How to Create Templates and Export PDFs
If you plan similar events regularly - monthly networking mixers, annual galas, quarterly team offsites - rebuilding the same schedule, checklist, and budget from scratch every time is a waste of your expertise. You have already figured out what works. You should not have to reinvent it.
Ripluo's event templates let you save a fully-built event as a reusable starting point. And when it is time to share your schedule with vendors or your team, you can export clean PDFs filtered by role, room, or the full timeline. Here is how both features work together.
Step 1: Build a Complete Event
Before you can save a template, you need an event worth saving. Build out your event with all the components you want to reuse:
- Schedules - Your run of show with moments, durations, and descriptions
- Checklists - Task lists with categories, descriptions, and priority levels
- Budget categories - Line item categories with estimated costs
The more complete your event is, the more useful the template will be. Think of it as creating the "gold standard" version of a particular event type.
Step 2: Save the Event as a Template
Go to your event's Settings and click "Save as Template." Give the template a descriptive name - something like "200-Person Fundraiser Gala" or "Corporate Quarterly Offsite" - so you can identify it later.
In the Save as Template window, you choose which components to include - schedules, checklists, budget categories, or any combination. Ripluo captures:
- All schedules with their moments, durations, headers, team instructions, breakout sessions, and custom fields
- All checklists with tasks, categories, and descriptions
- Budget categories with estimated amounts
Client-specific details like names, dates, and venue information are stripped so the template is reusable for any event.
Step 3: Create a New Event from a Template
When you are ready to plan a new event, click "Create Event" from your dashboard and choose "Start from Template." Browse your saved templates and select the one that matches what you need.
Ripluo creates a new event pre-loaded with the template's schedules, checklists, and budget categories. From there, you:
- Fill in the event-specific details - name, date, venue, headcount
- Adjust the schedule times to match the actual event timeline
- Modify tasks and budget items as needed for this particular client
What used to take hours of setup now takes minutes of fine-tuning.
Step 4: Manage Your Template Library
Over time, you will build a library of templates for different event types. Click Templates in the sidebar to view, edit, duplicate, or delete templates.
Some planners create templates for:
- Event types - Wedding, corporate conference, charity gala, trade show
- Event sizes - Intimate (under 50), medium (50-200), large (200+)
- Venue types - Outdoor, hotel ballroom, convention center, private estate
The more templates you have, the faster you can spin up new events.
Step 5: Export Your Schedule as a PDF
When it is time to share your timeline with your team, vendors, or clients, click the "Export PDF" button on your schedule. Ripluo generates a clean, professional PDF of the entire timeline with all moments, times, locations, people, and descriptions formatted for easy reading and printing.
This is perfect for handing out printed copies at a pre-event briefing, emailing to vendors who need to know the full picture, or keeping in your planning binder as a backup.
Step 6: Export Filtered PDFs by Role or Room
Not everyone needs the full schedule. Your AV crew only needs their cues. Your catering team only needs food service times. Ripluo's filtered export lets you generate PDFs that include only the moments relevant to a specific person, team, or location.
Before exporting, use the filter options to narrow down by:
- Person - Show only moments assigned to a specific team member
- Team - Show only moments with instructions for a particular crew
- Location - Show only moments happening in a specific room or area
Then export. Each vendor or team lead gets a focused, relevant document instead of a 15-page schedule they have to sift through.
Get Started for Free
Ready to stop rebuilding the same event from scratch every time? Create your free Ripluo account and start saving templates that make every future event faster to plan. Event templates and PDF exports are included in the free plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is saved in an event template?
Templates capture schedules (with all moments, headers, team instructions, breakout sessions, and custom fields), checklists (with tasks and categories), and budget categories with estimated amounts. Client-specific details like names, dates, and venues are not included - you fill those in when creating a new event from the template.
Can I edit a template after saving it?
Yes. Go to the Templates page in the sidebar, select the template, and make your changes. Editing a template does not affect events that were already created from it - only future events will use the updated version.
Is there a limit to how many templates I can create?
There is no hard limit on the number of templates you can save. Build as many as you need to cover your different event types and workflows.
Can I share templates with my team?
Templates are available to everyone in your organization based on their permissions. If a team member has permission to create events, they can use any template in the library.
Can I export a PDF that combines multiple schedules?
Each schedule exports as its own PDF. If your event has separate setup, main event, and teardown schedules, you will export each one individually. This actually works in your favor because different teams often need different schedules.
Are templates and PDF export included in the free plan?
Yes. You can save, import, and manage templates on the free plan. PDF export - including filtered exports by role or room - is also included at no cost.
