Preferred vendor list · Free template

A preferred vendor list your team will keep up to date

A preferred vendor list is the short list of vendors you’ve hired, trust and would recommend for the next event. Here’s what to put on it, how to build one, and a free template to start from.

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Free, no email needed. Also as a .csv of the Preferred vendors tab.

Example rows. Delete them and add your own.

What it is

Preferred, required and approved aren’t the same list.

Clients and vendors mix these up. Say which one yours is at the top of the list.

Planners, agencies, venues

Preferred

Vendors you recommend. The client can still bring someone else.

Mostly venues

Required or exclusive

The client has to hire from this list, often for catering or AV, because of the space’s rules.

Companies and schools

Approved

Vendors that passed purchasing checks, such as insurance and tax forms, before anyone can pay them.

What to put on it

Enough to hire them again without searching Gmail.

Group vendors by role so a client or a new teammate finds a florist in seconds. Add one line on why each vendor is on the list. That line is what people read.

The template’s Client copy tab fills itself from your list and leaves out prices, tiers and COI dates, so you can send it as it is.

  • Company
  • Name
  • Role
  • Location
  • Email
  • Phone
  • Website
  • Instagram
  • Price
  • Tier
  • Why we recommend them
  • COI ends
  • Last event
The Client copy tab: no prices or internal notes.

How to build one

Five steps to a list people use.

  1. Start from vendors you’ve hired

    Go through the last year of events. Only add vendors someone on your team has worked with.

  2. Group them by role

    Florals, catering, AV, rentals, photo. Two or three per role is plenty for most clients.

  3. Write why each one is there

    One line, such as “Runs her own installs.” It tells a client more than a star rating.

  4. Check their insurance

    Note when each vendor’s certificate of insurance ends, and ask for a new one before it lapses.

  5. Review it after every event

    Add who was great. Take off anyone you wouldn’t hire again, before a client books them.

More on certificates in COI tracking for event vendors.

fora.DashboardContactsVenuesProjectsContacts 18 of 212+ Add contactSearch vendors, reps, past projects…Tier PreferredLocation New York, NYClear allMTMia TorresFloristAtelier Floral DesignNew York, NYTPTheo ParkAV & lightingLumen AVNew York, NYNANina AlvarezVenue managerThe GlasshouseNew York, NYSLSarah LinPhotographerSarah Lin StudioNew York, NYDRDana ReyesCatererBellweather CateringNew York, NYJKJune KimRentalsTableau RentalsNew York, NY

Keep it in Fora

“Everyone just goes into their Gmail and searches.”

What event teams tell us

Mark a vendor Preferred once. Your whole team sees it.

Filter by Preferred, role and place to pull the list for any event. Each vendor shows the projects they worked and whether their COI covers the next date.

Questions

Preferred vendor list questions

What is a preferred vendor list?

It’s a short list of vendors a planner, agency, production company or venue has hired before and recommends, grouped by category, with contact details and a line on why each one is there. Clients can still hire someone else unless the list is required.

What’s the difference between a preferred and an approved vendor list?

A preferred list is a recommendation. An approved vendor list is a purchasing rule at companies and schools: only vendors that passed checks such as insurance and tax forms can be paid. Some venues also have a required or exclusive list, which clients must hire from.

What should a preferred vendor list include?

Role, company, contact name, email, phone, website, price range, one line on why you recommend them, and when their certificate of insurance ends. Keep prices and internal notes off the copy you send to clients.

How do vendors get on a venue’s preferred vendor list?

Mostly by doing great work at events there: arriving on time, knowing the venue’s load-in rules and being easy for the client to work with. Ask the venue or planner what they need, and have your certificate of insurance ready. Planners who use Fora can send you an invite link to add your details and files.

Should a preferred vendor list include insurance?

Yes. Recommending a vendor whose insurance has ended puts the client and the venue at risk. Note when each certificate ends, and ask for one that names the event before each event.

Can I import my preferred vendor list into Fora?

Yes. Fora imports .xlsx and .csv files. Match each column once, and the template’s Tier column marks every vendor Preferred, so your team can filter for them by role and place. The free plan holds up to 25 records with no credit card.

More for event teams

Your list, always current

Keep your preferred vendors where your whole team can find them.

Bring the template or your own spreadsheet. It imports in minutes.