What to Include in an Event Production Proposal (Checklist)

If you run AV or production for live events, your proposal does more than quote a price. It proves to the client that you have understood the brief, that you can be trusted with their event, and that they will not get a surprise on the invoice. Here is a complete checklist of what an event production proposal should include, and why each item matters.

The proposal checklist

Section	What it covers	Why it matters
Cover	Client name, event name, dates, your logo	First impression. Sets tone before a single line is read.
Prepared for	Named contact at the client	Shows the proposal was written for them, not copy-pasted.
Executive summary	Event, goal, approach, total in 4-6 sentences	The only section some clients fully read. Make it count.
Brief confirmation	Venue, dates, audience size, run of show, constraints	Flushes out misunderstandings before they cost you.
Itemised quote	Equipment, crew, transport, with quantities and prices	Scannable pricing. No surprises.
Optional extras	Add-on items the client can choose	Lifts average order value without pressure.
Team profiles	The people running the job	Sells trust as well as kit.
Case studies or testimonials	Comparable jobs you have delivered	Reduces perceived risk.
Timeline	Load-in, rehearsal, show, de-rig	Proves you have thought through the day.
Technical specification	Detailed kit list, signal flow, power requirements	Reassures technical decision makers.
Terms	Payment schedule, cancellation, ownership of recordings	Protects both sides.
Acceptance	Click-to-accept with typed name and timestamp	Removes friction from saying yes.

What to put first

Order matters. The client will scroll, not read. Front-load the sections that make the case (cover, summary, brief confirmation, quote) and put the detail later (technical spec, full terms). If the only thing they read is the first three pages, those pages need to do the selling.

The five things AV proposals get wrong

After looking at a lot of losing proposals from this industry, the same problems come up:

• Generic openers. "We are a leading provider of AV solutions" is not selling anything. Open with the client's event.
• Quote at the back. If the price is hidden, the client opens, scrolls to find it, and reads the proposal in reverse. Put the total in the executive summary.
• No clear team. Faceless proposals lose to proposals with photos and one-line credits.
• Walls of small print. Long terms blocks get skipped. Use a separate section, plain English, and group by topic.
• No way to say yes. If the client has to print and scan, you have added a roadblock right at the finish line.

What to include for different event types

The checklist above is the spine, but the emphasis shifts by event type.

• Corporate conference: stronger run-of-show, recording deliverables, accessible AV details (captions, audio loop), data protection terms.
• Music or festival: rigging and weight loadings, weather contingency, talent rider integration, RF coordination.
• Wedding or private event: discrete crew, dress code on site, cancellation terms, named day rates.
• Broadcast or hybrid: stream specifications, bandwidth, redundancy, encoder details, platform delivery.

How to make the checklist easy to follow

Building this every time from scratch is a slow way to work. The fastest AV companies start from a saved template, drop in the kit list from their rental system, and add a one-paragraph personalised summary on top.

pro-posal.io has every section on this checklist as a drag-and-drop block, pulls kit lists from Current RMS, and lets clients sign off online. Start your free trial: pro-posal.io.