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How one internal document became a must-have resource for conference planners

At Event Garde, we’ve worked alongside countless organizations to help bring their events to life—from intimate board and staff retreats to multi-day international conferences. No matter the size or scope, one thing holds true: planning a successful event takes more than good intentions. It takes clarity, coordination, and often, collaboration.

For the past few years, our team used a working document behind the scenes whenever a new organization reached out to request an event management proposal. It was a comprehensive list of the event management services we could provide from strategy and registration to audiovisual support, sponsor coordination, and more. We’d send the list to prospective clients and ask them to select the items they wanted us to include in their proposal.

Over time, this tool proved to be more than just a menu of services—it became a conversation starter. Organizations told us it helped them see the bigger picture and ask better questions. Some realized they had internal capacity for more than they thought. Others saw gaps they hadn’t considered before. And increasingly, people started asking if they could use the document to guide conversations with their key stakeholders such as their board, their team, or even other vendors.

That’s when we realized: this wasn’t just a proposal tool. It was a planning tool.

So we reimagined it.

Now called Designing Your Ideal Event: A Practical Tool for Planning & Partnering, this free resource is designed to support you whether you're:

• Crafting a new event from the ground up,
• Looking to develop a more thoughtful RFP, or
• Assessing internal capacity before seeking outside help

The tool walks you through all the major (and many of the overlooked) aspects of event planning, from accessibility to audiovisual, staff training to sustainability, and much more. For each task, you can indicate whether it’s a current need, a future consideration, or not applicable, helping you quickly map out your priorities and see where additional support might be beneficial.

Here are just a few ways you might use it:

• As an internal planning checklist to clarify who’s doing what, avoid duplication, and surface any blind spots.
• As a conversation guide to get everyone aligned before hiring outside help or assigning roles.
• As a foundation for building or refining your RFP, so prospective partners understand exactly what you need—and don’t need.

Why this matters now

In today’s landscape, many teams are stretched thin. Hybrid work structures, evolving member expectations, and tighter budgets make it more important than ever to be intentional about how you plan and staff your events. Having a shared, realistic understanding of what your event entails, and who’s responsible for each part, can save you time, money, and a whole lot of stress down the road.

This tool isn’t designed to sell you on a particular way of doing things. It’s designed to help you define what your ideal event looks like—and what kind of support (if any) will help you get there.

And if you’re looking for that support? We’d love to talk.

If after using the tool you discover you need help in a few key areas—or you want to explore full-service event management—we’re here to partner with you. We can walk through your selections together, help you build out timelines and budgets, and develop a right-sized proposal that aligns with your goals and vision.

There’s no pressure, just partnership.

Download the free tool. 
Questions or want to connect? Email [email protected]

Let’s design your ideal event—together.