Purchase terms for an events company hiring venues and suppliers

An events company promises a client a day that depends on a venue, a caterer, a sound engineer and a band, none of whom the company employs. Purchase terms have to make the company's booking terms govern the supplier, decide whether the company books as agent or principal, run deposits and cancellation in both directions, require suppliers to perform on the day and to be insured and safe, and deal with force majeure without leaving the company holding the client's loss. I draft those terms for a fixed fee of £995, delivered in five working days.

Who this is for

Event management companies, wedding planners, conference organisers and event agencies in England and Wales booking venues, caterers, production, entertainment, crew and hire on behalf of clients or for their own events. These are business-to-business terms for the buyer's side.

What matters in an events company's purchase terms

Agent or principal, and whose contract it is

The terms should say whether the company books suppliers as agent for its client, so that the supplier's contract is with the client and the company is not liable for the client's payment, or as principal, so that the company is the customer and recharges the client. Many companies do both, and the terms should make the booking form say which for each supplier, because the answer decides who the supplier sues when the client does not pay.

Your terms and the supplier's paperwork

Venues and suppliers send their own terms, often with cancellation scales that favour them, and the terms should say that bookings are on the company's terms unless the company agrees the supplier's in writing, that the company's booking confirmation governs, and that variations bind only in writing. Where a venue insists on its own contract, the company should know which of its terms it is giving up.

Cancellation both ways and postponement

The terms should set a cancellation scale the company can live with, allow postponement to a new date without charge where notice is given by a stated point, and provide that a supplier who cancels refunds all sums paid and pays the reasonable additional cost of a replacement. Force majeure should be defined narrowly, allow postponement rather than cancellation where possible, and say what is refunded where the event cannot take place.

Performance on the day, substitution and safety

Suppliers should perform the services described in the booking with reasonable care and skill, arrive and set up at the stated times, not substitute personnel, acts or equipment without the company's consent, and comply with the venue's rules and the company's event safety plan under section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The terms should require public liability insurance at stated levels, risk assessments for the supplier's activities, and the licences the supplier's activity needs, such as a premises licence or temporary event notice under the Licensing Act 2003 for a bar.

Deposits, payment, data and liability

Deposits should be no more than needed to secure the date and refundable where the supplier cancels, with the balance payable after the event or as agreed and interest under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 applying as the terms provide. Guest lists and dietary information are personal data under the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, and the supplier should process them only for the event. The supplier's liability should not be capped below the cost of a replacement and the company's losses to its client, and the supplier should indemnify the company for claims arising from its negligence.

What it costs

Customer or supplier terms and conditions, £995. One set of terms, customer-facing or supplier-facing, drafted for your business. Five working days.

Review of your existing terms, £495. You already have terms and want them checked and brought up to date. Returned marked up with my amendments and an explanation of the changes. Three working days.

Email me at geoffrey@caesar.co.uk with what you need and any documents, and I will confirm the scope and the fee in writing, usually the same working day.

What you get

• A full set of bespoke terms drafted for your business, reflecting the legal requirements that apply to your business and sector
• A note in plain English explaining the terms I have drafted for you
• Liability, payment, termination and IP provisions that protect your position and are drafted to withstand scrutiny from the other side
• Guidance on how to incorporate the terms properly
• Your questions and comments answered by email or phone
• One round of amendments to finalise the terms ready for use

What is not included

• Negotiating your terms with individual customers (I am happy to quote for this as an additional service if required)
• Sector-specific regulatory compliance beyond the contract terms themselves
• Website privacy notice and cookie compliance, which I quote separately
• Terms governed by the law of another country
• Tax advice

Questions I am often asked

A caterer cancelled a week before the event. What can we recover?

If the terms require a cancelling supplier to refund all sums and pay the reasonable extra cost of a replacement, both. Document the replacement cost and the notice you had.

We booked a venue as agent for our client and the client has not paid. Is the venue our problem?

If the booking form said the company booked as agent and the terms say the contract is between the client and the venue, the venue's claim is against the client. Make sure the booking paperwork says so every time.

A supplier sent a different DJ from the one booked. Can we reduce the fee?

If the terms prohibit substitution without consent, the supplier is in breach and the fee can be reduced to reflect the difference in value, with the client's complaint as evidence. The terms should say substitution needs consent in writing.

Related guidance and services

• Terms and conditions drafting, £995, the service this page describes
• Contract review, £495
• Terms and conditions for a wedding planner

This page is general guidance for businesses in England and Wales, not advice on your own circumstances. Last reviewed: September 2026. Email geoffrey@caesar.co.uk.