Vendor Management Guide
The vendor management system helps you track all the suppliers and service providers involved in your event. From initial enquiry to final confirmation, Dream Planner keeps your vendor relationships organized.
Adding Vendors to Your Event
To add a vendor:
- Navigate to the Vendors tab of your event.
- Click Add Vendor or the + button.
- Fill in the vendor details:
- Vendor name (required) — The business or individual’s name.
- Category — The type of service they provide (see categories below).
- Contact name — Your point of contact at the vendor.
- Email — Their email address.
- Phone — Their phone number.
- Website — Their website URL.
- Status — Where they are in the booking process.
- Notes — Any additional information, quotes, or special arrangements.
- Click Save.
Vendor Status Flow
Each vendor progresses through a status flow that reflects your booking journey:
Enquired
You have reached out to the vendor but have not received a formal quote yet. This is the starting status for most vendors.
Quoted
The vendor has provided a quote or proposal. You are reviewing their offer and comparing it with other options.
Confirmed
You have booked this vendor for your event. They are locked in and part of your plan.
Cancelled
This vendor is no longer part of your event. Maybe you went with a different option, or the vendor was unavailable.
The typical flow is: Enquired → Quoted → Confirmed
You can change a vendor’s status at any time by editing the vendor and updating the status dropdown.
Tip: Keep vendor statuses up to date so your event overview accurately reflects how many vendors are confirmed. This helps you see at a glance if there are gaps in your vendor lineup.
Vendor Categories
Vendors are organized by category to help you ensure you have all your bases covered:
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Venue | Hotels, banquet halls, outdoor spaces |
| Catering | Caterers, bartenders, cake makers |
| Photography | Photographers, videographers |
| Entertainment | DJs, live bands, MCs, performers |
| Decorations | Florists, lighting designers, prop hire |
| Transport | Car hire, shuttle services |
| Stationery | Invitation designers, printers |
| Attire | Dress shops, tailors, hair and makeup |
| Other | Any vendor that does not fit the above |
Permission Matrix
The permission matrix lets you control what guest information each vendor can access. This is particularly useful when vendors need some guest details (like dietary requirements for a caterer) but should not see everything.
How It Works
For each vendor, you can toggle access to specific guest data fields:
| Permission | What the vendor can see |
|---|---|
| Guest names | The names of your guests |
| Email addresses | Guest email addresses |
| Phone numbers | Guest phone numbers |
| Dietary requirements | Guest dietary needs and allergies |
| RSVP status | Whether each guest has confirmed |
| Notes | Your notes about each guest |
Setting Permissions
- Navigate to the Vendors tab.
- Click on a vendor to view their details.
- Find the Permissions section.
- Toggle each permission on or off.
- Changes are saved automatically.
Common Permission Setups
- Caterer — Enable dietary requirements and guest count. Disable personal contact details.
- Venue — Enable guest names and count for seating arrangements. Disable dietary and contact info.
- Photographer — Enable guest names for group shot lists. Disable everything else.
- DJ/Entertainment — Typically needs minimal guest data. You might only share the guest count.
Tip: Start with minimal permissions and only enable what each vendor genuinely needs. You can always grant more access later. This approach respects your guests’ privacy while ensuring vendors have the information they need to do their job.
Enquiry Flow
Dream Planner connects you directly with vendors through the built-in messaging system.
Sending an Enquiry from a Vendor Profile
- Browse the Vendor Directory from the sidebar.
- Find a vendor and open their profile.
- Click the Enquiry button on the vendor’s profile.
- Select which event the enquiry is for.
- Write your message with event details, dates, and requirements.
- Send the enquiry.
The vendor receives your message in their vendor portal inbox and can reply directly. A message thread is created, tied to your event and that vendor.
Viewing Message Threads from Vendor Management
From the Vendors tab of your event, you can see which vendors you have active conversations with. Navigate to the Messages section to view and continue any conversation.
Event-Type Contextual Vendor Categories
When adding vendors to your event, Dream Planner suggests vendor categories relevant to your event type. For example:
- Wedding events suggest categories like Celebrant, Florist, Photographer, and Attire.
- Corporate events suggest categories like AV/Tech, Catering, and Venue.
- Birthday events suggest Entertainment, Catering, and Decorations.
This helps ensure you do not overlook important vendor types for your specific event.