Time Tracking for Event Planners
Event planners work across concept, venue sourcing, vendor coordination, logistics, and on-site delivery - often on flat fees where the real time cost is invisible until the event is over. Without accurate time records, fixed-fee events erode margin quietly, scope changes go unpriced, and the next quote is another guess. Sandtime.io lets you log time per event and phase as you work, tracks hours against fee estimates in real time, and gives you the data to price future events based on what planning actually takes.
Event Planners: why they choose Sandtime.io
Track time by event and phase
Assign every hour to the right event and phase - concept, venue sourcing, vendor coordination, logistics, on-site, and post-event wrap - as you work. Know exactly what each event is costing in time before the final invoice goes out.
Know your real rate on fixed-fee events
See how many hours a flat-fee event has consumed. Know your real effective rate on fixed-fee work and use actual data to quote future events - not memory and optimism from the last time.
Check hours against the fee estimate
A report grouped by project shows the hours each event has used so far. Compare them with the hours your fee assumed, and flag scope changes while there is still time to reprice.
Invoice without rebuilding the week
Pull invoice-ready time logs by event or client at the end of each phase or project. No reconstructing vendor calls, site visits, and coordination hours from a calendar and inbox.
How an event planner tracks time per event
An event planner sets up Sandtime.io with a project per event, split into phases such as concept, vendor coordination and on-site delivery when the fee covers several stages. Logging calls, venue visits and event-day hours against it shows the real hourly rate on a flat fee and gives real numbers for the next quote.
- Open a project when the event is bookedName it after the client and the event date, and add phase projects only for events large enough to need them. Pitches and proposals for events you have not won yet go on a non-billable project.
- Bring in freelancers and assistants for the eventInvite on-site assistants and freelance coordinators as Users and assign them to that event only. There is no per-user fee, so a team that grows for a big weekend costs nothing extra to add.
- Log on the move, then fill the gapsStart timers from the phone app during venue visits and on the event day, and add vendor calls and emails afterwards with their start and end times. Overlap detection flags an entry that clashes with another one.
- Wrap up with a report per eventAfter the event, group a report by project and member to see total hours per phase and per person. Export it to Excel or CSV for the final invoice or for pricing the next event of the same size.
Step by step in the help center: invite the team with the right role, approve a week from the email, and turn on auto-locking.
Common use cases
- Log time per event and phase as planning progresses
- Track vendor coordination, site visits, and client meetings separately
- Know the effective hourly rate on flat-fee and day-rate events
- Monitor hours against fee estimates to catch scope changes early
- Pull billing summaries per client or event at the end of each phase
- Separate billable planning work from non-billable pitching and admin
Key features
One-click timers
Start timing when a task begins and stop it when you move on. One click logs to the right event and phase without breaking your flow.
Retroactive time entry
Add vendor calls, site visits, or coordination hours after the fact with a note. Nothing is lost because you were on site or juggling multiple events.
Multiple events at once
Track multiple active events simultaneously. Switch between clients without losing time on any of them.
Export and report
Pull time reports by project or date range. Export to CSV for invoicing, client reporting, or quoting future work.
Where Sandtime.io stops
Better to know before you invite the team. These are the gaps people in this line of work ask about most.
- No invoicingSandtime.io does not send invoices. The Invoices report template lists time, rate, net revenue, tax, and total per project, and you export it to Excel or CSV for your billing software.
- No project budgetsThere is no budget field or budget alert. A report grouped by project shows hours, cost, and revenue so far, and you compare them with the estimate yourself.
- Reminders are a weekly emailThe fill-timesheet reminder is one email, sent on Friday at 6 PM while auto-locking is on. It is off by default, so each member switches it on in their notification settings.
Keep exploring
Continue with the most relevant Sandtime.io pages for this topic.
Track breaks and other non-billable time
Sandtime.io has no dedicated break timer. Non-billable projects with the Billable switch off keep breaks in your timesheet and out of what you bill.
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Open pageCost
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