Who does what: client, project lead and suppliers
You want responsibilities written down before work starts, so nothing falls between you, a project lead and the suppliers.
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The short answer
The client decides and approves. The project lead plans, coordinates and keeps decisions and actions visible. Specialist suppliers deliver their own technical and operational work. Most problems on an event start where two of these assume the other has a task.
Write the split down for every area of the event before work starts, and keep one accountable name against each line. The table below is a starting point to adapt.
The three roles in one sentence each
- Client: owns the event, its purpose, the programme, the budget and every approval.
- Project lead: owns the plan and the follow-through, within a written scope, without taking over decisions that belong to the client.
- Specialist suppliers: own the delivery of their service and answer for it under their own contract.
Responsibility table
| Area | Client | Project lead | Specialist suppliers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purpose, audience and programme | Decides and approves | Records decisions, flags gaps | Not applicable |
| Speakers and content | Selects and approves | Tracks invitations, briefs and deadlines | Not applicable |
| Budget and contracts | Approves, signs and pays | Prepares comparisons and keeps the budget position current | Quote, contract and invoice |
| Venue selection | Approves the choice | Writes requirements, compares proposals, coordinates site questions | Venue provides facilities and confirms in writing |
| Audio-visual, staging and streaming | Approves the supplier and the brief | Coordinates handovers and checks the plan against the programme | Design, supply and operate |
| Catering | Approves menus and numbers | Coordinates dietary information and timings | Prepare and serve |
| Registration and delegate data | Owns the data and the policy | Sets the process steps with the supplier | Operate the registration system |
| Delegate and speaker communications | Approves messages | Keeps the communications calendar and drafts | Send through their systems where appointed |
| Sponsors and exhibitors | Owns the relationships and commitments | Keeps a delivery checklist for what has been promised | Supply their own materials and staff |
| Legal, safety, accessibility and permits | Obtains answers from the qualified party | Lists the questions and records the answers | Advise within their own field |
| On-site coordination | Attends and decides | Present as agreed in the scope | Run their own areas |
| Reporting and handover | Reviews and confirms | Prepares reports and handover documents | Provide their closing documents |
Boundaries worth stating plainly
- A project lead does not replace a qualified adviser on legal, safety, accessibility, privacy or accreditation questions.
- A project lead does not supply technical production. That belongs to the suppliers you appoint.
- Sponsor and ticket sales are not part of the service. Coordinating what has been promised to sponsors is.
- On-site presence and authority to commit money are set in the written scope, never assumed.
One accountable name per line
A line with two accountable people has none. A line with none will be found out on the day. Use the responsibility matrix builder to mark who is responsible, accountable, consulted and informed for each task, and to see lines with no owner or two.
Anonymised role labels work when names are sensitive or still undecided.
Keeping it current
Review the table at each milestone and whenever a supplier is added or a person changes role. Record changes in the decision log so the history is clear. See how an engagement works.
Worked example · Fictional example
A fictional gap in who sends reminders
Fictional organisation and figures, for illustration only.
At a fictional pharmacists' forum, the registration supplier assumes the secretariat sends payment reminders, and the secretariat assumes the supplier's system does. A week before the event, 40 delegates have registered and not paid.
The project lead finds the gap in a review of the matrix, where the line 'payment reminders' shows no owner. The client assigns it to the secretariat, the supplier supplies the list of unpaid delegates, and the matrix now names both.
Use this yourself
Responsibility matrix rows to copy
Add one row per task. Use R for responsible, A for accountable, C for consulted and I for informed. Aim for exactly one A per row.
| Task | Client | Project lead | Supplier (name the type) | Decision date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Approve the programme | A | I | - | Date |
| Write the venue brief | C | A and R | - | Date |
| Operate the registration system | A | C | R | Date |
| Send payment reminders | A | C | R | Date |
Handle it in-house, or bring in help?
Your team can usually handle this when
- Your team is small, the roles are clear and suppliers are few.
- One person can hold the whole matrix and keep it current.
- You have worked with the same suppliers before.
Outside planning help earns its fee when
- Several committees or departments each assume someone else owns a task.
- You are adding a project lead and need the boundary written down.
- Procurement wants to see who is accountable for what.
Want the split written for your event?
If your event has overlapping owners or tasks nobody holds, a project lead can draft the responsibility matrix from your brief, mark the lines with no owner and keep it current through delivery. Send the list of areas you are unsure about.
Questions organisers ask
Who is accountable if a supplier fails?
The supplier answers for its own service under its contract. The project lead coordinates the response, and the client decides on any consequences.
Can the project lead sign contracts?
Authority to commit money or sign is set in the written scope. The default is that the client approves and signs.
Does this table apply to staff events?
The structure does. For staff events, add HR and the executive sponsor as clients. See staff and internal events.
Where can I see a worked example?
The sample planning pack shows responsibility matrix rows in context. It is fictional.
Related resources
Content record: Draft. Written from the cited sources and checked by automated rules; not yet independently reviewed.