A strong event briefing consists of five key elements. Without any one of these five, the briefing is incomplete.

The first building block is context: what is the reason for this event? What is the organization’s background, culture, and recent history that is relevant to this event? The second is the objective: what does this event need to achieve? Not “a fun evening,” but concrete outcomes. Third: the target audience. Describe who the participants are, what they expect, and what they already know about the organization. Fourth: budget. A realistic and concrete figure, or at least a range. Fifth: constraints. What is set in stone? Date, location, brand guidelines, sensitivities?

Each of these building blocks is equally important. A briefing without an objective is just a wish list. A briefing without a budget is an invitation to guess. A briefing without context is an instruction without a story.

The target audience is the section that is often the most vague in most briefings. “400 employees” doesn’t tell us anything. Who are those 400 employees? Consider their average age, their diversity in terms of background, job title, and seniority, and their experience with major events last year. Are they people who love to dance, or people who prefer to stand in a quiet corner and chat?

The more detailed your description of the target audience, the more tailored the agency’s advice will be. It makes a difference whether the 400 employees are primarily 25-year-old IT professionals or a mixed group ranging from 25 to 60, including both management and staff.

Also consider: What does the target audience already know about the organization? What events have been held in the past, and what was the response to them? An agency that knows this can use that knowledge to go a step further than simply repeating what happened last year.

The budget is the most painful part of a briefing, and at the same time the most decisive. Many clients are reluctant to specify a budget, for fear that the agency will spend every last penny of it. But without an indication of the budget, the agency might come up with a proposal that is three times too expensive—or three times too cheap.

A realistic budget makes for better results. The agency knows what’s possible and can advise on the best allocation of funds. It helps to specify: does the budget include or exclude VAT, catering, and entertainment?

If you really don’t know the budget: give a range. “€20,000 to €40,000” is enough for an agency to put together a realistic proposal. Learn more about the costs of hiring an event agency and how to set a budget.

A good briefing tells them what you want, what you don’t want, what isn’t possible, and what’s already been done. Context is the information an agency needs to understand what’s really at stake.

What was already decided? Think about the date, location, and maximum duration. Are there any brand guidelines, corporate identity requirements, sensitive topics, or special circumstances within the organization or the group that the agency needs to be aware of?

The agency has to guess at everything you leave out of the briefing. Everything you include makes the proposal better. An agency that understands what’s already been thought through can build on that foundation rather than reinventing the wheel.

Live Impact never works with a one-size-fits-all approach. Every event starts with the briefing. We read it carefully and ask the questions that haven’t been asked. From there, we develop a concept that fits your organization and target audience.

Don’t have a complete briefing yet? No problem. Just send us what you have. A few paragraphs explaining the background, an estimate of the budget, and a date. We’ll ask the questions that will help you move forward. A good conversation is also a great way to build a briefing.

Submit your briefing at live-impact.nl/briefing or contact us directly at live-impact.nl/contact. Call 085 401 40 14 or email hello@live-impact.nl. We’ll get back to you within 48 hours.

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