Keeping an approved document register for your event
A supplier says the committee approved the layout, and nobody can show which version or when.
The short answer
An approved document register is a short list of every controlled document with its approved version, the person who approved it, the date and the people who were told.
It answers one question quickly: what is the current signed-off version of this document, and can I prove it?
What belongs in the register
Register documents that others act on: programme, floor plan, run sheet, budget, speaker agreements, supplier scopes, the signage list and any printed or published material.
Leave out working drafts and notes. The register is for what has been signed off, so keep it short enough to read in a minute.
Approval is a decision, so record it like one
- Name the approver by role and by person.
- State the exact version approved, not just the title.
- Record how approval was given: committee minute, signed page or written reply.
- Note any conditions, such as approved subject to a venue check.
Approved is not the same as issued
A document can be approved and still not sent. Keep separate dates for approval and for issue, and log who received it.
This shows you the gap in which a supplier might still be working from an older version.
Superseded and withdrawn versions
When a new version is approved, mark the old one as superseded in the same entry and link the two. Do not delete the earlier line.
Use the version history for the detail of each change and the register for the current position.
Using the register at the end
- Check every approved line has a named recipient and an acknowledgement.
- Compare the register with the files actually in the master folder.
- Pass the register into the decision log and the handover pack so the next edition knows what was signed off.
- Ask your data protection contact how long the register and the approvals should be kept.
Worked example · Fictional example
A floor plan approved twice
Fictional organisation and figures, for illustration only.
A fictional pharmacists' society plans a one-day conference for about 300 delegates. The committee approves floor plan version 03 at its March meeting. In April the chair verbally agrees a change to the registration desk position.
Because the register shows version 03 as the only approved plan, the secretariat asks the chair to confirm the change in writing, issues version 04, records the chair as approver with the date, marks version 03 as superseded and sends version 04 to the venue and the registration supplier for acknowledgement.
Use this yourself
Approved document register
Copy this table into the master folder. Add one row per document version approved.
- Document and version number
- Approved by (role and name) and date
- How approval was given and reference
- Conditions attached
- Issued on, and to whom
- Acknowledged by recipient? Date
- Status: current / superseded / withdrawn
- Replaced by version
| Document | Version | Approved by, date | Evidence | Issued to, date | Acknowledged | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Floor plan | 03 | Committee, 12 Mar | Minute 4.2 | Venue, 14 Mar | Yes | Superseded by 04 |
| Floor plan | 04 | Chair, 22 Apr | Email 22 Apr | Venue, registration supplier, 23 Apr | Venue yes, supplier chased | Current |
| Programme | 07 | Programme lead, 2 May | Signed page | MC, AV, 3 May | Yes | Current |
Open the tool: Conference materials and translation-version checker
Handle it in-house, or bring in help?
Your team can usually handle this when
- The secretariat attends every approval meeting and can fill the register as decisions are made.
- Few documents are controlled and approvals are always in writing.
Outside planning help earns its fee when
- Approvals are given in several channels and the committee cannot show what was signed off.
- A supplier dispute depends on proving which version was approved.
Need the register kept for you?
A conference project lead can keep the approved document register current, chase acknowledgements from suppliers and bring it to each committee meeting. What is approved remains your committee's decision.
Questions organisers ask
Does the register replace the minutes?
No. The minutes record the discussion and the decision. The register records which exact version was approved and who was told, so it points back to the minute.
Is an email reply enough as approval?
That depends on your own governing rules. Record the email reference and check with your committee or constitution whether written approval needs to be formal.
How long should we keep the register?
Ask your data protection contact and check any contract terms. Keep it at least until the event, final payments and handover are complete.
Related resources
Content record: Draft. Written from the cited sources and checked by automated rules; not yet independently reviewed.