6 Best practices for creating high-converting event proposals

The awesome thing about these best practices? They’re easy to apply to all types of event proposals. And once you’ve put them in place, you can just keep using them for all future offers.

It’s time to wow your guests with amazing proposals they can’t put down!

Let’s get started.

Show that you’ve understood your guest’s needs

First things first. You must know exactly what your potential client wants if your goal is to wow them with your proposal.

Start by listening carefully during the sales call and reading their requirements attentively if they send a written RFP. Then ask necessary follow-up questions to get a deeper understanding of their objectives. This is also the time to learn about their budget and what they’re willing to splurge on.

Here are some examples of events with vastly different objectives and budget flexibility:

• Family gathering to reconnect and share a special moment with loved ones (e.g., birthday party, wedding…)‍
• Employee event to show appreciation to the team (e.g., team building, Christmas dinner…)‍
• Product launch where the client wants to wow media and shareholders‍
• Industry conference where the organizer wants to create a motivating, professional, engaging atmosphere

As you can see, these common event types each have different priorities, attendees and styles. Your proposal should reflect that.

One way to do this is to include only elements that are truly relevant to your potential client. Show how each of your suggestions can add value to the event. That’s especially important if you’re trying to upsell a fancier option or an extra service.

Finally, respect their budget by sticking with options that are in an acceptable range around the price they envisioned.

Keep it short

The best way to ensure potential clients read your entire offer is to keep it short and to the point. The less they need to scroll, the better.

Start with a telling, straightforward headline. The shortest option is to use the event type and date, for example: Product Launch Press Conference, September 28, 2021.

Then, include a short intro about your venue, its USPs and why it’s ideal for the upcoming event. Create a few optimized template texts for your most requested event types to speed up this process in the future.

Next, add concise sections for each element of the proposal:

• Rooms: include short room descriptions that highlight key features and benefits‍
• Dining menus: describe what’s included and why this menu is special without going into detail about every dish‍
• Beverage packages: briefly highlight inclusions in a way that makes the offer attractive‍
• Meeting rooms: keep descriptions short and highlight USPs like tech equipment, if relevant

In all cases, it’s best to let images do most of the talking. They’ll give your potential guest a more concrete idea of your facilities and style. But more on that in a moment.

Of course, proposals can’t go entirely without lengthy documents like your menus or terms and conditions. Attach them, so they don’t bloat your offer, but clients can easily access them anytime.

Package your offers attractively

Let’s look at the two most important parts of your ‘packaging’ - your descriptions and images.

Build desire with engaging descriptions

Start by answering these two questions:

1. Which feelings do you want to evoke among your potential clients?
2. How should they and their attendees feel when they reach your venue and spend time at the event?

Let this flow into how you describe your offers and your venue. Depending on the event and the guest, you can do this in a fun, friendly, professional or emotional tone. However, keep in mind that it should also reflect your property’s overall style.

Next, highlight both the features and benefits to make your offer more attractive. For example, the pastries you offer during your coffee break are a feature. But what is their true value? Maybe they keep up the delegates’ energy during the meeting?

In that case, how about going from offering a “selection of desserts” to proposing “homemade sweets to keep energy levels high and ideas flowing.”

Add a wow-factor with images and videos

Start your proposal with a bang by including a short video that introduces your property and highlights its benefits.

Include a few professional, high-resolution photos in your offer as well, to give guests a better idea of your venue and F&B options. Pick your images carefully because adding too many will make your proposal longer than it needs to be.

When choosing your pictures, go for those that convey the feeling which matches the event. This means a clean, professional scene for press conferences or company meetings, and joyful or elegant shots for weddings, for example.

For certain elements it’s best to use images with people to help your clients envision themselves enjoying your venue. This works very well for dining and drinks packages or upgrades to fancier venues within your property.

If you’re using a next-generation proposal platform like Proposales, it’s extremely easy to include images and even videos in your offers. That creates a more immersive experience for your prospect which always works better than never-ending texts.

Add relevant upsell and customization options

Give guests the chance to customize their event by including some optional add-ons that are relevant to their RFP. This gives you the chance to drive some extra revenue and let clients create their dream function. For the best results, highlight your add-ons’ benefits to make them more attractive and boost your opt-in rate.

As always, keep things simple. Stick with only two or three possible add-ons. That way you don’t overwhelm guests or make them feel like you’re pushing extra services on them.

Clearly communicate inclusions and exclusions

Make it clear what’s part of each element in your offer.

For example, does the ballroom rental fee include...

• Table and chair set-up?
• Tech set-up (projector, sound, recording…)?
• Tech equipment rental?
• And what does the lunch/dinner package come with?
• How many courses?
• Buffet service?
• Water?
• Soft drinks?
• Alcoholic beverages?

Include the most important details in your description and attach a PDF with a more precise breakdown if needed. This helps you avoid surprises for your guests. It also ensures they feel comfortable signing with you because they know exactly what investment is needed from their side and what they’re getting for it.

Show discounts you’re offering

Large groups or repeat guests may be eligible for a discount. Include this in your proposal where applicable. Always stay honest with this though and only include true discounts. In most countries you’re legally obligated to do that and business best practices speak for this as well. Finally, don’t apply discounts to every single element. This may come across as a fake discount and discourage potential clients from signing with you.

Now, before we wrap up our six best practices for irresistible proposals, here’s a bonus point. Even the best proposal doesn’t stand a chance if you send it late. Did you know that the first five properties to respond win over 75% of RFPs? This means the faster you share your proposal, the higher your chances of getting the business.

Then, once your amazing proposal is out the door, respond quickly if guests have questions and follow up to show you’re serious about winning their business.

Of course, all this is much easier said than done, especially if you’re still manually creating PDF proposals.

That’s where proposal management systems like Proposales come in. They streamline this entire process and save you countless hours on creating beautiful, high-converting offers.

Don’t believe it? Then see the new way of creating and sending proposals for yourself in a free, no-strings-attached demo!