A BEO (banquet event order) is a single document that tells everyone at the venue exactly what is happening at one event: who the client is, how many guests are coming, what is being served, how the room is set up, who is working, and what the schedule is. The kitchen, bar, setup crew and front-of-house all work from it.
It is also called an event order, a function sheet or an event sheet, depending on the venue. The name matters less than the habit: one current version, issued to every department, with changes tracked.
What does a BEO include?
A good BEO answers the questions each department would otherwise have to ask the event manager. The sections below match the order used in our free template.
| Section | What goes in it | Who relies on it |
|---|---|---|
| Event details | Client, contact, event name, date, room, guaranteed guest count, onsite contact, load-in | Everyone |
| Timeline | Times for arrival, ceremony, dinner, toasts, dancing, last call, end | Floor team, kitchen, DJ |
| Menu | Each course and the items in it | Kitchen, servers |
| Dietary counts | Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, nut allergy, dairy-free, other | Kitchen, servers |
| Beverage | Bar package, wines, cutoffs, who may serve | Bar manager |
| Room setup | Layout, tables, linens, head table, dance floor, signage | Setup crew |
| AV and equipment | Microphone, projector, lighting, vendor load-in | AV tech, client vendors |
| Staffing | Roles and counts: servers, bartenders, setup, security | Operations manager |
| Billing reference | Proposal or invoice number, deposit status, what is paid and due | Event manager, accounting |
| Approvals | Signatures and dates | Client, event manager |
Not every event needs every section. A corporate lunch has no first dance. Leave sections blank rather than deleting them, so the layout stays familiar to staff.
Who reads a BEO, and what do they need from it?
Each reader looks for one or two things. Write for the person in a hurry.
- Kitchen: the guaranteed count, the menu by course, dietary counts, and service times.
- Bar: the package, the start and last-call times, and any restrictions you have agreed.
- Setup crew: the room layout, table count, linens, and when the room must be ready.
- Servers and captains: the timeline, the table numbers, and who the client contact is.
- Operations: staffing counts and any vendor with a load-in window.
Put the information each reader needs where they will see it first. A buried allergy count is the kind of error a BEO exists to prevent.
How is a BEO different from a proposal or contract?
The three documents answer different questions, and mixing them causes trouble.
- A proposal says what the venue offers and at what price. The client is deciding.
- A contract records the agreement and its legal terms. Both sides are bound.
- A BEO says how the agreed event will run. The team executes it.
Keep prices out of the version of the BEO that goes to the kitchen and floor staff, other than a reference to the billing record. The staff don't need them, and a BEO that circulates widely shouldn't carry financial details.
Your deposit and payment terms belong in the contract, and the BEO only needs to say whether the deposit and payments are current.
How do I write a BEO, step by step?
- Start from the signed proposal or contract. The BEO must match what was sold: date, room, guest estimate, package.
- Fill in the event details. Confirm names, the onsite contact's mobile number, and load-in time with the client.
- Build the timeline backward from the end. Work from the contracted end time and last call, then place dinner, toasts and entertainment. Add setup and breakdown as separate lines for staff.
- List the menu course by course. Use the same names the client used when they chose.
- Record dietary counts as numbers. "Three vegetarian, one nut allergy" beats "some dietary needs".
- Describe the room setup in terms the crew can follow. Reference a floor plan if you have one.
- Set the staffing. Roles and counts, with shift start times.
- Add the billing reference and approvals. Give the version a number and an issue date.
- Issue it, then lock it. Send the same version to every department and the client, and say when changes close.
What does a finished BEO look like?
Here is the shape of a short one, with invented details. The free template produces a formatted version of the same fields.
BEO 2041 · Version 2 · Issued 14 June
Event: Wedding reception (example)
Date: Saturday 20 June · Room: Garden Hall · Guaranteed guests: 120
Onsite contact: event manager, 555-0100
Load-in: florist and DJ from 1:00 pm
Timeline
4:30 pm Guests arrive, passed appetizers
5:30 pm Seated dinner begins
7:00 pm Toasts
7:30 pm Dancing
10:30 pm Last call
11:00 pm Event ends
Menu
First course: seasonal salad
Main: choice of chicken or vegetable risotto
Dessert: cake cutting, coffee
Dietary: 6 vegetarian · 2 gluten-free · 1 nut allergy (table 4)
Staffing: 8 servers · 3 bartenders · 1 captain · 2 setup
Every name, time and count here is made up. The point is the structure: a reader can find what they need in a few seconds.
How should I handle changes after the BEO is issued?
Treat the BEO as a controlled document. Changes happen, so give them a process:
- Number each version and show the issue date on every page.
- Mark what changed, so staff don't have to compare two versions.
- Set a cutoff after which only the venue manager may approve changes.
- Collect the final guest count by an agreed date. Many contracts call this the guarantee, and when it falls is a decision for your venue. State the number of days in your contract and repeat it in the BEO.
- Recall old versions. Print copies at the pass should be the current one.
Clients also change their minds about menu items after they've seen the guaranteed count. Spell out whether a late change is free, charged or refused, and point to the same terms as your cancellation and change policy.
What mistakes does a BEO prevent?
A BEO won't stop every problem, but it is the cheapest defense against the common ones: a vegetarian count that never reached the kitchen, a DJ who arrives before the room is ready, a bar opened an hour early because nobody wrote down the start time. Each of these is a failure of information, not of effort.