How It Works

From first budget line
to final audit.

Simplifi structures the entire event budget lifecycle — planning, tracking, approvals, and reporting — in one connected system. Here's exactly how it works.

Phase 01
Plan
Structured intake, templates, versioning
Phase 02
Track
Real-time expenses, variance alerts
Phase 03
Approve & Close
Workflows, audit trail, reconciliation
1

Plan — Every event starts structured.

Use guided intake or a template to create a complete budget before anything is spent. Every event in your portfolio follows the same structure, making reporting and comparison consistent across the board.

Step 1.1

Create the Event

Enter event details — name, date, location, attendee count, department, and strategic goal. These fields are standardized so every event is comparable.

Step 1.2

Select a Template or Build from Scratch

Choose from the template library (Sales Kickoff, Conference, Executive Summit, etc.) or build custom budget lines. Categories are enforced for portfolio consistency.

Step 1.3

Set Budget Lines and Targets

Allocate spend across categories. Set variance thresholds per line. Attach strategic goals — leads, pipeline, attendance — that will track through to the ROI report.

Step 1.4

Submit for Approval

Once built, the budget moves into the approval workflow automatically. The right approvers are notified based on your DOA policy — no manual routing needed.

Event Details
Name, date, attendees
Budget Template
Category structure
Line Allocation
Amounts + thresholds
Submit for Approval
Auto-routed by DOA
2

Track — Every dollar. In real time.

As expenses come in, they're logged against the approved budget. Finance and the event team always see the same numbers — eliminating the version problem entirely.

Step 2.1

Log Expenses

Upload receipts, scan documents, or import via CSV. Each expense is extracted, categorized, and matched to the right event and budget line.

Step 2.2

Watch Variances Emerge

Budget vs actual updates in real time. Categories trending over threshold trigger alerts before the breach — not after.

Step 2.3

Flag and Escalate

Over-threshold items automatically route for approval before further spend is authorized. Accountability is built into the workflow.

Step 2.4

Shared Real-Time View

Finance, events, and leadership all see the same dashboard. No separate reports, no manual updates — one live source of truth.

Live Tracking · Product Launch Q2 2026
Budget vs Actual
Expenses
Alerts
Venue & AV
Budget $45,000Actual $44,200–1.8%
On Track
Catering & F&B
Budget $32,000Actual $31,840–0.5%
On Track
Marketing & Comms
Budget $8,000Actual $9,100+13.8%
Needs Approval
Technology & AV
Budget $7,000Actual $3,800–45.7%
On Track
3

Approve & Close — Structured decisions. Clean audit.

Every approval is structured, every decision is logged, and every reconciliation is locked. When the event closes, everything is already audit-ready.

Step 3.1

Approval Chains by Policy

DOA policies define who approves what — by event size, category, or total amount. Sequential chains enforce the order. No skipping levels.

Step 3.2

Approve by Email

Approvers receive a magic link. They can approve or reject directly from their inbox — no login, no delay. Comments are captured and stored.

Step 3.3

Reconcile and Lock

After the event, submit the budget for final reconciliation. Every expense is reviewed against the approved budget. Approved reconciliations are locked permanently.

Step 3.4

Export for Reporting

Generate clean summary reports for finance or executive review. ROI, variance, utilization, and cost-per-attendee are all ready to export — no manual consolidation.

Who does what in Simplifi

Event Manager
Owns the event plan, builds the budget, tracks expenses, and submits for reconciliation.
  • Create and edit budgets
  • Log and upload expenses
  • Submit budgets for approval
  • View own event reporting
Finance Reviewer
Approves budgets and reconciliations, monitors variance, and ensures policy compliance.
  • Approve or reject budget requests
  • View all event budgets and actuals
  • Access full audit logs
  • Configure DOA policies
Executive / Leadership
Views portfolio-level performance, approves large budgets, and reviews ROI reporting.
  • Portfolio dashboard access
  • Final approval on large budgets
  • ROI and spend trend reports
  • Executive summary exports
See it in action

Understand the workflow.
See it on your data.

Book a 30-minute walkthrough with your own event program as the example.

No commitment required · Setup in under 30 minutes