Getting Started with CueQuote

Quick Start

Getting started with CueQuote takes just a few minutes. Follow these five steps and you'll have your first professional AV proposal ready to share.

1. Sign up for a free account at app.cuequote.com
2. Create your company profile and upload your logo
3. Set your brand color — this will be applied to all your proposals automatically
4. Navigate to Proposals and click "New Proposal"
5. Describe the event in plain language and let CueQuote's AI generate a complete equipment list with pricing

Getting Started Checklist

When you first log in after signing up, the dashboard shows a Getting Started checklist at the top. This guides you through the essential setup steps to get your first proposal out the door.

Each step auto-completes as you perform the action — no manual checkboxes needed. Once all steps are done, the checklist shows a celebration message and can be dismissed permanently.

1. Create your account — automatically completed after signup
2. Set up your company — completed during onboarding (company name, address, brand color)
3. Upload your logo — go to Settings and upload your company logo (appears on every PDF)
4. Add equipment to your catalog — import your gear and prices for accurate AI proposals
5. Create your first proposal — describe an event and generate your first AI-powered quote

Start From the Cost Calculator

The AV cost calculator on cuequote.com prices an event in your own market and currency. Once you are happy with the estimate, it carries straight into CueQuote — your first proposal opens already filled in with the event you priced, rather than an empty form.

The estimate is orientation, not a quote. CueQuote re-prices everything from your own catalogue and your own rates, so what you send a client is always your pricing, never the calculator’s.

1. Open the AV cost calculator and choose the country where the event takes place. Prices and currency update to that market.
2. Set the attendee count and number of days, then pick your video, lighting and staging options. The breakdown shows each line as you go.
3. Click "Continue with this estimate". Your configuration travels with you to the signup page.
4. Create your account and confirm your email. When you open your first proposal, the attendee count, days, currency and equipment are already there — adjust anything before generating.

Equipment Catalog

Your equipment catalog is the backbone of accurate proposals. CueQuote lets you maintain a detailed inventory of your gear with default pricing.

Equipment is organized into categories: Audio, Lighting, Video, Staging, Rigging, Power & Distribution, and Custom. Each item can have a name, description, default rental price, and internal notes.

1. Go to Settings → Equipment Catalog
2. Add items manually or import from a CSV spreadsheet
3. Set default rental prices per item — these will be used when AI generates proposals
4. Organize items into categories for easy browsing

Clients

Keep all your client information organized in one place. CueQuote supports different client types to help you categorize your business relationships.

Each client record stores contact details, company information, and is linked to all their proposals — giving you a complete history of your quoting relationship.

1. Navigate to Clients and click "Add Client"
2. Fill in contact and company details
3. Select the client type: Direct, Agency, Venue, or Corporate
4. Link the client to new proposals from the proposal creation screen

Creating Proposals

CueQuote's AI-powered proposal engine turns a simple event description into a detailed, professional quote in seconds.

Start by describing the event: the venue type, audience size, what kind of production is needed (sound, lighting, video, staging), and any special requirements. The more detail you provide, the more accurate the generated equipment list will be.

Every line has a Days column. A line's total is quantity × unit price × days, so the unit price stays your catalogue daily rate and changing how long an item is hired means changing one number. Setup or strike days charged at a reduced rate show as a decimal, for example 2.5 for two show days plus one setup day at half rate. On the PDF, the share link and invoices, the Days column only appears when at least one item runs longer than a day. Each line also has a Disc. % field for a discount on that item alone. The unit price stays your catalogue price, the client sees the percentage off, and a discount on the whole proposal still applies on top. The Discount column only appears on the PDF, the share link and Excel when a line has one.

1. Click "New Proposal" from your dashboard
2. Enter the event description — be as specific as possible about the venue and requirements
3. CueQuote's AI generates a complete equipment list with quantities and pricing. Or click "Build from catalog" to skip the AI and add items from your catalog yourself
4. Review and edit: add, remove, or adjust any line items; start typing an item name to pick it from your catalog with its price
5. Download as a branded PDF or share via a unique link

AI Generation Quota

Each CueQuote plan includes a monthly AI proposal generation quota. Every time you generate a proposal using AI (including retries), it counts against your monthly limit.

Before generating, CueQuote shows a confirmation dialog telling you how many generations you have remaining this month. This helps you avoid wasting a slot on an incomplete description. The dialog is skipped for admin and enterprise users.

1. Free plan: 3 AI generations per month
2. Starter plan: 10 AI generations per month
3. Pro plan: 40 AI generations per month
4. Business plan: 120 AI generations per month
5. Manual edits to generated proposals are always free — only new AI generations count. On paid plans, proposals built from your catalog or a template are free; a risk plan or a regeneration uses a generation. On the Free plan every proposal counts

Per-Proposal Language

CueQuote supports creating proposals in 5 languages: English, Polish, Arabic, German, and French. Each proposal can be generated in a different language — independent of your dashboard language.

This is designed for AV companies working with international clients. An Arabic-speaking user can create an English proposal for an English-speaking client, and vice versa. The AI generates all content (item names, descriptions, inclusions, exclusions) in the chosen language, while keeping brand names and equipment model numbers untranslated.

1. When creating a new proposal, select the language from the dropdown next to the Currency selector
2. The language defaults to your dashboard language but can be changed per proposal
3. Click Generate — the AI outputs all proposal text in the selected language
4. The PDF also renders labels (Subtotal, Total, Terms, Payment Schedule, etc.) in the proposal's language
5. You can always edit the generated text in the proposal editor after generation

Terms & Details

Every proposal can include customizable terms and conditions, payment terms, and inclusion/exclusion lists. These sections build trust and set clear expectations with your clients.

You can set defaults that apply to all new proposals, then customize per proposal as needed.

1. Go to Settings → Proposal Defaults to set your standard terms
2. Edit inclusions: what's covered in the quoted price (e.g., delivery, setup, operator)
3. Edit exclusions: what's not included (e.g., power supply, venue access fees)
4. Set payment terms: deposit percentage, payment schedule, accepted methods
5. Add your full Terms & Conditions — these appear on the last page of the PDF

PDF Templates

CueQuote offers four professionally designed PDF templates so your proposals always look polished and on-brand.

Each template automatically applies your company logo, brand color, and contact information. You can switch templates at any time — existing proposals will update to use the new template when re-downloaded.

1. Modern — Clean lines, generous white space, contemporary feel. Best for tech-forward clients.
2. Bold — Strong typography, high-contrast layout. Great for making a statement.
3. Classic — Traditional proposal format with structured sections. Ideal for corporate clients.
4. Minimal — Stripped-back design focused on content. Perfect when simplicity matters.

Regenerate Proposals

Instead of creating a new proposal from scratch, you can regenerate an existing one. This updates the line items while preserving your client, dates, venue, terms, and all other settings. Regenerating does not count against your monthly proposal quota.

There are three regeneration modes: Full (replaces all line items with a fresh AI generation), Smart (keeps items you manually edited, replaces AI-generated ones), and From File (upload an updated specification document and regenerate based on it).

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Risk Assessment Plan

CueQuote can generate an AI-powered risk assessment for your events. The risk plan identifies potential problems and provides specific mitigation strategies based on your event's equipment, venue, attendee count, and duration.

Risk assessment is available from the Risk Plan tab in the proposal editor. Starter plans get 3 basic categories (equipment, power, crew) in view-only mode. Pro plans unlock all 8 categories with full editing and PDF inclusion. Business plans add custom risk creation and regeneration.

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Proposal Comparison

CueQuote's comparison tool lets clients and event planners compare proposals from multiple vendors side by side. It works entirely via share tokens — no login required.

Paste share URLs or tokens into the comparison page to load proposals. The tool calculates a Value Score for each vendor based on price (40%), scope coverage (35%), and contract terms (25%).

1. Navigate to the Compare page and paste proposal share URLs or tokens into the input field to add vendors
2. Review the vendor cards showing total price, savings vs cheapest, and Value Score breakdown
3. Scroll down to the line item comparison table — items are cross-matched by name and grouped by category, with cheapest highlighted in green and most expensive in red
4. Check the Terms Comparison for deposit, validity, cancellation, and insurance differences, then review the AI Insight summary for a recommended choice

Proposal Comments

Comments allow real-time collaboration between you and your clients directly on proposals. Clients can leave feedback on the shared proposal page, and you can reply from the proposal editor.

Comments can reference specific line items and be flagged as formal revision requests. Your team sees a comment badge count in the editor and the system polls for new comments every 10 seconds.

1. Clients open the shared proposal link and leave comments — they can optionally select a specific line item to reference
2. When a client flags a comment as a revision request, it appears with a 'Pending' status badge in your editor
3. Open the proposal in the editor and click the Comments tab — the red badge shows the count of unread comments
4. Reply to comments and click 'Mark Resolved' on revision requests once you've addressed the feedback

Sharing & Tracking Proposals

CueQuote lets you share proposals with clients via unique links — no PDFs to email back and forth. When a client opens the link, you see exactly when they viewed it, how many times, and whether they accepted or declined.

Every proposal gets a shareable link that shows a professional, branded view of your proposal. Clients can review equipment, pricing, and terms, then accept or decline with one click. You get notified instantly when they respond.

Quotes expire on their own. Every new proposal carries a valid-until date, 30 days ahead by default, which you can change or clear in the Terms & Details tab. Three days before that date CueQuote emails your client a reminder with the share link, sent in your company name with replies coming back to you, and notifies you in the app at the same time. If the date passes with no response, the proposal moves to Expired and the client is told that too.

1. Open any proposal and click the "Share" button in the header
2. Copy the unique share link and send it to your client via email, WhatsApp, or any messaging tool
3. Track views in real-time — see when the client opens the proposal and how many times they viewed it
4. When the client clicks "Accept" or "Decline" on the shared page, you receive an instant notification on your dashboard
5. Follow up strategically — if a client viewed but hasn't responded within 48 hours, it's time to reach out
6. Set or clear the valid-until date in Terms & Details — the expiry reminder three days out, and the expiry notice itself, both run from it

Invoicing

CueQuote lets you create professional invoices directly from your proposals. Once a proposal is sent or accepted, you can generate a deposit or full invoice with one click — complete with your company branding and payment instructions.

Before creating invoices, add your payment methods in Settings. You can configure bank transfer details (IBAN, SWIFT), PayPal, or Wise. These details appear on every invoice PDF you generate, so clients know exactly how to pay.

A proforma is a request for payment, not a tax invoice. Click New Proforma on the Invoices page to raise one from scratch, or convert a proposal into one. It takes its own PI- number so your INV- series stays gapless, it will not accept payments, and it is never sent to KSeF, because none of those would be correct for a document that is not an invoice. When the client confirms, one click issues a real invoice with the next number in your series and today's date; the proforma is kept and the two stay linked, so the copy your client holds is still retrievable.

Every invoice and proforma has its own currency, set in Details. It starts at the default from Settings, but you can pick another for one document without changing your default, for example USD for one client while your accounts stay in EGP. On a draft you can still change it: CueQuote shows every line converted at today's rate and changes nothing until you confirm. An invoice created from a proposal keeps the proposal's currency, so change the proposal instead.

1. Go to Settings and add your payment methods (bank account, PayPal, or Wise) under Payment Information
2. Open a sent or accepted proposal and click "Create Invoice" — choose between a deposit invoice or a full invoice
3. Review the invoice editor: verify the invoice number, issue date, due date, line items, and totals
4. Select which payment method to display on the invoice from the dropdown
5. Download the invoice PDF — it includes your branding, line items, VAT, payment instructions, and reference number
6. Send the invoice to your client via email and track its status: Draft, Sent, Viewed, or Paid
7. For a deposit request on work you have not formally quoted, click New Proforma on the Invoices page, then convert it to a real invoice once the client confirms

Payment Tracking

CueQuote lets you record full and partial payments on invoices and track the complete payment history. When you record a payment, the invoice status updates automatically — partial when partially paid, paid when fully covered.

Every payment is logged with the amount, date, method, and optional reference number. You can view, delete, or add payments at any time. If you accidentally mark an invoice as paid, you can revert it with one click.

1. Open an invoice and click the green "Record Payment" button in the Summary sidebar
2. Enter the amount received, date, payment method (bank transfer, cash, card, check), and optional reference number
3. View all payments in the Payment History section below the invoice notes — each shows amount, date, method, and reference
4. To revert a paid invoice, click "Undo — mark as unpaid" below the Paid badge — it recalculates based on actual recorded payments
5. Change invoice status manually by clicking the status badge in the header — select from Draft, Sent, Viewed, Partial, Paid, Overdue, or Cancelled

Corrective Invoices

When a sent or paid invoice needs corrections, CueQuote lets you issue a corrective invoice that references the original. The original stays untouched for audit purposes, and the correction shows exactly what changed with before/after values.

Corrective invoices follow professional invoicing standards used across the EU and are compatible with Poland's KSeF e-invoicing system. Each correction is linked to its original invoice with full traceability.

1. Open a sent, viewed, or paid invoice and click the correction icon (circular arrow) in the header toolbar
2. The system creates a new invoice with "/COR" suffix, pre-filled with all original line items and their values stored as snapshots
3. Edit the items that need correcting — modified items show the original total struck through next to the new total
4. Fill in the "Reason for Correction" field and send the corrective invoice to your client

Smart Suggestions

CueQuote's Smart Suggestions engine analyzes your company's past proposals to provide intelligent recommendations. It detects items you frequently include but may have missed, flags pricing inconsistencies, and identifies items you use often but haven't added to your catalog.

Smart Suggestions learns from your own data — the more proposals you create, the smarter it gets. It requires at least 3 sent proposals to generate meaningful recommendations. You can toggle it on or off at any time.

1. Click the "Smart" lightbulb toggle in the proposal tab bar to enable suggestions — your preference is saved across sessions
2. The "Missing Items" tab shows items you usually include but haven't added to this proposal, with confidence scores and one-click "Add" buttons
3. The "Repricing" tab flags items priced more than 15% above or below your historical average, showing current vs average price with min-max range
4. The "Add to Catalog" tab lists items used in 2+ proposals but missing from your equipment catalog — click to create catalog entries with average pricing

Client Portal

The Client Portal gives your clients a dedicated login where they can view all proposals and invoices you've sent them in one place. No more searching through email for share links — everything is organized and accessible.

Clients self-register from the share page using the same email address you sent proposals to. The portal is available on Pro plans and above. You can manage client access from the Clients page in your dashboard.

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Team Management

CueQuote supports multi-user teams with role-based access. The company owner can invite team members and assign roles that control what each person can see and do.

There are four roles: Owner (full access, can manage billing and team), Admin (full access except billing), Sales (can create and manage proposals, clients, and catalog), and Viewer (read-only access to proposals and dashboard).

1. Go to Team from the sidebar — you'll see all current team members with their roles
2. Click "Invite Member" and enter their email address and select a role
3. The invited person receives an email with a link to join your CueQuote workspace
4. Once they accept, they appear on your team page and can access the dashboard based on their assigned role
5. You can change roles or remove team members at any time from the Team page

Scope Templates

Scope templates let you save and reuse proposal configurations for recurring event types. Instead of describing the same conference setup from scratch every time, save it as a template with pre-configured line items, quantities, and pricing.

Templates come in two types: scope-only templates (just the event description and settings, AI still generates the equipment list) and full templates (complete with pre-configured line items that skip AI generation entirely).

1. Go to Templates from the sidebar to view and manage your saved templates
2. To create a template from scratch, click "New Template" and configure the event type, description, attendee range, and optionally add line items
3. To save an existing proposal as a template, open the proposal editor and click "Save as Template" — all line items are captured
4. When creating a new proposal, your templates appear as quick-start cards — click one to pre-fill the event description and settings
5. Full templates (with line items) let you skip AI generation entirely — click "Use Template" to create an instant proposal

Inventory and QR Labels

Give every piece of equipment you own an asset number and a QR label. For each catalog item you choose whether it is tracked unit by unit or counted in bulk, set everything up in a three step wizard, and print labels as a PDF for any printer.

Each unit has a status (available, in repair, lost or retired) and a full history. Scanning a label takes your team straight to the unit; anyone else sees only your company and how to contact you.

Quotes reserve the tracked equipment on them for the setup days before the event, the event itself and the strike days after it. Sent, viewed and negotiating quotes hold it provisionally and won quotes hold it firmly; drafts, lines marked Optional and proposals without an event date hold nothing. Only lines picked from your catalog count, and when a proposal has revisions, only the newest version that is not a draft holds stock.

When a line needs more than is free, the proposal editor shows a shortage note and the Proposals list shows a 'Short on stock' badge, but nothing is blocked: you can still send or win the quote. The Availability tab on the Inventory page shows how many units of each item are free on each day.

Every won proposal is a job, and jobs have their own section in the sidebar — they are no longer a tab inside Inventory, because a job carries crew, a schedule and contracts, not only equipment. Where the job does carry tracked equipment it also has a pack list: what it needs, what is loaded, and what is still short. A unit goes out and comes back by phone camera, by a Bluetooth or USB barcode scanner, or by typing its asset number. A unit already out on another job is refused and the message names that job; something that is not on the list is still accepted, with an amber warning, and recorded as an extra. Nothing is ever blocked.

1. In your catalog, set each item's Inventory tracking: 'Tracked units, one label each' for gear you follow piece by piece, or 'Bulk, one label and a quantity' for things you count. Crew, transport and services stay not tracked
2. Go to Inventory and click 'Set up inventory': mark what you own and choose your asset number prefix (numbers look like INV-00001 by default)
3. Enter how many of each tracked item you own, or paste serial numbers one per line to create one unit per serial. Later, use 'Add units' or 'Import from spreadsheet (CSV)'
4. Click 'Print labels' and pick A4 sheets (70 × 37, 48.5 × 25.4 or 99.1 × 38.1 mm, or a custom grid) or label rolls (62 × 29 or 50 × 25 mm); the PDF prints on any printer. A unit with a serial number shows it under its name, and you can type that serial into the scanner too.
5. Open a unit to mark it damaged, send it to repair and back, mark it lost or found, or retire it. Every change goes into its history, and 'Other codes on this unit' lets old stickers find it too
6. Scan a label with a phone: your team goes straight to the unit, anyone else sees only your company and how to contact you, and you are alerted if a unit marked lost is scanned
7. Pick equipment from your catalog rather than typing it, and set the event date. A hand-typed line shows 'Not linked to inventory' and reserves nothing
8. Read the shortage note on a line, such as '1 short on Sep 21 to Sep 23: 3 owned, 2 on confirmed jobs'. When provisional quotes also want the same equipment on those days, it adds 'also on 2 provisional quotes'
9. Open Inventory, then the Availability tab: each number is how many units are free that day. Show 2, 3 or 4 weeks and move with Previous week, Next week and This week. Red means short, yellow means provisional quotes would overbook, and today is highlighted
10. Click a day to see owned, in repair, lost, on confirmed jobs, on provisional quotes, not back from jobs and free, with a link to each quote holding the equipment. Free can go below zero when you are overbooked
11. Open Jobs in the sidebar: every won event by date. Jobs carrying tracked equipment show their state (not started, packing, out, partly returned, returned, overdue) with overdue first. Open one for its schedule, the crew on it, the full list of what to prepare, and — where equipment is tracked — its pack list, the scan buttons and Finish return
12. Click 'Scan out' and scan a label with the phone camera, a Bluetooth or USB barcode scanner, or by typing the asset number. Bulk items ask how many you are taking, and a unit already out elsewhere is refused with that job named
13. Click 'Scan in' when the gear comes home, ticking 'Mark what I scan in as damaged' with a note where it applies. 'Undo' reverses a scan and nothing ever leaves the history; 'Finish return' lists what is still out and records what is lost
14. Jobs without a quote: click New job for a loan, repair, demo or an event nobody quoted, say who has it and when it is due back, then scan it out and in like any job; it turns Overdue after the due date

Crew Scheduling

Manage your crew roster, assign team members to events, and share crew prep sheets with your staff. CueQuote supports both in-house staff and freelancers with different rate structures.

The crew calendar gives you a weekly overview of who's available and who's assigned. The 'Events Needing Crew' widget shows upcoming events that still need staff, and crew prep sheets can be shared as public links with no pricing information.

The personal crew link now leads with the call time, a venue that opens in maps, and add to calendar: Google Calendar directly, or a file for Apple and Outlook. The schedule reads as real dates (Load in, Mon 12 Oct) instead of day counts, and equipment is grouped into gear to load, print and consumables, and people and services, coloured by category the same way the proposal editor is, with each item's description available. The crew tick items off as they load, and those ticks are shared with the rest of the crew and the office. Staff are no longer asked to accept a job their employer scheduled them for; freelancers still confirm or decline.

1. Go to Crew and click 'Add Member' — enter their name, type (Staff or Freelancer), default role, skills, and day rate for freelancers
2. Filter your roster by type (Staff/Freelancer) or skills (Sound/Lighting/Video) to find the right person for each event
3. Click 'Assign to Event' from a member's menu — select a won proposal and the dates auto-fill from the event schedule. You can override their role for this specific event
4. Check the 'Events Needing Crew' widget to see upcoming events and their staffing status — click the + button to quickly assign someone
5. Share a Crew Prep Sheet via public link — it shows the event schedule, equipment list, and assigned crew without any pricing information
6. Send each person their own link: it opens with their call time, the venue with a button that opens maps, and 'Add to calendar' (Google Calendar directly, or a file for Apple and Outlook)
7. Ask the crew to tick items off as they load them. The ticks are shared, so the rest of the crew and the office see the same progress on the job page
8. Download the crew sheet PDF from the job page, the crew prep card or the crew link itself: call sheet details, the crew's ticks and the scanner's totals side by side, who confirmed and when, every item with its full description, and signature lines for handover
9. Edit an assignment and the person keeps their link and their confirmation, with their link showing what changed and when. Swapping the person issues a new link and clears the old one, and unassigning takes one button
10. Split the gear between people: when you assign or edit somebody on a job, choose what they carry — audio, lighting, staging — from the categories that job actually contains. Their link then shows only those items under "Your gear", with a line saying how many of the job's items belong to other crew, and their loading progress counts their own list. Choose nothing and they see the whole job, exactly as before
11. Let crew scan from their link: tick Can scan on a person's row in the job's crew roster and their crew link gets Scan out and Scan in buttons: phone camera, a Bluetooth scanner or a typed code. They can only scan their own job's gear, within their categories, from 3 days before the job to 7 days after, and undo only their own latest scan. Finish return stays with the office, and the item history shows who scanned.

Crew contracts and NDAs

A freelancer signs two different things. A contract for each job, carrying the terms for that event. And a confidentiality agreement signed once, before they ever see a client brief. Both are signed on a link, with a real signature drawn with a finger or a mouse, and both record the name, the time and the IP address the signature came from.

Templates live in Settings under Terms: keep as many as you need, with one default per language, so Poland signs in Polish and Egypt signs in English. Three sample contracts and one sample NDA are included as a starting structure. Every figure a company must decide for itself is left in [brackets] — notice periods, the cancellation ladder, insurance minimums, governing law — and the samples are drafts for your own legal adviser to review, not legal advice.

What gets signed is copied onto the contract at the moment you send it. Editing a template afterwards never changes a contract somebody has already signed. Staff are never asked to sign either document: they are scheduled, not engaged job by job.

1. Write your terms: Settings, then Terms. Under Crew contract templates click New template, or start from one of the samples and edit it. Set the language and tick 'Use as the default for this language'
2. Send a contract: open the job from Jobs in the sidebar, find the freelancer in the crew list, and click Send contract. Choose which terms and whether to email it — the email goes to the address on their crew record with a button that opens the contract
3. They sign it on their own link: the terms, their name, and a signature box they draw in. Signing is accepting, so a signed contract also confirms the booking and you do not have to chase a separate yes
4. Watch the status on the job: each freelancer's row reads No contract, Sent, Signed with the date, or Declined. The office sees it beside the person, not on a separate screen
5. Set up the NDA: add an NDA template under Terms, then send it from the Crew page with the ⋯ menu on anyone's row, or copy their NDA link and send it yourself. It is signed once and stays signed, so you never ask twice. If you keep the NDA in more than one language, Send NDA and Copy NDA link both ask which one to use.
6. Optionally withhold client details: tick 'Withhold client details until the NDA is signed' in Settings. A freelancer who has not signed will not see the client's on-site contact or the scope summary on their sheet, and the page tells them why. It is off until you switch it on
7. Produce the proof: once somebody has signed, the row shows Signed with the date and a Signed record link. It gives you a PDF of the terms exactly as they were signed, followed by who signed, when, from which IP address, on what device, and their signature drawn on the page
8. They get their own copy: the moment a freelancer signs, the same PDF is emailed to the address on their crew record. You do not have to send it, and a copy they received and did not object to strengthens yours

Crew badges and name labels

Print an onsite name label for everyone you put on an event: their name, role, crew number and the event, sized for your label printer. Labels are a PDF at the exact label size, so any printer with a normal driver prints them: Brother, Zebra, DYMO, or an office printer on A4 label sheets.

Badges are built from your access zones (Stage, FOH, Load-in and so on) and badge categories. Each category has a colour and the zones it grants by default, and can be the default for staff or for freelancers, so most people need no editing. The preview shows each badge with your logo and colours before anything is printed.

Crew events cover events that never went through a quote in CueQuote. They have a name, dates and venue, and the same crew list, CSV import and labels as a job.

1. Open Settings, then Badges, and click Add the standard set, or add your own zones and categories
2. Choose the label size your printer uses; each laptop can override it when printing
3. On a job or crew event, set each person's category, crew number and zones in Badges and labels
4. Click the eye icon to preview a badge
5. Print one label or all of them; print a test label first and nudge the position if it comes out shifted
6. For an event with no job, open Crew, then Crew events, and create one; import a crew list from CSV if you have one

Badge layouts and the print file

Your pre-printed badge cards can use one of four layouts: a colour band in landscape or portrait, or a full-colour card in landscape or portrait. Settings, Badges shows each one drawn with your own logo and category colours, so you choose on your own design. The onsite name label is stuck in the area each layout keeps free for it, sized from your label stock.

The back of the card carries your logo, a heading and up to three lines per category (your crew code, for example), a slogan, and a QR code that opens your website or a link you choose. For coloured areas you can upload a white or light version of your logo.

The print file is a PDF your print house can use as it is: CMYK colour, 3 mm bleed, crop marks, embedded fonts, and the cut line for the card and the lanyard slot in its own spot colour, named Die, CutContour or Thru-cut as your print house asks. Exported from a job or crew event, it holds one design per category and set of zones, with how many cards of each you need.

1. Open Settings, then Badges, and click the layout you want in Badge layout
2. Choose rounded or square corners, and the cut line name your print house uses
3. In Badge branding, upload a logo for coloured backgrounds and set the slogan and QR code link
4. Edit each category to add its print colour in CMYK, the heading on the back and up to three lines
5. Click Print file under Badge categories, or on a job or crew event, read the checks and download the PDF
6. Send the PDF to your print house and ask for a printed proof before the full run

Billing & Plans

CueQuote offers flexible plans to match your business size. Start free and upgrade as you grow.

1. Free — 3 proposals/month, 1 user, basic PDF template
2. Starter (€29/mo) — 10 AI generations/month, unlimited proposals, 1 user, full branding, client management
3. Pro (€79/mo) — 40 AI generations/month, unlimited proposals, 5 users, custom templates, priority support
4. Business (€179/mo) — 120 AI generations/month, unlimited proposals, 20 users, API access, dedicated support

Account & Profile

Your account page lets you manage your personal profile and security settings. This is separate from company settings — account settings are per-user, not shared with your team.

You can update your display name (shown in the sidebar and on team pages), change your password, and view your account email. Your profile photo can be updated from the account page as well.

1. Click your name at the bottom of the sidebar to open the Account page
2. Edit your full name — this is displayed to your team members and in activity logs
3. Change your password — enter your current password, then your new password (minimum 8 characters)
4. Your email address is shown for reference but cannot be changed directly — contact support if you need to update it

Settings

The Settings page is where you configure everything about your CueQuote workspace. Keeping your settings up-to-date ensures every proposal reflects your brand accurately.

1. Company Profile — Business name, address, phone, email, and website
2. Logo — Upload your company logo (PNG or SVG recommended, max 2MB)
3. Brand Color — Choose a hex color that matches your brand; applied to all PDF templates
4. Currency — Set your default currency (USD, EUR, GBP, PLN, and more)
5. Language — Set the proposal language (affects PDF headings and labels)
6. Proposal Defaults — Default template, terms, inclusions, exclusions, and payment terms

Costing & Margins

Track your costs and profit margins at the proposal level. Set cost prices on catalog items, define margin targets, and get real-time alerts when a proposal falls below your target profitability.

Cost data is strictly internal — it's never visible to clients in proposals, PDFs, or the client portal. You control which team roles can see cost information through the visibility settings.

1. Go to Settings > Costing & Margins and set who can view cost data — choose between Owner & Admin only, or include Sales team members
2. Set your default margin target percentage and optionally override targets for specific categories like Audio, Video, or Labor
3. Add cost prices to your catalog items, or enter costs per-line-item directly in the proposal editor
4. Toggle 'Show Costs' in the proposal editor to see the Margin Summary panel — it shows Revenue, Your Cost, Profit, and Margin % with color-coded health indicators
5. Review margin alerts above your line items — red alerts flag proposals below target, amber alerts flag items missing cost data

Vendor Management

Manage your AV vendor relationships in one place. Add vendor companies with contact details, track their status, and maintain notes about past experiences and pricing.

The Vendors page is available in Planner mode. Use it to build your vendor network, send RFQ requests, and compare responses before selecting a vendor for your event.

1. Navigate to Vendors from the sidebar (available in Planner mode) and click 'Add Vendor' to create a new vendor record with company name, contact, email, and phone
2. Set the vendor status (active, preferred, new) and add tags for easy filtering — e.g., 'audio specialist', 'nationwide', 'budget-friendly'
3. Add relationship notes to track past experiences, pricing patterns, and reliability — these notes are private and never shared with the vendor
4. Send RFQ requests directly from the vendor profile and track response status (pending, received, declined)

Subbing Work Out to Suppliers

When part of a job goes to a dry-hire house, a dealer or a specialist trade, the Suppliers tab issues them a work order: their scope, their price, the venue and the load-in window, on one link with no login. What it never contains is your client. The end client's name, contact details and the proposal's scope summary stay behind, along with what you are charging — a non-solicitation clause is worth very little if the document it sits on names the client it protects.

The scope text is generated from the lines you selected, so it describes what the supplier is supplying rather than what the event is about. If the wording — or an item description copied from the proposal — happens to name your client, CueQuote refuses to issue the order and tells you which line to fix. Words that are ordinary vocabulary for you rather than a client's identity can be marked as such once per client and are never flagged again.

1. Open a job and go to the Suppliers tab, then click "Sub work out". In AV mode you tick the line items; in Planner mode you award a whole section, such as Catering
2. Pick a supplier or create one on the spot — you only need a name. Add their public liability expiry while you are there, because sending is blocked without it
3. Review the generated scope, add the site address, access notes and payment terms, then issue and send
4. Copy the link to the supplier. They see their scope and price, and accept by typing their name — the date, time and their answer are recorded on the order
5. Revoke the link at any time if the job changes or the link is forwarded. Revoking also frees a slot against your plan's limit

Getting Prices From Suppliers Before You Commit

A work order tells a subcontractor what you are paying them. An inquiry asks them what they charge. That is the difference, and it matters because it is the order the work actually happens in: you ask two or three dry-hire houses what a package costs, you compare, and only then do you commit to one. Until now CueQuote could only do the second half of that.

Send the same request to several suppliers in one action. Each gets their own link, and what they see is the quantities, the dates and the venue — never your prices, never your client, and never who else you asked. They enter a unit price per line, flag anything they cannot supply, and submit. Quotes stay editable on their side until you award, because a supplier correcting their own number before the deadline is ordinary business rather than a change of contract.

1. Open a job, go to the Suppliers tab and click "Get quotes". Tick the line items you want priced — or, in Planner mode, choose a whole section
2. Tick every supplier you want to ask. Asking one at a time is how you end up with one quote, so the picker is deliberately multi-select
3. Set the date you need an answer by, and add a covering note if the price depends on something. The scope text is generated from the lines you picked and is checked for your client's name before anything is sent
4. Send, then pass each supplier their link. Quotes come back in the same tab, sorted cheapest first, with the gap to the next quote shown in money
5. Award the one you want. It becomes a work order at the price that supplier actually quoted, and their link stops working

Supplier Certificates, and Knowing Before They Lapse

Public liability, LOLER, food hygiene, electrical, goods in transit — the certificates you are supposed to hold for anyone working on your job, and the ones nobody can find on the morning something goes wrong. The Suppliers tab keeps them per supplier, with an expiry date on each, and refuses to let a work order go out to someone whose cover does not reach the end of the job.

You do not chase them by email. Ask for what is missing and the supplier gets a link — no account, no password — where they upload each certificate with its expiry. Nothing counts until you have looked at it: an uploaded document sits as "awaiting your check" and does not satisfy the send gate until you verify it, so a supplier cannot unblock their own job by attaching a blank PDF.

1. Open a job's Suppliers tab and pick a supplier. What they hold, and what is missing for this job, is listed above the work orders
2. Click "Request documents". What is already missing is pre-ticked; add anything else you want on file, then create the link
3. Send the supplier their link. They upload each certificate with an expiry date, which is required — a certificate with no expiry cannot satisfy a check dated against your load-out
4. Verify or reject each upload. Only a verified document clears the gate, and a rejection records why
5. On Pro and above, you are told when something is about to lapse — 30 days out, 7 days out, and on the day — but only for suppliers you have actually worked with in the last year

Quote Comparison

Compare quotes received from multiple AV vendors side by side. The comparison view shows pricing, scope, payment terms, and an AI-generated value score to help you make informed decisions.

Quotes are linked to your proposals — when a vendor responds to your RFQ, their quote appears in the Quotes section where you can review, compare, and select the best option.

1. Go to Quotes from the sidebar to see all received vendor quotes, organized by status (pending, received, accepted, declined)
2. Upload vendor quotes as PDFs or enter line items manually — the system tracks pricing, scope, and terms for each vendor response
3. Use the comparison view to see vendors side by side — pricing differences, payment terms, and cancellation policies are highlighted automatically
4. Select a vendor and mark their quote as accepted — the system updates your proposal with the confirmed pricing

Market-Rate Budgets

When using CueQuote in Planner mode, the AI generates production plans with market-rate budget estimates instead of fixed catalog prices. Each line item includes a low-high price range based on current market data.

Market-rate budgets help event planners set realistic client expectations before getting formal vendor quotes. The AI also provides crew recommendations, production timeline, and practical tips.

1. Create a new proposal in Planner mode — describe your event including type, attendee count, venue, and production requirements
2. The AI generates a complete production plan with budget ranges (low-high) for each category: Audio, Lighting, Video, and Crew
3. Review the crew recommendations and production timeline — the AI suggests staffing levels and setup schedules based on event complexity
4. Use the budget estimate to align with your client, then request formal quotes from vendors to get final pricing

When the Plan Checks Itself

In Planner mode, the advice written while your plan was generated stays with the proposal instead of appearing once and vanishing. It sits above your line items on the Plan tab as open questions to resolve — confirm the power supply, check the load-in window — and each one can be ticked off or marked not applicable.

The panel also watches the plan as you edit it. It says when the advice was written against different numbers, flags prices that are far outside the normal band for your event's region, and lists anything your attached brief asked for that the plan does not yet cover.

1. Set Setup days and Strike days on the new-proposal form. In Planner mode they are priced as venue occupancy and crew time — what an organizer actually pays — not as extra days of equipment rental
2. Open the proposal and work through the planning notes on the Plan tab, ticking off each one as you confirm it with the venue or the vendor
3. If you change the headcount, days, budget or event date afterwards, the panel names exactly what moved so you know the advice predates it
4. Review the flagged prices and the scope gaps — a gap disappears as soon as you add the line that fills it, and a price flag clears once the rate is inside the normal band

Feedback & Support

CueQuote has a built-in feedback system that lets you report bugs, request features, or get support — all without leaving the app.

Every submission includes automatic context (your browser, plan, and current page) so our team can help faster. You can track the status of your submissions and see replies directly in the app.

1. Go to Feedback & Support in the sidebar and choose your feedback type: Bug Report, Feature Request, General Feedback, or Support Request
2. Fill in the subject and details — the app automatically captures your browser, plan, and page context
3. Attach screenshots if something looks wrong — up to 3 images (PNG, JPG or WebP, 5 MB each). A picture of the problem usually saves a round of questions.
4. View your past submissions in the My Submissions tab — each shows a status badge (Submitted, In Review, Planned, Shipped)
5. Check the Help Center tab for links to tutorials, documentation, and answers to common questions

Growing Your Catalog with AI

When CueQuote's AI generates a proposal, it sometimes includes items that aren't in your equipment catalog — marked with [CUSTOM] and estimated prices.

After generation, an amber suggestion bar appears showing these new items. You can add them to your catalog with one click, so future proposals use your exact pricing instead of estimates.

1. Generate a proposal with AI — if any items aren't in your catalog, you'll see a suggestion bar on the Review step
2. Click the bar to expand it and see each new item with its category, unit, and suggested price
3. Click 'Add to Catalog' on individual items, or 'Add all' to save them all at once — they'll appear in your Catalog immediately

Understanding Your Event Budget

When you generate a budget plan in Planner mode, CueQuote's AI creates a comprehensive event production budget with market-rate pricing, crew recommendations, and a suggested timeline.

Unlike AV Company mode which uses your catalog prices, Planner mode uses real market rate ranges so you know what to expect when requesting quotes from AV vendors.

1. Switch to Planner mode and describe your event — include venue, attendee count, and what you need (presentations, live music, branding, etc.)
2. Review the Budget Overview showing your total estimated range (e.g. €12,500 — €18,200) with a breakdown of equipment vs crew costs
3. Check the Equipment & Services section — each item shows why it's needed and a budget range, not just a single price
4. Review Crew Recommendations to see which technical roles you'll need, how many people, and the typical daily rate range
5. Read the Event Timeline for a suggested schedule, and the Pro Tips section for practical advice on working with AV vendors

Multi-Currency Pricing

CueQuote lets you set exact prices per currency on every catalog item, so proposals always show the right number — not a converted estimate. When a client selects USD or EUR as their proposal currency, CueQuote pulls the manual price you set, not an auto-converted figure.

If no manual price exists for the chosen currency, CueQuote falls back to automatic conversion using the current exchange rate. You can override this any time by adding a specific price for that currency on the item.

1. Go to Catalog and open any equipment item you want to price in multiple currencies
2. In the item editor, find the Currency Prices section and click Add Currency — choose USD, EUR, GBP, or any supported currency
3. Enter the exact price for that currency (e.g. $450 for a camera that costs €400), then save the item
4. Create or open a proposal and set the proposal currency — CueQuote automatically uses your manual price for items that have it, and converts the rest

Proposal Approval Workflow

The approval workflow lets managers review proposals before they reach clients. Once enabled, team members submit proposals for approval instead of sending them directly — the proposal is locked for editing until a decision is made.

Only workspace Owners and Admins can approve or reject proposals. Approvers can leave internal comments visible only to the team, making it easy to request specific changes without back-and-forth emails.

1. Go to Settings → Proposals and toggle on Require approval before sending to enable the workflow for your workspace
2. Create a proposal as usual, then click Submit for Approval instead of Send — the proposal status changes to Pending Approval
3. The manager receives an email notification and can open the proposal to review all details, pricing, and terms
4. The approver clicks Approve to allow sending, Reject to block it, or Request Changes to send it back with comments
5. If changes are requested, the original creator edits the proposal and resubmits — the cycle repeats until the proposal is approved or rejected

Custom Categories

CueQuote includes 13 built-in equipment categories (Lighting, Audio, Video, etc.), but you can create your own for anything that doesn't fit. Custom categories appear everywhere the built-in ones do: catalog, proposals, PDF exports, and the client share page.

The category field uses a combobox — start typing to filter existing categories, or type a new name and press Enter to create it on the spot. You can also rename individual section headings per proposal without affecting the category name globally.

1. In the Catalog, open or create an item and click the Category field — type to search existing categories or type a new name like 'Staging' and press Enter to create it
2. Save the item — the new category is now available across your entire workspace for other items
3. To rename a category heading in a specific proposal only, open the proposal, click the section heading, and type the new name — this affects only that proposal's PDF and share page

Price Sync

Price Sync automatically detects when proposal line item prices differ from your equipment catalog. It appears as a blue banner in the proposal editor whenever mismatches are found.

You can sync prices in either direction: pull catalog prices into the proposal, or push proposal prices back to your catalog as the new standard. A 'Match all to catalog' button lets you bulk-fix all mismatches at once.

1. Open any proposal in the editor — if line item prices differ from your catalog, a blue 'Price Sync' banner appears above the line items
2. Click to expand and see each mismatch: the item name, proposal price, catalog price, and percentage difference (red for >10%, amber for smaller differences)
3. For each item, choose 'Use catalog price' to update the proposal, or 'Update catalog' to set the proposal price as your new catalog standard
4. Click 'Match all to catalog' to bulk-apply catalog prices to all mismatched items at once — green checkmarks appear as items sync

Production Budget for Event Planners

When you generate a production budget in Planner mode, CueQuote's AI creates a comprehensive equipment and crew plan with market-rate pricing. Each category — Audio, Video, Lighting, Staging — appears as a bordered card with a colored badge, item count, and budget range, making it easy to understand the full production scope at a glance.

For planner convenience, Audio, Video, Lighting, and Staging are grouped together under a single 'AV & Technical' card in the results. This unified view helps you see the complete technical production cost before contacting vendors. The AI also includes crew recommendations, event timeline, and practical tips for working with AV vendors.

1. Switch to Planner mode from the dashboard — this unlocks event production planning tools tailored for non-technical users
2. Click 'Generate Production Budget' and describe your event: venue type, attendee count, and what you need (presentations, live music, streaming, simultaneous interpretation, etc.). Choose a template that matches your event type for better AI guidance.
3. Review the categorized budget with the AI-generated equipment list. The 'AV & Technical' card groups all audio, video, lighting, and staging needs together with a subtotal and item count. Click the card to expand and see individual line items with descriptions and budget ranges.
4. Use the budget ranges and crew recommendations when requesting quotes from vendors, and reference the Event Timeline to ensure vendors understand the setup and strike schedule. Save or export the plan as a PDF to share with stakeholders.

Event Layout Designer

The Event Layout Designer lets you create a visual floor plan for your event directly inside CueQuote. Open any proposal, click the Layout tab at the top of the editor, and you'll find a canvas where you can design your room setup with AV shapes, staging areas, tables, and more.

Finished layouts can be exported as a landscape-oriented PDF page — ideal for attaching to your proposal — or downloaded as a standalone PNG image for use in presentations and site surveys. The Layout Designer is available on Pro and Business plans.

1. Open a proposal in the editor and click the Layout tab at the top — the canvas loads with a blank room template by default
2. Choose a room template from the Templates dropdown (classroom, theatre, banquet, boardroom, open stage) to pre-fill the canvas with a common configuration
3. Click the AV Shapes dropdown and select items to add — speakers, projectors, screens, stage risers, lighting rigs, and more — then drag them into position on the canvas
4. Double-click any shape to rename it or adjust its size; use the snap-to-grid option for precise alignment
5. Click Export to PDF to append the layout as a landscape page to your proposal PDF, or click Download PNG to save a standalone image of the floor plan

Two-Factor Authentication

Two-factor authentication (2FA) adds a second layer of security to your CueQuote account. Even if someone obtains your password, they cannot log in without the one-time code generated by your authenticator app. We recommend enabling 2FA for all accounts, especially if you store client contact details or pricing in CueQuote.

CueQuote supports any TOTP-compatible authenticator app. Google Authenticator and Authy are the most widely used and work on both iOS and Android. Once enabled, you'll be prompted for a 6-digit code on every new login.

1. Go to Account (top-right avatar menu) → Security → Enable Two-Factor Authentication
2. A QR code appears on screen — open your authenticator app (Google Authenticator or Authy), tap the + icon, and choose Scan QR code
3. Point your camera at the QR code; your app will add a CueQuote entry and display a rotating 6-digit code
4. Enter the current 6-digit code from your app into the confirmation field and click Verify & Enable — 2FA is now active on your account. Store your backup codes in a safe place.