Event brief and approval worksheet
Editable event planning worksheet. Replace the placeholders and duplicate records as needed.
Editable planning template. Replace bracketed text. Illustrative prompts, not a contract, safety approval or prescribed timeline.
Event: [name]
Brief owner: [name]
Version/date: [version/date]
Status: [draft/approved]
Purpose before format
Primary business objective, without naming a format: [answer]
What guests should understand or be able to do afterwards: [answer]
Evidence that could help assess this, and its limits: [answer]
Proposed format and why it supports the objective: [answer]
What remains open to the planning partner: [answer]
Record 1
Audience group: [group]
Why invited: [reason]
Starting knowledge: [context]
Needed experience: [need]
Audience owner: [name]
Constraints and choices
Record 1
Item: Date / city / venue
Confirmed constraint or preference?: [status]
Current assumption: [detail]
Consequence if changed: [effect]
Approver: [name]
Record 2
Item: Attendance and arrival pattern
Confirmed constraint or preference?: [status]
Current assumption: [detail]
Consequence if changed: [effect]
Approver: [name]
Record 3
Item: Budget and included scope
Confirmed constraint or preference?: [status]
Current assumption: [detail]
Consequence if changed: [effect]
Approver: [name]
Record 4
Item: Content / guest / travel commitments
Confirmed constraint or preference?: [status]
Current assumption: [detail]
Consequence if changed: [effect]
Approver: [name]
Backwards decision plan
Start from the guest moment, then identify what releases it. A 90-day schedule may be used as an illustrative canvas; replace it with the actual dependency dates.
Record 1
Guest moment / deliverable: [moment]
Must be true first: [dependency]
Owner: [name]
Approval required: [gate]
Latest useful decision date: [date]
If missed: [choice]
Scale review
If comparing 100, 500, 1,000 or 5,000 guests, label each as illustrative. Do not infer capacity or staffing from the number.
Record 1
Scenario: [count/format]
Arrival pattern: [assumption]
Participation and movement: [needs]
Venue/provider review needed: [owners]
Scope change: [effect]
Decision: [status]
Release check
[ ] Client sponsor approves objective and audience.
[ ] Scope and budget approvers named.
[ ] Requirements separated from preferences.
[ ] Open decisions have owners and consequences.
[ ] Proposal recipients receive the same version.
Next three decisions: [decision / owner / date]