Event Contracts, Vendor Agreements and Waivers for Event Planners
Corporate retreats, galas, festivals, birthday parties: every event has a client, a venue, a dozen vendors and a date that will not move. Event planners are the ones holding all of those agreements together. Codec Document helps you get client contracts, vendor agreements and attendee waivers signed quickly, by everyone who needs to sign, with a clear record of each.
One event, twenty signatures, one deadline
A mid-sized corporate event can require a client agreement signed by two executives, a venue contract, a caterer, an AV company, transportation, entertainment and, for anything active, participant waivers. Chasing those signatures by email attachment is where planners lose days they do not have. And when one vendor cancels, the planner who can pull up the signed agreement in a minute is the one who solves the problem instead of arguing about it.
How it helps event planners
Client contracts with multiple approvers
Corporate clients often need two signatures. Each approver gets their own link, and you see who is still pending.
Vendor agreements you send in minutes
Arrival times, deliverables, cancellation terms and insurance requirements for every vendor, signed and stored with the event.
Participant waivers before the event
For activities with physical risk, attendees sign waivers from their phones before they arrive, not on a clipboard at the door.
Everything filed by event
All agreements for an event in one place, so you can answer any question from the client or a vendor on the day.
Liability waivers are not enforceable everywhere in the same way
Whether a participant waiver protects you depends on the state. Some states will not enforce a waiver of liability for gross negligence, and a few restrict pre-injury waivers much more broadly; Louisiana Civil Code article 2004, for example, voids clauses that exclude liability for physical injury. A waiver should be clear, conspicuous and specific about the activity. Electronic signatures on waivers and contracts are valid under the ESIGN Act, 15 U.S.C. § 7001, which means the question is always the content of the waiver, not the fact that it was signed on a phone.
The caterer who cancelled on Thursday
An event planner in Illinois lost her caterer two days before a 200-person corporate dinner. Her signed vendor agreement required 30 days notice for cancellation and a refund of the deposit plus a stated penalty. With the agreement on her phone, she recovered the deposit within the week and used it toward a replacement caterer. The client never knew there had been a problem, which is what event planning is supposed to look like.
What to put in writing for every event
- The event date, venue, headcount range and the services you will provide.
- Your fee, the deposit and the payment schedule before the event.
- Who signs vendor contracts and who is liable if a vendor fails to perform.
- Cancellation and postponement terms, including force majeure events.
- Insurance requirements for you, the client and each vendor.
- Participant waivers for any activity with physical risk, written for the specific activity.
Questions people ask about this
Can I send waivers to every attendee?
Yes. Bulk sending gives each attendee their own link and their own signed copy, and you can see who has not signed before the event.
Can a corporate client sign with two people?
Yes. Add as many signers as needed; the contract completes when the last one signs.
Do vendors need to create an account?
No. Vendors sign through a link in their browser.
Are electronically signed waivers valid?
The electronic signature is valid under the ESIGN Act. Whether the waiver itself is enforceable depends on its wording and on state law, so keep it clear and specific.