Every idea below includes the first slide, the full slide sequence, and a caption starter. Swipe each preview to read the slides.
1. Six lines that make a brief quotableEducational
First slide
“Six lines that make a brief quotable in one pass”
1/6 Six lines that make a brief quotable in one pass
Swipe → 2/6 Headcount, and how confident you actually are in it.
3/6 Date, or three dates ranked. Venue lead times depend on it.
4/6 Budget, or a ceiling. "Competitive" costs everyone two weeks.
5/6 The single outcome the event has to deliver.
6/6 Who signs it off, and when they're available.
Caption starter
Send those six lines and you'll get a costed proposal rather than three rounds of questions. Happy to send our brief template if it's useful.
Why it works: It makes the client's job easier before they have paid anything, which is the fastest route to a reply.
Make this carousel 2. What's actually inside a venue quoteEducational
First slide
“What's actually inside a venue quote”
1/6 What's actually inside a venue quote
Swipe → 2/6 Room rental, a food and beverage minimum, and a service charge.
3/6 The minimum is spend, not headcount. You hit it or pay it.
4/6 Service charge is often 22%, applied before anyone notices.
5/6 Not included: staging, extra rentals, anything after 11pm.
6/6 Compare quotes only once you've listed what each one leaves out.
Caption starter
Two venues quoting $68 and $94 a head are usually quoting for different events. Ask each one what falls outside the number before you compare them.
Why it works: Teaching a client to read a venue quote positions you as their advocate rather than another line of cost.
Make this carousel 3. A run of show is not an agendaBehind the scenes
First slide
“A run of show is not an agenda”
1/6 A run of show is not an agenda
Swipe → 2/6 An agenda says 10:00 keynote. That's for the guests.
3/6 A run of show says 9:58:30, walk-in music down, video roll.
4/6 Every cue has an owner, a timecode and a trigger.
5/6 Sound, lighting, video and stage management read the same page.
6/6 This is why the thing you watched felt effortless.
Caption starter
The document that decides whether a show runs. If your planner hasn't sent you one ten days out, ask for it.
Why it works: It shows a capability clients cannot evaluate any other way, and it makes cheaper competitors look unprepared.
Make this carousel 4. Fourteen hours before doorsBehind the scenes
First slide
“5am load-in. Doors at 7pm. Fourteen hours.”
1/6 5am load-in. Doors at 7pm. Fourteen hours.
Swipe → 2/6 5am trucks in, rigging points checked against the plot.
3/6 7:30 stage built. 9am lighting up, focused by noon.
4/6 1pm sound check. 3pm rehearsals with every speaker.
5/6 5:30 room reset, catering in, name badges laid out.
6/6 6:55 house lights down. Nobody sees any of this.
Caption starter
The event your guests experienced for three hours took fourteen to build. When you're pricing a production, this is what you're pricing.
Why it works: Quantifying the labor behind a build justifies a production fee to a client who only ever sees the finished room.
Make this carousel 5. Four numbers for your AV briefEducational
First slide
“Four numbers your AV brief has to contain”
1/6 Four numbers your AV brief has to contain
Swipe → 2/6 Screen size in feet, and the distance to the back row.
3/6 Number of live microphones on stage at the same time.
4/6 Ceiling height, and whether there are rigging points at all.
5/6 Power: available circuits, and whether you need a generator.
6/6 Without these, every AV quote you receive is a guess.
Caption starter
Send these four numbers with your venue inquiry and the AV quotes come back comparable. Without them, they aren't.
Why it works: A precise technical checklist is the strongest demonstration of competence available to a technically adjacent client.
Make this carousel 6. AV is included, apparentlyMyth-busting
First slide
“"AV is included" rarely means what you think”
1/6 "AV is included" rarely means what you think
Swipe → 2/6 Included: a screen, a projector, one handheld microphone.
3/6 Not included: an operator to run it. That's a day rate.
4/6 Not included: a second mic, a lectern light, stage monitors.
5/6 In-house teams also charge for anything you bring yourself.
6/6 Ask for the AV price list at the same time as the quote.
Caption starter
The most common budget overrun in event production. Request the venue's full AV price list before you sign, not after.
Why it works: Naming a predictable overspend saves the client a conversation they dread, which is worth more than a discount.
Make this carousel 7. No-shows and catering guaranteesEducational
First slide
“Free events no-show at 30%. Plan catering for it.”
1/6 Free events no-show at 30%. Plan catering for it.
Swipe → 2/6 Free internal event: expect 20 to 30% not to arrive.
3/6 Paid ticket: usually under 10%. Money changes behavior.
4/6 Catering counts are locked five to seven days out.
5/6 Register 100, guarantee 80, hold 15 on standby with the caterer.
6/6 Ask how late the guarantee can still move upward.
Caption starter
The easiest place to waste a catering budget. Set your guarantee below registration and negotiate late upward flexibility instead.
Why it works: It turns a well-known industry rule into a specific negotiation tactic, which is exactly what a client needs.
Make this carousel 8. Lead times by monthSeasonal
First slide
“How far out to book, by month and venue type”
1/6 How far out to book, by month and venue type
Swipe → 2/6 September to November is the busiest conference stretch. Nine months.
3/6 December: downtown holiday parties are gone by July.
4/6 January and February: three months is usually enough.
5/6 Summer is easier, though you're competing with weddings.
6/6 Anything over 300 guests: assume twelve months.
Caption starter
If you're planning next year's calendar now, this is the order to lock dates in. Send me your headcount and month and I'll tell you what's realistic.
Why it works: It anchors urgency to the venue market rather than to your own calendar, so it reads as advice instead of pressure.
Make this carousel 9. Accessibility is a budget lineEducational
First slide
“Accessibility is a line in the budget, not an afterthought”
1/6 Accessibility is a line in the budget, not an afterthought
Swipe → 2/6 Ask on registration, and ask in an open text box.
3/6 ASL interpreters work in pairs and book weeks ahead.
4/6 Live captioning costs less than most people assume.
5/6 Step-free routes to the stage, not only to the room.
6/6 A quiet room, clear signage, and someone who knows the map.
Caption starter
Budget for access at brief stage rather than the week before. Ask on registration with an open question rather than a checkbox.
Why it works: It demonstrates a professional standard many competitors treat as an afterthought, which matters to large clients.
Make this carousel 10. What your caterer needsFAQ
First slide
“What your caterer needs from you, and when”
1/6 What your caterer needs from you, and when
Swipe → 2/6 Final count at the deadline, in writing, not a text.
3/6 Kitchen access time, and whether there's actually a kitchen.
4/6 Service style: plated, buffet or stations changes the staffing.
5/6 Dietary notes gathered at registration, not on the day.
6/6 Power, water, and a place to stage plates out of sight.
Caption starter
Most catering problems start as information that arrived three days late. Send these five things when you book and the day takes care of itself.
Why it works: Showing how you brief a vendor tells a client exactly what they are buying when they hire a planner.
Make this carousel 11. Twelve people on one channelBehind the scenes
First slide
“Twelve people on one channel, all show, all whispering”
1/6 Twelve people on one channel, all show, all whispering
Swipe → 2/6 The stage manager calls it. Everyone else acknowledges and executes.
3/6 "Standby video two. Video two, go." Nothing else on the channel.
4/6 Catering, front of house and security are on a second channel.
5/6 Speakers get a countdown clock, not a person waving.
6/6 Silence on comms is the sound of a show running.
Caption starter
The reason a show feels calm is that the conversation happens somewhere your guests can't hear it. Radios and discipline, not luck.
Why it works: It reveals a professional discipline clients have sensed but never seen, which builds respect for the craft.
Make this carousel 12. The venue canceledSocial proof
First slide
“The venue canceled eleven days out. Nobody rescheduled.”
1/6 The venue canceled eleven days out. Nobody rescheduled.
Swipe → 2/6 220 guests, flights booked, keynote flying in from Boston.
3/6 Three alternatives visited in 48 hours. One matched capacity.
4/6 Every vendor rebooked. New floor plan, new AV spec.
5/6 Guests told once, with the new address and parking notes.
6/6 Same date, same program, four complaints, all about parking.
Caption starter
Shared with permission. This is what a backup plan and a vendor network are for. The fee is the part you hope never to use.
Why it works: A recovery story is the clearest evidence of value to a client whose main fear is being blamed.
Make this carousel 13. Floor plan, version one and version fourBefore & after
First slide
“The floor plan we started with and the one we used”
1/6 The floor plan we started with and the one we used
Swipe → 2/6 Version one: theater seating, 240 chairs, everyone facing forward.
3/6 The walkthrough found two columns and a service door.
4/6 Version four: rounds of eight, stage off the long wall.
5/6 Same room, same headcount, forty more people who can see.
6/6 The plan changes because the room always wins.
Caption starter
Nobody hires a planner for version one. They hire one for version four. Ask to see the plan revisions before you book anybody.
Why it works: Showing a plan improve across drafts makes the thinking visible, which is the part clients cannot judge from a photo.
Make this carousel 14. Doing it in-houseMyth-busting
First slide
“"We'll run it in-house and save the fee"”
1/6 "We'll run it in-house and save the fee"
Swipe → 2/6 You will. You'll also spend around 200 internal hours on it.
3/6 At a mid-level salary, that's more than most planning fees.
4/6 Those hours come out of the work you were hired to do.
5/6 And you carry it personally when something goes wrong.
6/6 Sometimes in-house is right. Do the hours math first.
Caption starter
A fair comparison rather than a sales pitch. Count the internal hours honestly before you decide, and include the ones after six o'clock.
Why it works: Engaging seriously with the cheapest alternative earns credibility with the exact person told to save money.
Make this carousel 15. The unforecast thirty percentEducational
First slide
“The 30% of an event budget nobody forecasts”
1/6 The 30% of an event budget nobody forecasts
Swipe → 2/6 Service charge and gratuity on catering, compounding as you add.
3/6 Overtime past curfew, per crew member, per hour.
4/6 Power, rigging and cable ramps at venues quoting room only.
5/6 Shipping and storage for anything printed or branded.
6/6 Contingency at 10%. It gets spent. Every time.
Caption starter
Build these into version one of the budget rather than explaining them in month three. Contingency at ten percent is a forecast, not a cushion.
Why it works: It protects the client from a budget revision they would have to explain, which is the outcome they care about most.
Make this carousel 16. What I look at on a walkthroughBehind the scenes
First slide
“What I'm actually looking at on a venue walkthrough”
1/6 What I'm actually looking at on a venue walkthrough
Swipe → 2/6 Where the trucks park, and how far the doors are.
3/6 Ceiling height, rigging points, and where the power actually is.
4/6 Restrooms, and whether 300 people can reach them quickly.
5/6 Sightlines from the worst seat, not the best one.
6/6 Where the kitchen noise lands during a quiet speech.
Caption starter
The photos on a venue's site answer none of these. Book the walkthrough at the same time of day your event runs, and bring a tape measure.
Why it works: It shows the judgment a client is hiring, in a room they have probably stood in themselves.
Make this carousel First slide
“Next year's event budget gets decided this quarter”
1/6 Next year's event budget gets decided this quarter
Swipe → 2/6 Most teams submit a figure before they have a plan.
3/6 Which is why the figure is always wrong by March.
4/6 Get one indicative quote before you submit. It takes a week.
5/6 Include contingency, service charges and internal hours in the ask.
6/6 Happy to price a draft brief, at no charge, during budget season.
Caption starter
If you're submitting next year's budget in the next few weeks, send me the outline and I'll come back with a range. No charge, no obligation.
Why it works: Meeting clients inside their own budget cycle produces inquiries months before anyone else is being considered.
Make this carousel 18. Ninety seconds to a badgeEducational
First slide
“Badge in hand in ninety seconds. Here's the math.”
1/6 Badge in hand in ninety seconds. Here's the math.
Swipe → 2/6 300 guests arriving across a 40-minute window.
3/6 That's a peak of roughly eight arrivals a minute.
4/6 One check-in desk handles about four. So you need three.
5/6 Pre-printed badges, alphabetized, or on-demand printing.
6/6 A line at the door sets the tone for the whole day.
Caption starter
Registration is the first ten seconds of your event and the most commonly under-staffed part of it. Work backwards from your arrival window.
Why it works: It converts a familiar guest frustration into a staffing calculation, which is the kind of thinking clients want to outsource.
Make this carousel 19. The three predictable failuresBehind the scenes
First slide
“Three things go wrong at every event. These three.”
1/6 Three things go wrong at every event. These three.
Swipe → 2/6 A speaker's laptop won't output. Bring adapters and a spare machine.
3/6 The room runs hot by mid-morning. Find the thermostat at load-in.
4/6 Someone senior adds an item to the agenda on the day.
5/6 None of these are emergencies if you've planned for them.
6/6 All three are, if you haven't.
Caption starter
Everything else is genuinely unpredictable. These three happen often enough to plan for by default.
Why it works: Specific, recognizable failures make the account feel written by someone who has actually stood in the room.
Make this carousel 20. Streaming costs more than you budgetedFAQ
First slide
“Streaming your event properly costs more than you budgeted”
1/6 Streaming your event properly costs more than you budgeted
Swipe → 2/6 A camera on a tripod is a recording, not a broadcast.
3/6 Proper streaming: two cameras, a switcher, an operator, a feed.
4/6 Plus a moderated chat and someone answering it live.
5/6 Online audiences drop off at twenty minutes. Program differently.
6/6 If nobody watches, it wasn't cheaper. It was wasted.
Caption starter
A stream is a second event with a second audience, not a camera in the corner. Budget it as one or don't do it at all.
Why it works: It prevents a disappointing outcome that would be blamed on you, and it upsells honestly.
Make this carousel 21. An all-hands with one measureSocial proof
First slide
“An all-hands that changed one number, and only one”
1/6 An all-hands that changed one number, and only one
Swipe → 2/6 1,400 staff, four sites, one strategy launch.
3/6 Brief: everyone can explain the strategy in one sentence afterwards.
4/6 We cut the agenda from nine speakers to three.
5/6 Added table discussions and a two-question survey at the exit.
6/6 Two weeks later: 78% could state it. Baseline was 31%.
Caption starter
Shared with permission. Events are measurable if you decide the measure before you build the agenda. Tell me your one number and I'll build backwards from it.
Why it works: An outcome-led case study gives the client the exact language they need to justify the spend internally.
Make this carousel 22. Fall capacityOffers & promos
First slide
“Fall production capacity, and what's left”
1/6 Fall production capacity, and what's left
Swipe → 2/6 September: two full builds, weeks two and three.
3/6 October: closed. Booked since March.
4/6 November: three conference dates, one holiday build.
5/6 December: party season, three weekends remaining.
6/6 Send a headcount and a date and I'll answer today.
Caption starter
Capacity update for the fall. If a date is already in your plan, send the headcount and I'll confirm availability the same day.
Why it works: Publishing capacity by month gives planners a deadline that matches their own approval timelines.
Make this carousel 23. The worst failure you've seenEngagement
First slide
“What's the worst event failure you've watched happen?”
1/6 What's the worst event failure you've watched happen?
Swipe → 2/6 Mine: a fire alarm during a keynote. Twice. Same event.
3/6 Second: a venue that double-booked its loading dock.
4/6 Third: a teleprompter operator who'd never seen the script.
5/6 Every one of them was recoverable. All of them were preventable.
6/6 Tell me yours and I'll say how we'd have stopped it.
Caption starter
Comments open for the war stories. Post yours and I'll say honestly whether it was preventable or genuinely bad luck.
Why it works: It invites the client's own experience into the conversation, which produces a consultation rather than a like.
Make this carousel 24. The rehearsal nobody wantsBehind the scenes
First slide
“The rehearsal every speaker says they don't need”
1/6 The rehearsal every speaker says they don't need
Swipe → 2/6 Twenty minutes each. Walk the stairs, find the mark.
3/6 Click through your own slides on the real clicker.
4/6 Hear your voice in the room, on the mic you'll use.
5/6 Find the confidence monitor before the room is full.
6/6 Every speaker who skipped it regretted it on stage.
Caption starter
Rehearsal is the cheapest fix available to a show. Twenty minutes a speaker, written into the run sheet, not squeezed in at lunch.
Why it works: It gives the client a concrete reason to protect an hour of the schedule they always try to cut.
Make this carousel 25. How we're paidMyth-busting
First slide
“A percentage fee means I'm paid to overspend. Fair.”
1/6 A percentage fee means I'm paid to overspend. Fair.
Swipe → 2/6 It's the standard model. It's also a real conflict of interest.
3/6 We work on a flat management fee, agreed at brief stage.
4/6 If the budget rises, the fee doesn't. If it drops, the same.
5/6 Vendor commissions get credited back to you at reconciliation.
6/6 Ask any planner how they're paid. Then ask again.
Caption starter
The question nobody enjoys being asked. Ask every planner you're considering how they're paid and whether they take vendor commission.
Why it works: Attacking an industry norm you do not use turns a pricing conversation into a trust advantage.
Make this carousel 26. Eleven vendors, one loading dockBehind the scenes
First slide
“Eleven vendors, one loading dock, one schedule”
1/6 Eleven vendors, one loading dock, one schedule
Swipe → 2/6 Rentals at 6am, because everything else stacks on top.
3/6 Florals after lighting, or the truss goes over the arrangements.
4/6 AV needs the room empty. Catering needs it set.
5/6 Every vendor gets an arrival time, a contact and a door.
6/6 Nobody waits in the alley. That's the whole job.
Caption starter
Vendors don't collide because somebody sequenced them weeks earlier. Ask your planner for the load-in schedule ten days out and see whether it exists.
Why it works: Sequencing vendors is invisible work a client only notices when it fails, so showing it explains the fee.
Make this carousel 27. Credible sustainability claimsMyth-busting
First slide
“What a credible sustainability claim looks like”
1/6 What a credible sustainability claim looks like
Swipe → 2/6 Measured: travel, energy, catering, materials. In that order.
3/6 Travel is usually 60 to 80% of an event's footprint.
4/6 Which means venue location matters more than the recycling.
5/6 Reusable set, rented furniture, no single-use branded print.
6/6 Report the number. Offsetting without measuring is a slogan.
Caption starter
If sustainability is in your brief, start with guest travel rather than the water bottles. Ask me for the measurement framework we use.
Why it works: Substantive sustainability content differentiates in a field where every competitor claims the same thing vaguely.
Make this carousel 28. Load-out at elevenBehind the scenes
First slide
“11pm load-out. The part that decides tomorrow.”
1/6 11pm load-out. The part that decides tomorrow.
Swipe → 2/6 Guests gone by eleven. The venue wants it clear by two.
3/6 Set struck, cable coiled, floor swept, everything counted out.
4/6 Lost property logged. Rental stock checked against the packing list.
5/6 Damage photographed before we leave, not after they invoice.
6/6 The tidy exit is why they let us back in.
Caption starter
Nobody quotes for load-out properly and every venue judges you on it. It's also where damage charges get decided.
Why it works: Showing the least glamorous hour of the job signals reliability to clients who have been left holding a venue bill.
Make this carousel 29. Why I left the agencyPersonal brand
First slide
“I left an agency because of one line in a debrief”
1/6 I left an agency because of one line in a debrief
Swipe → 2/6 The client asked what the event had achieved.
3/6 Nobody in the room could answer. We'd never agreed a measure.
4/6 We'd delivered a beautiful event nobody could justify.
5/6 Now the first question in every brief is what changes afterwards.
6/6 If we can't answer it, we say so before you sign.
Caption starter
The reason our brief template starts with outcomes rather than headcount. If an event can't be justified afterwards, it usually shouldn't happen.
Why it works: A principled origin story gives the client a reason to prefer you that has nothing to do with price.
Make this carousel 30. Awards dinners live on one timingEducational
First slide
“An awards dinner lives or dies on one timing”
1/6 An awards dinner lives or dies on one timing
Swipe → 2/6 Nobody wants forty categories after three courses.
3/6 Split it: ten awards between courses, the rest afterwards.
4/6 Winner walk-up under twenty seconds. Rehearse the route.
5/6 Speeches capped at sixty seconds, with a visible clock.
6/6 Finish the formal part by 10pm. The rest is what they remember.
Caption starter
The most common awards dinner mistake is running the whole ceremony in one block. Split it across the meal and cap the walk-ups.
Why it works: Format-specific advice proves you have run the exact type of event the client is currently planning.
Make this carousel