A brief is the document that turns your idea into proposals. When it is clear, the companies you invite can design for your real objective and price the same scope, and you can compare their answers fairly. When it is vague, every proposal answers a different question, and choosing between them becomes guesswork. This guide sets out the sections of a good brief, what to write in each and a checklist to run through before you send it.
Why briefs fail
Weak briefs tend to fail in the same few ways. The objective is broad, such as ‘raise awareness’ or ‘celebrate our anniversary’, with nothing to show what success would look like. The audience is described in a single line. The budget is withheld. Key facts, such as whether the venue is booked or who has to approve the design, are left for suppliers to discover later.
The result is predictable. One company proposes a modest, practical plan; another proposes something ambitious that costs several times as much. Both are reasonable readings of the brief, and neither helps you decide. That is not the companies' fault; it is what a brief with too much room for guesswork produces. A good brief does not need to be long, but it does need to answer the questions every planner will ask.
Uncertainty is not the problem. Hiding it is. If something is still undecided, such as the date, the venue or the final guest numbers, say so in the brief, and say when it will be decided. Planners can work with open questions; they cannot work with guesses presented as facts.
The sections of a good brief
The sections below work for most corporate events, launches, conferences and celebrations. Keep each one short and specific. A few clear pages are more useful than a long document nobody reads closely.
Background and one primary objective
Start with a few lines of context: who you are, why this event is happening and anything that came before it. Then name one primary objective. You may have several goals, but ranking them tells planners what to protect when trade-offs appear. Describe a result rather than an activity: ‘thank our key partners and strengthen relationships ahead of next year's renewals’ gives a planner far more to work with than ‘host a gala dinner’.
If you already know how you will judge success afterwards, say so in the brief, because it shapes the plan from the start. Our article on measuring event success covers what to track and how to report it.
The audience
Describe who is coming, roughly how many and what they will expect. Note the languages they speak, whether the programme needs to work in Arabic and English, and any VIPs or dignitaries whose attendance affects protocol, seating, arrival routes or security. Say whether guests are invited, registered or ticketed, because that changes how arrival and registration are planned. Flag anything that affects comfort and access, such as guests with reduced mobility, dietary requirements or children attending. A range is fine if numbers are not confirmed, but say how firm it is.
The date, and how flexible it is
Give the date and times you have in mind, and be clear about flexibility. Is the date fixed by an occasion, or could it move by a week if a better venue became available? If the event must finish by a certain time, say so. Mention anything nearby in the calendar that could matter, such as Ramadan, public holidays or other events your audience is likely to attend.
Location or venue status
Say whether a venue is confirmed, shortlisted or still open. If it is confirmed, include the venue contact, the spaces and times you have booked and any rules you already know about. If it is open, describe what you need: indoor or outdoor, the approximate capacity, the atmosphere you want and any part of Doha or Qatar you would prefer.
Format and a programme outline
Outline the shape of the event, even if the details are undecided: arrival, welcome, speeches, a panel, dinner, entertainment, networking. Mark any fixed elements, such as a signing ceremony or an award presentation, and anything you want to avoid. If you already have speakers or performers in mind, list them, even provisionally.
What you want the company to handle
Be explicit about scope. List what you expect the company to deliver, such as venue sourcing, production, staffing, decor, entertainment or filming, and what your own team will handle, such as the guest list, invitations or speaker liaison. When the split is unclear, one proposal includes a service that another leaves out, and the totals stop being comparable.
A budget range
Share a budget range, and say what it covers. Many organisations hold the budget back in the hope of a better price, but it usually has the opposite effect. Without a range, companies guess at your ambition and you receive proposals you cannot compare. With one, everyone designs for the same target, and the differences between proposals show real differences in thinking and value.
If you cannot share a figure, at least describe the level you expect, and list the costs, such as venue hire or catering, that sit outside the budget you are giving. If the budget is already split between areas, such as production and hospitality, say so, so that proposals follow the same structure.
Must-haves and nice-to-haves
Separate what is essential from what you would like if the budget allows. Simultaneous interpretation might be essential, for example, while a photo booth is a nice-to-have. This protects the things that matter and lets planners offer options for the rest, rather than cutting at random when costs rise.
Brand guidelines and approvals
Attach your brand guidelines and say who approves creative work, scripts and suppliers. If a senior leader or a partner organisation has to sign off, name the role rather than the person, and allow time for it in the schedule. Unclear approvals are one of the most common causes of late changes. It also helps to say how many rounds of revisions you expect on designs and scripts, because that affects both the timeline and the cost.
The timeline for proposals and the decision
Give a date for questions, a deadline for proposals and the date you expect to decide. Allow enough time for a thoughtful response, because a rushed brief produces rushed proposals. If you plan to invite companies to present in person, say when, and who will be in the room.
How proposals will be judged
Explain your criteria and roughly how you will weight them: creative approach, understanding of the objective, relevant experience, the proposed team, and cost and value. When companies know what matters to you, they put their effort there. If you are still deciding which companies to invite, our guide to choosing an event management company in Qatar explains how to run a fair pitch.
What to attach
Attach anything that saves a question: the venue floor plan, your brand guidelines, photos or a report from a previous edition, a draft guest profile and any requirements from partners or sponsors.
Sending the brief
Send the same brief to every company at the same time. Set a date for questions and share every answer with all of them. Offer a short call to talk it through, because a conversation often brings out what the document missed. Keep one current version, and if anything changes, send the update to everyone at once.
Write the brief in plain language. Spell out internal abbreviations and project names that an outside company will not recognise, and keep one person as the point of contact so that answers stay consistent. If the people deciding prefer to read in Arabic, or in English, say which language the proposals should be written in.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Listing every possible goal without saying which one matters most.
- Asking for creative ideas with no budget range, then rejecting them on cost.
- Leaving out constraints you already know about, such as a fixed finish time or an extra approval step.
- Changing the brief after proposals arrive without telling every company.
- Treating the brief as a formality, when it is the foundation for every decision that follows.
Your event brief checklist
Before you send the brief, check that it includes each of the following.
- A short background and one clearly ranked primary objective.
- The audience: who is coming, roughly how many, the languages they speak and any VIPs.
- The date and times, and how flexible they are.
- The venue status, with details if one is confirmed.
- The format and an outline programme, with fixed elements marked.
- What you want the company to handle, and what your own team will do.
- A budget range and what it covers.
- Must-haves separated from nice-to-haves.
- Brand guidelines and the roles that approve each decision.
- Dates for questions, proposals and the decision.
- Your selection criteria and how they are weighted.
- Attachments: floor plans, guidelines and any past reports.
- A named contact for questions.
A clear brief is the best start any event can have. If you would like help shaping yours, or want to see how an experienced team would respond to it, you can request a proposal from ARZO.
