An event planner client questionnaire should collect the event dates, guest numbers, budget, people making decisions, work already booked and the services the client expects from you. Ask these before you quote. The questions below are written for a planner taking a new job, including celebrations where the couple, parents and several relatives each hold part of the guest list.
Copy the questions into a document or form. Use the first conversation to understand the job, then send back a short summary for the client to correct.
Start with the event, not the colour palette
- What are we planning, and what matters most to you about it?
- Is this one event or several: introduction, traditional wedding, reception, birthday or another occasion?
- Which dates are fixed, and which are still being discussed?
- Which venues or cities are involved? Has anything been booked?
- How many guests are expected at each event? Is that an estimate or an agreed limit?
- Who is the main contact, who approves changes and who is paying?
“We are doing the wedding in December” can hide two cities, three guest lists and several people expecting to give instructions. Find that out before it becomes a price you cannot deliver against.
Ask how the guest list will work
- Who holds names for each side of the family or each guest group?
- What allowance has each contributor been given?
- Are plus-ones and children included in the number?
- Which guests attend every event, and which attend only one?
- How should invitations be sent: WhatsApp, SMS, email, printed cards or a combination?
- What is the reply deadline, and who follows up uncertain replies?
- Will entry use names, access cards, QR passes or another agreed method?
- Who can approve a name added after the list closes?
- Are there seating, access or other arrangements the right team member needs to discuss privately?
Turn the answers into a wedding guest list with a separate status for invitation, reply and check-in. “Invited” does not mean “coming”.
Clarify vendors, money and scope
- Which vendors are already engaged, and who manages them?
- Do you want full planning, coordination on the day or specific services?
- Which costs will you pay directly, and which should appear in my quotation?
- What is the working budget, and what has already been committed?
- Who approves additional work or a larger guest count?
- What team do you expect on the day, and for how many hours?
- What information should we share with your family or other stakeholders, and who receives it?
Keep “not yet decided” as a valid answer. A blank budget should become a question to resolve, not permission to guess what the client can pay.
End with deadlines and a written summary
- When do you need the quotation?
- When can the decision maker review it?
- What must be confirmed before work starts?
- Is there anything you assumed a planner would handle that we have not discussed?
After the call, send a summary with four headings: agreed facts, assumptions, decisions still needed and next action. Give each open decision an owner and a date. Ask the client to correct the summary before you price it.
Use the event planning quotation template for the next step. It turns the scope into priced lines without treating an undecided detail as a commitment.
Keep the answers somewhere usable
Collect the main contact's details and the information needed for the job. Avoid putting private family or guest information into a form that every vendor can read. Give each person the part needed for their work.
On Comtev, the AI assistant can collect guest names from the contributors you nominate on WhatsApp, while your client sees what you release through a private link. The questionnaire itself is a copyable template, not a claim that Comtev includes a form builder. See how the event workflow works.
FAQs
What should an event planner ask a new client?
Ask about the event purpose, dates, locations, guest counts, budget, decision makers, existing vendors and required services. Clarify guest-list ownership, approvals and deadlines before quoting.
Should I send a questionnaire before the consultation?
You can send a short version first, then discuss unclear answers together. Keep questions the client can reasonably answer and record undecided details for follow-up.
Is a questionnaire the same as a quotation?
No. The questionnaire collects requirements. A quotation prices a defined scope using those answers and states what is included, excluded and still assumed.