Event Questionnaire Template: Questions to Ask Every Client

An event questionnaire is a short form a client completes before you quote or plan. It captures the purpose, guest numbers, budget range, date, venue needs and who signs off. The template below groups about 50 questions into eight sections, so you can paste it into a form, cut it to suit the event and turn the answers into a one-page brief.

TL;DR

• Ask about purpose and the decision-maker first. Everything else (venue, menu, run sheet) depends on those two answers.
• Ask for budget as a range and ask what the client does not want. Both get more honest answers than open questions.
• Keep the questionnaire separate from the brief: the questionnaire collects, the brief summarises and gets approved.
• Send it as a form the client completes on a phone, then turn the answers into an agreement they sign.
• A pre-event questionnaire shapes the plan. A post-event survey measures it. Do not mix them.

Table of Contents

• What an event questionnaire does (and what it does not)
• The questionnaire template, section by section
• Quick reference: what to ask, and why
• How to adapt the template to the event
• From answers to an event brief
• Pre-event questionnaire or post-event survey?
• Our perspective
• Turn the questionnaire into a signed booking
• Wording tips that get better answers
• FAQ
• Sources

What an event questionnaire does (and what it does not)

A questionnaire is the intake step. The client tells you what they want before you spend time on a proposal, so your quote reflects the real event and not your guess at it.

It is not the event brief. The brief is the summary you write afterwards: a shared reference for everyone working on the event. Eventbrite’s brief template covers the overview, purpose and goals, target audience, theme, roles and logistics, promotion, budget and timeline. A good questionnaire collects the raw material for every one of those headings.

It is also not a post-event survey. That comes later and asks attendees what they thought. We cover the difference near the end.

The practical gain is speed and fewer disputes. When the client’s answers sit in one record, nobody argues later about whether the guest count was 80 or 120.

The questionnaire template, section by section

Copy the questions you need. Not every event needs every section. A 30-person birthday dinner skips the audiovisual block, while a conference needs it in full.

1. About the client and the working relationship

Start with who they are and how they like to work. Event Smart suggests that a client’s background, including profession and industry, helps you pick the right way to communicate.

• Full name, organisation, phone and email
• Preferred way to be contacted (call, text, email) and best times
• Have you worked with an event planner before? What went well and what did not?
• What do you expect from us on this event: full planning, partial support or day-of coordination?
• Who else should be copied on messages?

The question about past planners is quietly the most useful one here. It tells you what the client is afraid of.

2. Purpose and goals

MPI’s practical meeting planning guide recommends clarifying purpose, setting goals and objectives, and gathering the basic profile of the event before anything else. Turn that into plain questions:

• What type of event is it (wedding, conference, product launch, fundraiser, party, team day)?
• Why are you holding it? What should be true afterwards that is not true now?
• How will you judge whether it worked?
• Is this a one-off or a recurring event? If recurring, what happened last time?
• Is there a theme, tone or dress code in mind?

For recurring events, MPI also suggests asking why people who skipped last year’s event stayed home. Their reasons tell you what to change.

3. Guests and attendees

The same MPI guide lists who will attend, why they are coming, what they expect, where they are travelling from, their age range, whether they bring guests and whether they have special needs.

• Expected number of guests, and a minimum and maximum
• Who are they: staff, clients, members, family, the public?
• Age range, and will children attend?
• Will guests travel in? From how far, and will anyone need accommodation?
• Will partners or guests be invited?
• Any VIPs, speakers or guests of honour we must plan around?
• Any access needs, dietary needs or cultural considerations you already know about?

4. Date, time and venue

MPI’s operational list asks for event and backup dates, start and end times, attendee and room counts, preferred city and venue type.

• First-choice date and at least one backup date
• Start and end time, plus any setup and pack-down time you need
• Do you have a venue? If so, has it been booked, and is a contract signed?
• If not: preferred suburb or city, indoor or outdoor, and the style (hotel, restaurant, warehouse, garden, private home)?
• Must the venue be near public transport or parking?
• Is there a hard deadline for confirming the venue?

If the venue is already booked, ask to see the paperwork. We explain why in our piece on getting the venue contract signed before you pay.

5. Budget

Budget is the question clients dodge. The Event Planning Institute recommends asking for a range and adding context, which makes an answer much more likely. Something like:

Events like this are planned very differently at different budgets. Which of these ranges is closest to what you have in mind?

Then offer three or four bands and a “not sure yet” option. Follow with:

• Is the budget fixed, or is there flexibility for the right idea?
• What is most important to spend on, and what could be pared back?
• Who pays, and who approves invoices?
• Do you want a contingency allowance built in?

On the last point, Tripleseat notes that a buffer of 10 to 20 per cent helps absorb unexpected costs. Raising it at intake is easier than raising it when the first surprise invoice lands.

6. Decisions and approvals

The Event Planning Institute also suggests asking who holds final approval early, framed as a scheduling question, because late approvers cause real delays. Try:

• Who makes the final call on venue, menu and design?
• Who else must sign off, and how long does their approval usually take?
• Are there stakeholders (a board, a committee, a partner) we need to hear from?
• What are your must-haves?
• What do you definitely not want?

That last question matters. According to the same source, negative preferences are often more revealing than a list of positive requirements. A client who cannot describe the perfect event can usually tell you in seconds what would ruin it.

7. Food, drink, technology and accessibility

MPI’s list covers food-and-beverage style, on- or off-site services, audiovisual equipment and ADA requirements such as shuttles, ramps and parking. Georgia Tech’s special events checklist adds venue audiovisual capability, parking and costs, access and load-in, equipment included with the space, and inclusivity. Translate those into questions:

• Seated meal, buffet, canapés, cocktail or no catering?
• Alcohol: yes or no, and who supplies it?
• Known dietary requirements (allergies, halal, vegan, gluten-free)?
• Do you need a microphone, screens, a projector, live streaming or recording?
• Who is presenting, and what format are their slides in?
• Will anyone need step-free access, accessible parking, a quiet space or an interpreter?
• Is there a program with breakout sessions or different room setups?
• Do you want us to arrange suppliers (photographer, florist, entertainment, hire) or will you bring your own?

8. Risk, permits, promotion and weather

MPI also flags weather plans, permits and insurance, along with promotion and registration. Georgia Tech’s checklist likewise mentions weather contingencies and any required permits, licences or insurance.

• Is there a public liability policy for the event, and who holds it?
• Are permits needed (road closure, alcohol, amplified sound, food stalls)?
• If outdoors, what is the wet-weather plan?
• How will guests register or RSVP, and who manages the list?
• How will the event be promoted, and do you need invitations, a landing page or signage?
• Will photos or video be taken, and do guests need to consent?

For winter events in snowy climates, the weather question has a practical side: access, parking and walkways. This event snow removal checklist shows the kind of site questions worth asking before you quote for a cold-weather event.

Quick reference: what to ask, and why

How to adapt the template to the event

A single template that fits every event ends up too long for small jobs and too thin for big ones. Keep a master list and switch sections on or off.

Weddings and private celebrations. Lean on guests, dietary needs, suppliers, budget and the must-have and must-not-have questions. Add questions about family dynamics only if the client raises them.

Corporate events and conferences. Expand purpose, success measures, audiovisual, program format, registration and approvals. Ask who the internal stakeholders are, because the person who briefs you is rarely the only person who decides.

Fundraisers and community events. Ask about licences, volunteers, donation handling, and the audience’s relationship with the cause.

Online or hybrid events. Replace venue questions with platform, device and connection questions. Ask why people are attending online, which devices they will use, and what they should be able to do (ask questions, network, view recordings).

Recurring events. Ask what happened last time, who did not return and why. Past data beats guesswork.

A useful rule: if the answer would not change your quote, your plan or your run sheet, delete the question. Clients abandon long forms, and every unneeded question costs you a completed one.

From answers to an event brief

Once the questionnaire is back, write a one-page brief. Cvent describes the brief as a tool that unifies stakeholders on goals, target audience, logistics and desired outcomes, a roadmap through planning. GoShow’s event brief checklist lists the event name and description, coordinator contact, dates and times, location, event type, estimated size, registration link and measurable objectives.

A practical order:

1. Overview: name, type, date, location, estimated size.
2. Purpose and success measures: the answers from sections 2 and 6.
3. Audience: who is coming and what they need.
4. Concept and program: theme, format, run of the day.
5. Logistics: venue, suppliers, catering, technology, access.
6. Budget and contingency: the range and the buffer.
7. Timeline and approvals: key dates and who signs what.

Send the brief back to the client and ask them to confirm it. That confirmation is the moment scope becomes agreed, so make it a signature and not a “looks good” reply buried in an email thread.

Pre-event questionnaire or post-event survey?

They sit at opposite ends of the event and ask different people different things.

Most pages ranking for this topic are about the second kind, with rating-scale questions on date, time and venue. If you came here to gather feedback after an event, you want that. If you are a planner trying to start a job properly, you want the template above. The two connect through section 2: the success measures you agree at intake become the questions you ask afterwards.

Our perspective

Most planners we talk to already ask the right questions. The trouble is where the answers land: a phone call, a text thread, a half-filled PDF, three versions of the budget. When the event goes sideways, nobody can show what was agreed.

That is why we built KSign around the whole workflow rather than the signature alone. The client completes a guided form, the answers generate the agreement or booking document, they sign electronically, and the deposit is collected in the same flow. Signed documents and an audit trail are stored together, so you can verify who agreed to what, and when.

For event work, that means your questionnaire is not a separate chore. It is the first step of the contract. We think a clean intake, a clear approval and a recorded signature are what turn a good plan into one you can trust.

Josh

Turn the questionnaire into a signed booking

A questionnaire only helps if the answers feed what happens next. With KSign you can build the intake as a guided online form, let the answers populate your contract automation, and collect a legally binding electronic signature on the result. Our event services page shows how this fits venue hire, catering, hire companies and planners.

Deposits can be taken as part of the signing step, through embedded payments. Plans start at A$24 per month per seat (Standard), with Professional at A$40 per month per seat. Enterprise has no published price. See the pricing page for what each includes. If you are comparing tools, our guide to booking agreement software for event planners sets out what to look for.

If you onboard many clients the same way, a client onboarding packet can bundle the questionnaire, agreement and payment request so the client completes one link.

Wording tips that get better answers

• Explain why you ask. “We ask for a range so we only propose options that suit you” gets more answers than “What is your budget?”
• Use choices where you can. Bands, tick boxes and yes/no questions are faster on a phone than free text.
• Put open questions last in each section. Clients are warmed up by then.
• Mark required fields sparingly. Require only what you cannot quote without: date, guest count, contact details, budget band.
• Offer a “not sure yet” option. An honest unknown is better than a made-up number.
• Ask about the unwanted. “What would make this event a disappointment?” often surfaces a constraint the client had not thought to mention.
• Review before sending the quote. Call the client for two minutes about any answer that looks off. It is cheaper than correcting it later.

FAQ

What questions should an event questionnaire include?

Cover the client’s contact details and preferences, the event’s purpose and success measures, guest numbers and needs, date and venue, a budget range, who approves decisions, food and technology needs, accessibility, and permits, insurance and weather plans. The template above groups these into eight sections you can switch on or off.

How long should an event planning questionnaire be?

Long enough that you can quote without guessing, and no longer. For a small private event that may be 15 to 20 questions. For a conference it can reach 50 or more, split into sections the client can save and return to.

What is the difference between an event questionnaire and an event brief?

The questionnaire collects information from the client. The brief is your summary of it: purpose, audience, concept, logistics, budget and timeline, shared with everyone working on the event. You send the brief back for confirmation.

Can I use Word for an event questionnaire?

Yes, for a one-off. But a Word file has to be emailed, completed, saved and re-keyed. An online form lets the client answer on a phone, and the answers can flow into your contract and deposit request without retyping.

Sources

• Event Planning Client Questionnaire and What to Ask
• MPI Practical Meeting Planning Guide
• Event Planning 101: Top Event Planning Questions to Ask Your Clients
• Create an Event Brief with This Template and Examples
• Blueprint for Success: A Comprehensive Event Briefing Template
• Event Brief Checklist
• Event Planning Questions to Ask Clients
• Event Planning Checklist, Special Events (Georgia Tech)
• Event snow removal checklist for planners

Recommended

• Get Signed and Paid with a 3 Field Onboarding Form
• Start Work in a Week: Client Onboarding Packet
• Get the venue contract signed before you pay
• Best booking agreement software for event planners