CRM for Event Planners and Venues

Event planners and venues manage a unique combination of time-bound project work and ongoing relationship management. Every event is a project with a hard deadline. Every client is also a potential referral source. And your vendor network — caterers, photographers, AV companies, florists — requires as much relationship management as your clients.

DenchClaw is a local-first, open-source AI CRM that handles clients, events, vendors, and your booking pipeline in one customizable system.

What Event Planners Need in a CRM#

The core requirements for an event planning or venue CRM:

1. Booking pipeline — inquiry to contract to event delivery
2. Client relationship management — past clients for repeat business and referrals
3. Event/project tracking — every event with its date, type, and status
4. Vendor database — trusted vendors organized by category
5. Follow-up system — post-event reviews and anniversary reminders
6. Proposal tracking — quotes sent and their close rate

Core Objects for an Event Planner CRM#

1. Clients Object

• Name (text)
• Email (email)
• Phone (phone)
• Source (enum: Website, Referral, Social Media, Venue Visit, Repeat Client)
• Referred By (text)
• Status (enum: Inquiry, Active, Booked, Past Client)
• Notes (richtext)

2. Events Object

• Event Name (text)
• Client (relation → Clients)
• Event Type (enum: Wedding, Corporate, Gala, Birthday, Anniversary, Conference, Product Launch, Fundraiser)
• Event Date (date)
• Venue (text)
• Guest Count (number)
• Budget (number)
• Contract Value (number)
• Status (enum: Inquiry → Proposal Sent → Contracted → Planning → Event Complete → Invoiced → Closed)
• Lead Planner (text)
• Notes (richtext)

3. Vendors Object

• Company Name (text)
• Category (enum: Catering, Photography, Videography, Floral, AV/Lighting, Entertainment, Transportation, Hair/Makeup, Decor)
• Primary Contact (text)
• Email (email)
• Phone (phone)
• Tier (enum: Preferred, Good, Backup)
• Last Used (date)
• Rating (enum: Excellent, Good, Average, Do Not Use)
• Notes (richtext)

4. Inquiries Object (pre-booking pipeline)

• Name (text)
• Event Type (enum)
• Event Date (date)
• Guest Count (number)
• Budget Range (text)
• Email (email)
• Phone (phone)
• Status (enum: New → Responded → Consultation Scheduled → Proposal Sent → Booked → Lost)
• Notes (richtext)

Booking Pipeline Management#

Use Kanban view on your Events or Inquiries object. Your pipeline becomes visual:

Inquiry → Consultation → Proposal → Contracted → Planning → Delivered

Key queries to run weekly:

• "Show me all events in the next 60 days that still need vendor confirmation"
• "Which proposals haven't gotten a response in over 2 weeks?"
• "How many events do we have booked this quarter?"
• "Show me all inquiries from this week sorted by event date"

Set up a Monday morning briefing: "Every Monday, show me all events in the next 4 weeks with their status and lead planner."

Vendor Relationship Management#

Your vendor network is a competitive advantage. DenchClaw keeps it organized:

• "Show me all preferred photographers available in Chicago"
• "Which caterers have we used more than 5 times?"
• "Which vendors have a 'Do Not Use' rating?" — important to check before re-booking

After every event, update vendor ratings in their entry document: log what went well, what went wrong, and any notes for future use.

Client Anniversary and Repeat Business Campaigns#

Weddings generate anniversary follow-ups. Corporate clients have annual events. Track these:

1. Use the Event Date field to run anniversary queries
2. Ask DenchClaw each year: "Show me all wedding clients whose anniversary is this month"
3. Set up annual reminders: "Every January 1, send me a list of wedding clients married in the previous year"

Draft anniversary outreach: "Write a personal anniversary note to the Johnson wedding clients — they booked with us for their June wedding, it was a 200-person outdoor reception."

Post-Event Review Collection#

Reviews and testimonials drive new inquiries. Build a post-event follow-up system:

1. Add a "Review Requested" date field and "Review Received" boolean to the Events object
2. Create a saved view: "Review Follow-ups" — filter Event Complete = true AND Review Received = false
3. Ask DenchClaw weekly: "Which clients completed events in the last 30 days who haven't left a review?"
4. Draft review request emails: "Write a post-event follow-up email to the Garcia wedding — their event was last Saturday, it went beautifully, ask for a Google review and a testimonial"

Proposal and Revenue Analytics#

Track your business performance:

• "What's our inquiry-to-booking conversion rate this year?"
• "What's the average contract value by event type?"
• "Which event types generate the most revenue?"
• "Show me our busiest months historically"

See also: DenchClaw's calendar view for visualizing your event schedule and natural language queries for business analytics.

Frequently Asked Questions#

Can DenchClaw replace HoneyBook or Dubsado for event planners?#

HoneyBook and Dubsado include contract signing, invoice management, and client portals. DenchClaw is focused on CRM and pipeline management. For solo planners or small firms who want a simpler, more customizable CRM without the full workflow suite, DenchClaw is a strong fit. For firms that need integrated invoicing and contracts, DenchClaw works well alongside HoneyBook.

How do I track multiple vendors assigned to the same event?#

Create a Vendor Assignments object with fields: Event (relation → Events), Vendor (relation → Vendors), Role (text), Status (enum: Confirmed, Tentative, Cancelled). This lets you see all vendors for each event and all events each vendor is assigned to.

Can I track venue-specific bookings if I'm a venue owner?#

Yes. Create a Venues object (if you manage multiple spaces) or simply add room/space fields to your Events object. Track which spaces are booked on which dates. Ask DenchClaw: "Is the ballroom available on September 20?"

How do I handle deposits and payment schedules?#

DenchClaw is a CRM, not an invoicing system. Track payment schedule milestones (Deposit Due date, Final Payment date) as fields on your Events object. For actual invoicing, use QuickBooks or your accounting software. DenchClaw links naturally to both.

What's the best way to track multi-day or complex events?#

Create a main Event record for the overall event, then sub-event records (or a Tasks object) for each component: rehearsal dinner, day-of timeline, post-event wrap-up. Link sub-events to the main event via relation fields.

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