budget of €50,000 to €75,000 excluding VAT." That is concrete enough to get relevant proposals, but leaves the agency room to make choices. An agency that knows its trade presents a proposal that fits within that frame, and lets you know when the ambition touches the edges of the budget.

Also describe the constraints. Does the venue need to be in a particular region? Are there days or times that are not possible? Are there restrictions due to sustainability, GDPR or procurement policy? Are there preferred suppliers already contracted?

Read also: The IDEA Pitchcode: fair pitching in the events industry →

Describe how the selection process runs. How many agencies are invited? When do you expect the proposals? How does the pitch take place: in writing, orally or both? When will the decision be made?

Also indicate what you expect from the pitch. Do you want a concept presentation with a mood board? A detailed budget? A reference from comparable projects? The more concretely you describe this, the better the agencies can prepare.

A common mistake: clients ask agencies for a fully developed proposal including supplier quotes and detailed planning, while no engagement has been awarded yet. That is time-consuming and unfair. In the pitch phase, ask for a creative concept and a high-level budget. Details are worked out after the engagement is awarded.

Not every event calls for a formal pitch document. For a simple team outing or company drinks, an informal conversation or a short email with the core question is enough. A pitch document is relevant for events with a budget above €25,000, when you want to compare multiple agencies, for formal procurement processes, or for complex events with multiple audiences and programme elements.

We at Live Impact regularly receive pitch documents that are well prepared. Those produce the best collaborations. Our creativity is not diminished; we just steer it in the right direction. A sharp brief is a gift to a good agency.

A good pitch document takes an afternoon of work. It produces better proposals, saves you back-and-forth questions and ensures that the agencies you invite get a fair chance to show their best.

Want to know what Live Impact can do for your event? Send us your brief or get in touch for an introductory conversation. Via hello@live-impact.nl or call us at 085 401 40 14.

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