Event Planning Services & Package Guide
This guide explains what each of our planning packages includes, how the timeline runs from first call to load-out, how fees and vendor payments work, and what we need from you along the way. It is a reference document — there is nothing to fill in or return. The terms that bind us are the ones written into your signed services agreement.
Section 1 — Which Package Fits
Three levels of service. The difference is not how much we care — it is how early we start and how much of the work sits with us rather than with you.
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Concept, theme and design direction | | | |
Venue search, site visits and contract review | | | |
Vendor sourcing, quotes and negotiation | | | |
Budget build and tracking | Full budget, tracked to close-out | Budget review at two checkpoints | |
| Unlimited, plus monthly written updates | | |
Run sheet, floor plan and supplier schedule | | | We rebuild from your notes |
On-site team on event day | Lead planner plus crew, scaled to headcount | Lead planner plus one assistant | Lead coordinator, load-in to load-out |
Post-event reconciliation and review | Full financial close-out and written review | | |
Section 2 — The Planning Timeline
A full-planning engagement runs roughly like this. Shorter lead times compress the early stages rather than removing them.
- 12–9 months out. Discovery call, brief, budget framework, date shortlist and venue search. Agreement signed and deposit paid before we approach any supplier.
- 9–6 months out. Venue contracted. Design direction locked. Priority vendors — catering, AV, production, entertainment — sourced, quoted and booked.
- 6–3 months out. Menu tasting, floor plan draft, rentals and décor confirmed, invitations and registration live, accessibility and dietary needs collected.
- 8 weeks out. Programme and run-of-show drafted. Speaker and performer briefs issued. Signage and print sent to production.
- 4 weeks out. Guest count trending. Seating plan started. Supplier schedule circulated. Contingency and weather plan written.
- 2 weeks out. Final guest count due to caterer. Final walkthrough at the venue. Run sheet locked. Balance of planning fee invoiced.
- Event week. Deliveries confirmed, crew briefed, rehearsal held where the programme needs one, emergency contact sheet issued to all suppliers.
- Event day. Load-in, supplier management, guest flow, programme cueing, issue resolution, load-out and venue handback.
- Within 15 business days. Final invoices reconciled, damage or overtime charges settled, written review delivered with recommendations for next time.
Section 3 — Fees & How Vendor Payments Flow
- Full and partial planning are quoted as a flat planning fee, scoped after the discovery call. Day-of coordination is quoted as a flat fee for a defined number of on-site hours.
- Very large or multi-day events may instead be quoted as a percentage of total event spend, with a stated minimum. Whichever basis applies is written into your agreement before work starts.
- Our fee covers our time and expertise only. Vendor costs — venue, catering, rentals, AV, entertainment, florals, staffing — are separate and are yours.
- Wherever possible, vendors invoice you directly and you pay them directly. You see the real price, and no mark-up passes through us.
- Where a supplier will only contract with us, we pay on your behalf against a pre-approved float and pass the invoice through at cost, with receipts attached.
- We do not accept commissions or kickbacks from suppliers. If a preferred-partner rate exists, the discount goes to you, not to us.
- Any spend above the approval threshold recorded in your client file needs your written go-ahead before we commit.
Section 4 — Deposits & Payment Milestones
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| | Reserves your date and releases us to start work. Non-refundable. |
| On venue and major-vendor confirmation | The sourcing and contracting phase of the planning fee. |
| Per each supplier contract | Paid on the supplier’s own schedule — we track and remind you. |
| | Catering and seating are billed on this number. It can go up, not down. |
| | The remainder of the planning fee. Due before load-in. |
| Within 15 business days after | Overtime, damages, consumption bar and any float variance. |
Section 5 — Changes, Postponement & Cancellation
- Small changes are part of planning and carry no charge. A change that requires re-sourcing suppliers, rebuilding the budget or reprinting produced material is quoted in writing before we act on it.
- Postponement to a new date within twelve months moves your planning fee across at no extra charge, once. Suppliers set their own postponement terms and may not follow suit.
- A second postponement, or a move beyond twelve months, is treated as a new engagement and re-quoted.
- On cancellation, the booking deposit is not refundable and any planning fee instalment already invoiced remains due for work completed to that date.
- Cancelling inside 30 days of the event means the full planning fee is due, since the work is substantially done by then.
- Vendor cancellation charges are governed by each supplier’s own contract, not by ours. We will always argue your case, but we cannot waive their terms.
Section 6 — Weather & Force Majeure
- Every outdoor element gets a written wet-weather plan, and we agree a decision deadline — usually 24 to 48 hours before doors — so a call can be made calmly rather than on the day.
- Marquee, cover or indoor-fallback costs are quoted up front so the decision is never a financial surprise.
- Force majeure — severe weather, public emergency, venue closure, transport shutdown, public-authority restriction — suspends obligations on both sides while it lasts.
- In a force-majeure event we prioritise moving the date over cancelling, and we will not charge a postponement fee for it.
- Event insurance is strongly recommended for any event with meaningful non-refundable spend. We can point you to brokers but do not sell or arrange cover ourselves.
Section 7 — Overtime, Travel & Additional Charges
- On-site hours are stated in your agreement. Time beyond that is billed per hour per crew member, in 30-minute increments, and confirmed with you on the night before it accrues.
- Venue overtime, extended bar, and supplier standby are charged by those suppliers at their own rates and pass straight through.
- Travel beyond our standard service radius is charged at cost — mileage or fares, plus accommodation where an overnight stay is unavoidable.
- Site visits beyond those included in your package, and rehearsals added late, are quoted before they are scheduled.
- Nothing appears on your final invoice that you have not seen and approved beforehand.
Section 8 — What We Need From You
- At the start — a realistic budget, the names of everyone who can approve a decision, and your brand guidelines if the event carries your identity.
- Through sourcing — a decision within five business days on shortlists and quotes. Held options expire, and the good suppliers go first.
- At the design stage — honest feedback. Telling us early that something is not right costs nothing; telling us after it is produced costs money.
- Four weeks out — speaker names, running order content, dietary and accessibility requirements, and anything ceremonial or cultural we must get exactly right.
- Two weeks out — the final guest count and confirmed seating, plus one named person who can make decisions on the day.
- On the day — let us run it. The single best thing you can do is enjoy your own event and route every question to your on-site lead.
This guide describes how we normally work and is not itself a contract. Package inclusions, fees and dates for your event are the ones set out in your signed services agreement.