A poor briefing costs money

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 background of the organization, its culture, and its 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. Who are the participants? What do they expect? What do 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? What is their average age? How diverse are they in terms of background, job role, and seniority? Did they already attend a major event last year? Are they the type of people who like to dance, or those 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 mainly 25-year-old IT professionals or a mixed group ranging from 25 to 60, including both management and staff. The program, the venue, the atmosphere—everything changes based on this information.

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 improves the quality of the work. The agency knows what’s feasible and can advise on the best allocation of funds. It helps to specify: does this 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. And if the question is "what can you do for us with this budget"—that's exactly the kind of question a good agency loves to answer.

Learn more about the costs of hiring an event planning agency and how to create a budget →

A good briefing doesn’t just tell them what you want—it also tells them 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? Date, location, maximum duration. Are there any brand guidelines or corporate identity requirements? Are there any sensitive topics or special circumstances within the organization or the group that the agency needs to be aware of?

What has been done so far? The last three events—what worked well, and what didn’t? Have any ideas already been discussed internally? Are there any external references (events you admire, atmospheric images, videos) that help illustrate the direction you want to take?

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 based on a standard proposal. Every event starts with the briefing. We read it carefully, ask the questions that are missing, and use that as a foundation to develop a concept that suits 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.

At live-impact.nl/briefing, you’ll find a briefing form that guides you step by step through the five building blocks. It takes about ten minutes to fill out. We’ll get back to you within 48 hours with an initial concept.

A great event starts with a solid briefing. Take the time to lay the groundwork—we’ll handle the rest.

Send your briefing via live-impact.nl/briefing or contact us directly at live-impact.nl/contact. We will respond within 48 hours.

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