Event RFP template
A venue and vendor request for proposal with every section laid out and a note on why it is there. It includes a room-by-room meeting space grid and a pricing grid that makes every venue answer the same questions in the same order. Open it in Word or Google Docs, or read it right here.
10 sections · 8-line pricing grid · no sign-up
What goes in each section
The downloaded file has the same sections with blanks to fill. The grey line under each heading explains what the section does for you, so you can cut what does not apply.
- 01
About us
Venues quote faster and more accurately when they know who is asking and whether you have held events with them before.
- Organization: Name, website, one line on what you do
- Contact: Name, title, email, phone
- Decision maker: Who signs, if that is someone else
- Event history: Past years' venues and actual attendance, if this event has run before
- 02
Event overview
One paragraph on purpose and audience lets the venue's sales team suggest spaces you had not thought of.
- Event name and type: Conference, sales kickoff, offsite, gala, product launch
- Purpose: What a good outcome looks like for this event
- Audience: Who attends, and any VIPs or executives
- 03
Dates and flexibility
Flexible dates are the single biggest lever on rate. Say so if you have it.
- Preferred dates
- Alternate dates
- Days you cannot move: And why, if it helps them understand
- Setup and teardown: How much time you need before and after, and whether it falls on separate days
- Days and times you need access: Including early load-in for AV
- 04
Attendance and sleeping rooms
Your room block drives attrition terms, so commit to what last year's actuals support, not this year's hopes.
- Expected attendance: And the number you would contract for
- Room block by night: Fill the table below
- Room types: Run of house, suites for speakers or executives
- How attendees book: Rooming list from you, or a booking link for attendees
Table: Night · Date · Rooms · Room type
- 05
Meeting space
A room-by-room grid is what lets you compare two venues line for line. Ask for 24-hour holds on any room you are setting the night before.
- Setup styles: Theater, classroom, rounds, reception, boardroom
- Must-haves: Natural light, ceiling height for staging, breakout rooms close to the main room
Table: Day · Time · Function · Setup · People · 24-hr hold
- 06
Food and beverage
Asking every venue to price the same meals is how you see the real difference. Service charge and tax often add 30% or more to the menu price.
- Meals and breaks by day: Breakfast, AM break, lunch, PM break, reception, dinner
- Style: Buffet, plated, stations, passed
- Dietary needs: Approximate counts if you have them
- Bar: Hosted, cash, consumption or per-person package
- Ask them to state: F&B minimum, service charge %, tax %, and whether service charge is taxed
- 07
Audio-visual and technology
In-house AV pricing and outside-vendor fees vary more between venues than almost anything else. Ask now, not after you sign.
- What you need: Screens, projection, mics, staging, lighting, recording, streaming
- In-house or outside: Whether you plan to bring your own AV company
- Ask them to state: Fees for outside AV, power and rigging charges, Wi-Fi cost and bandwidth
- 08
Budget
A range gets you realistic proposals. Without one, you get a brochure price and a negotiation.
- Total budget range
- What it covers: Space, F&B, AV, sleeping rooms, or all of it
- 09
Concessions and contract terms
Concessions are cheapest to win before the contract exists. List what you want so every venue answers the same question.
- Concessions requested: For example: complimentary rooms per paid rooms, upgraded rooms for speakers, Wi-Fi in meeting space, parking, a welcome amenity
- Attrition: The percentage of the block you can be held to, and how it is measured
- Cancellation: The cancellation schedule you need, and what counts as force majeure
- Insurance and deposits: Your requirements and their deposit schedule
- 10
How to respond
Same format, same order, same deadline. If one venue sends a spreadsheet and another a brochure, you cannot compare them.
- Respond by: Date and time zone
- Format: Return the pricing grid below with every line filled, plus floor plans and capacity charts
- Questions to: Name and email
- Decision by: When you will choose, and how you will tell venues that were not selected
- How we will decide: For example: total cost, dates, space fit, concessions, and the response itself
One pricing grid for every venue
If one venue sends a spreadsheet and another sends a brochure, you cannot compare them. The template ends with a grid every venue fills in, line by line, in this order:
| Line | Their price |
|---|---|
| Meeting space rental, per day | $ |
| F&B minimum | $ |
| Service charge % | $ |
| Tax % | $ |
| Sleeping room rate, per night | $ |
| AV package or outside-AV fee | $ |
| Wi-Fi in meeting space | $ |
| Parking | $ |
Most of these lines map onto the event budget template, so the winning bid moves into your budget with little retyping. For the thinking behind each section, read how to write an event RFP.
Turn your notes into a first draft
Paste your notes and this prompt into ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini. It fills in every section your notes cover and marks the decisions you have not made yet, which is often the most useful part.
Here are my notes on an upcoming event: [paste everything you know: event type, dates, headcount, city, rooms, meals, AV, budget range, must-haves] Draft a venue RFP from these notes with these sections, in this order: About us, Event overview, Dates and flexibility, Attendance and sleeping rooms, Meeting space, Food and beverage, Audio-visual and technology, Budget, Concessions and contract terms, How to respond. Fill in everything my notes cover. Where something is missing, write [NEEDED: what to decide] instead of guessing. Put the meeting space in a table with Day, Time, Function, Setup, People and 24-hr hold. End with a pricing grid the venue must return line by line: Meeting space rental, per day, F&B minimum, Service charge %, Tax %, Sleeping room rate, per night, AV package or outside-AV fee, Wi-Fi in meeting space, Parking. Plain, direct language. No marketing copy.
When the bids come back, the free Event Contract Auditor reviews the winning venue's contract for attrition, cancellation and other terms worth pushing back on.
Frequently asked questions
What should an event RFP include?
Who you are, what the event is for, dates and how flexible they are, attendance and sleeping rooms, a room-by-room meeting space grid, food and beverage, AV and technology, a budget range, the concessions and contract terms you want, and exactly how and when to respond. This template has a section for each, with a note on why it is there.
How do I make venue bids comparable?
Tell every venue to respond in the same structure: the same pricing lines, in the same order, by the same deadline. The pricing grid at the end of this template does that, and it asks for the service charge %, tax % and outside-AV fees that otherwise show up after you sign.
Should I share my budget in an RFP?
A range usually helps. Venues that cannot work within it can say so early, and the ones that can will send a realistic proposal rather than a brochure price you then have to negotiate down.
What is the difference between an RFP and an RFQ?
An RFQ, request for quote, asks for a price on something you have already fully specified. An RFP asks for a proposal, so the venue can suggest spaces, dates or packages you had not considered. For venues and hotels, an RFP usually gets you more options.
Can I use this for vendors other than venues?
Yes. For an AV company, caterer or production partner, keep About us, Event overview, Dates, Budget and How to respond, replace the space and room sections with what you need from that vendor, and change the pricing grid to their line items.
Can AI write an event RFP?
It drafts a good first version. Paste your notes and the prompt on this page into ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini and it returns the full structure with everything your notes cover filled in and the open decisions flagged. You still check every number and add what is specific to your event.
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