About EventPlans.ca

EventPlans.ca is an encyclopedia of event planning written for Toronto and the GTA. It explains how events actually come together here, from the permit you need for a backyard bar to the occupant load of a downtown ballroom, and it costs nothing to use.

What you will find here

The site is organised around the questions people ask while they plan, not around who is paying to be seen. Each section does one job.

• The Encyclopedia defines the terms planners, venues and vendors use, from banquet event orders to load-in windows, in plain language with Ontario context.
• The Tools are calculators and templates you can use on the spot: budgets, bar quantities, venue capacity, tent sizes, run of show and more.
• The Directory and Venues list GTA vendors and spaces with the details that matter when you compare them, such as capacities, ceiling heights and price ranges.
• The Academy is a free course in event planning, with lessons, worksheets, quizzes and a final exam.
• Plan walks you through an event step by step, and Get quotes lets you send one brief to suitable vendors.

Why local matters

General event advice tends to skip the parts that cause trouble here. A Special Occasion Permit from the AGCO has its own lead times. Vendors usually quote before 13% HST, and hotels often add a service charge on food and beverage that is itself taxed. Toronto’s noise bylaw is stricter late at night, and an outdoor amplified-sound exemption takes weeks to process. Tents above a certain size need a building permit.

These details decide whether an event runs smoothly, so we write them into every guide and lesson where they apply, and we name the body that sets the rule so you can check it yourself.

Who it is for

Some readers plan one event in their life and want to get it right. Others plan for a living and want a quick reference, a template to adapt, or a lesson to hand to a new coordinator. We try to serve both: short answers at the top of each page, depth further down.

If you are a vendor or venue, the site is also a place to be found on the strength of clear, honest information. Basic listings are free; see submit a listing.

How the site stays free

Readers never pay. The site is supported by clearly labelled featured listings and sponsorships. Those never buy a place in the Encyclopedia, the Academy or our guides, and they never change how ordinary listings are ordered. The rules are set out in the editorial policy.

Because the founder is a working performer who owns entertainment companies that also appear in the Directory, we hold ourselves to a strict disclosure rule. You will find it described below, and you will see the disclosure on every one of those listings.

What this site is not

We are not a regulator, a law firm or an accountant. Our guides explain how rules work in practice and point to the source, but the AGCO, the City of Toronto, your municipality, the fire authority and the CRA have the final word. When a figure can change, such as a permit fee, we say so and tell you where to confirm it.

We are also not perfect. If you spot an error, an outdated price or a broken link, please tell us through the contact page. Corrections are noted on the page that changed. Suggestions for new topics are welcome too.

EventPlans.ca is a free, independent reference for planning events in Canada, from a child’s first birthday to a 2,000-person conference. We write for the person holding the clipboard: parents, couples, executive assistants, HR leads, non-profit volunteers and professional planners.

Mission

Most event advice online is either American, generic, or a sales page in disguise. We wanted one place with Canadian specifics (Ontario permits, AGCO liquor rules, HST, metric and Celsius, our holidays) that ends every page with a practical next step: a checklist, a template or the related guide.

Who writes this

EventPlans.ca was founded by Dan Kranstz, a Toronto illusionist and entertainment entrepreneur who has spent years on the other side of the planner’s brief: performing at trade show booths, private estate parties, corporate galas and a TEDx stage. Contributors include working planners, venue managers, caterers and performers across the GTA. Write for us.

Ownership disclosure

The founder owns or operates several companies that appear in the Directory and in examples: Entertainmentverse, Magic Magic and Circus Universe. Each of those listings carries a visible disclosure and is ranked by the same criteria as every other listing. Where a category is still made up only of those listings, the category page says so at the top and invites independent businesses to list free. See the editorial policy.

Contact

Corrections, partnerships and press: contact page. Advertising: rate card.