There’s something about the buzz of attending a big conference that energizes everyone as soon as they enter the building. Conferences allow entire communities to catch up, exchange new ideas, learn vital skills, and just let their hair down.
So, it’s hardly surprising that conferences are in such high demand. The market is expected to grow by almost 5% over the next few years — so as an event organizer, this is the perfect time to get in on the ground floor and start planning your conference. Using an event budget template can help streamline this process.
But setting up a conference is a pretty big undertaking. There are lots of costs and overheads involved, so you need a comprehensive budget plan for your event. To help you, we’ve created this comprehensive guide.
Read on to download your free conference event budgeting template, learn about important conference expenses, and get inspired by conference budget examples.
Table of contents
Start planning with this free Excel conference budget template
Get inspired by these conference budget examples
Pro budgeting tips from real event organizers
Want to take a peek at our conference budget template already? Click here to download it.
Start planning with this free Excel conference budget template
Budgeting for a large-scale conference is no small feat — and unless you’re part accountant, getting started can often feel daunting. So, let’s keep it simple with a pre-made conference budget template.
With the help of a budgeting template, you won’t have to worry about starting from scratch. All of the general expense categories for your initial budget are already included.
Better yet, within each category, you’ll find common line items like venue rental, speaker fees, event staff salaries, and everything in between. These prompts are a great way to kickstart the financial planning process and ensure you don’t forget any important expenses that need to go into your upcoming conference.
We’ve split all the most common expenses you can expect to encounter into:
- Conference venue costs
- Conference catering costs
- Conference programming costs
- Conference marketing costs
- Experiential costs
- Contingency costs
Don’t worry — we’ll walk you through these different expense categories and provide a couple of examples in just a minute. And if you need to add extra categories or expenses unique to your future events, there’s plenty of space!
Keen to get started? Download our free conference budget template now.
We’ll expand on conference expenses shortly. But developing your conference budget is only one step in the conference planning process. To streamline that process and stay within budget, consider partnering with an events management platform that can help you keep costs down and support your day-to-day event operations.
Let’s say you’re managing your conference using Eventbrite (yes, we admit, we’re biased, but there’s a reason why most event organizers and attendees choose to use our platform).
With the Eventbrite Organizer App, you can ditch paper tickets and costly POS terminals, scan guests via unique QR codes, and accept digital payments throughout your venue.
Meanwhile, built-in integrations with Facebook and TikTok mean you can maximize your reach and increase your sales volume without spending more on marketing. And our advanced marketing tools include ad spend controls and optimization to maximize ROAS (return on ad spend).
Ready to see for yourself?
Conference expenses explained
To run a successful event, you need a firm grasp of where you’ll allocate the budget. So, let’s walk through the different types of costs you can expect for your conference — whether you’re running in-person events, virtual events, or hybrid events.
Here’s a breakdown of conference costs
When it comes to conference costs, there are four main types of expenses to anticipate and plan for. These include:
- Fixed costs are flat-rate expenses that are unaffected by common variables like audience size. Examples of fixed conference costs include venue hire, speaker fees, event technology, equipment, or event entertainment fees.
- Variable costs are event expenses that can fluctuate depending on variables like the size of your event, the location, the event type, or the number of attendees. Examples of variable costs include catering, marketing collateral, attendee engagement tools, and post-event marketing.
- Mixed costs are expenses that include both fixed and variable elements. For example, event staffing is generally a mixed cost because each employee has a fixed pay rate, but their hours may vary depending on your event schedule.
- Contingency costs are the unexpected expenses. To safeguard your event planning process, budget for hidden costs like alternative travel arrangements for guests, backup venue hire, or alternative speakers if somebody cancels last minute.
These are all projected event costs, but you should consider your actual costs versus budgeted costs.
Budgeted costs for your event are the forecasted amounts you expect to pay as part of your conference budget. Actual costs represent the real amount of money that each activity incurs.
In a perfect world, your actual and budgeted costs should align perfectly — but things happen, and sometimes, actual costs end up going over budget. That’s why it’s important to ring-fence a contingency fund to pick up any unforeseen price hikes or extra expenses.
How much does it cost to host a conference?
No two conferences are 100% alike. Your event requirements are unique, so the actual expenses of running it will differ from those of any other conference.
But starting with a ballpark figure certainly helps. So, let’s examine the average cost of running a successful conference.
According to researchers at the Global Conference Alliance, the cost of hosting a small conference could range anywhere from $15,000 to $50,000. Meanwhile, the average large-scale conference ranges from $100,000 to $500,000.
Trade shows tend to cost more than your average large-scale conference. The average cost of organizing a trade show is $1.4m.
Remember, this is just a ballpark. Your actual costs will depend on many different variables.
What’s the average conference cost per person?
Another key factor in your expenses is the number of attendees you’re expecting at your conference. So, what does your typical conference cost per head?
According to the 2024 Global Meetings and Events Forecast from American Express, the average conference costs $769.05 per person.
That cost goes up dramatically if it’s a trade show, with the average cost per person of a trade show conference being $830.19 per person.
How much does it cost to host a convention?
Conferences tend to focus on exchanging information or developing skills (e.g., academic conferences, corporate events, or international conferences where professionals meet to hear about major developments or research).
Meanwhile, a convention is generally an annual event based on industrial or community membership. That might include a yearly marketing convention for a professional trade body or a sci-fi convention targeting a particular fandom like Star Trek.
The average cost of hosting a convention tends to be on par with a conference. So you should budget from $15,000 for a small convention to $500,000 for a large-scale event.
Get inspired by these conference budget examples
It’s one thing talking about the crucial steps involved in financial planning for your event. But sometimes, seeing a breakdown of costs from a real event example is what you need for your budgeting decisions.
To help you create a successful event, two we’ve put together two event budget samples.
Sample conference budget
Hosting in-person events? You’ll need to consider specific expenditures to accommodate your guests, including costs related to attendee experience, services, and venue hire.
Here’s an example breakdown of costs for a medium-sized conference:
| Category | Expense | Cost |
| Conference venue | Room/venue hire | $3,000 |
| Utilities | $500 | |
| Furniture rentals | $750 | |
| Equipment rentals | $1,000 | |
| Signage | $2,000 | |
| Conference catering | Food truck hire | $1,200 |
| Alcohol license | $75 | |
| Alcohol | $1,500 | |
| Soft drinks | $750 | |
| Event management | Event management software | $144 |
| Event staff | $9,600 | |
| Conference app | $1,500 | |
| Conference programming | Keynote speaker | $10,000 |
| Supporting speakers | $8,000 | |
| Entertainment | $1,500 | |
| Conference marketing | Conference branding | $500 |
| Social media advertising | $750 | |
| Programs and collateral | $800 | |
| Pay-per-click advertising | $500 | |
| Experiential costs | Guest wristbands | $1,000 |
| Swag bags | $5,000 | |
| Mobile event app | $2,000 | |
| TOTAL | $52,069 | |
Remember: this event budget spreadsheet is just an example, and these are all ballpark numbers to get you started. Your actual costs will depend on your future event requirements.
Virtual conference budget example
Planning a virtual event? You’ve got a whole different set of expenses to think about.
Check out this virtual event budget sample to give you an idea of the costs you’re working with to host a successful event for remote attendees:
| Category | Expense | Cost |
| Event management | Virtual event platform | $8,000 |
| Event app | $1,500 | |
| Event staff | $1,600 | |
| Conference programming | Keynote speaker | $5,000 |
| Supporting speakers | $4,000 | |
| Conference marketing | Conference branding | $500 |
| Social media advertising | $750 | |
| Pay-per-click advertising | $500 | |
| TOTAL | $21,850 | |
Your virtual event requirements will vary, and you might want to incorporate tools to boost attendee engagement, like a mobile event app or send swag bags to each individual in the mail ahead of your virtual conference. Want to know how the real pros budget for their events? That’s exactly what we’re going to talk about next.
Pro budgeting tips from real event organizers
Before you start plotting out the budget for your future events, here are some tips we absolutely love from experts in the field:
1. Use data to drive informed decisions about your budget
When it comes to running a successful event like a major conference, using data to allocate your event budget is a killer strategy. By crunching the numbers and looking at your past performance and competitors, you can optimize your marketing efforts and stay within budget.
“Analyze historical performance data and the existing market conditions, such as search volume which indicates demand for the event, audience reach, etc,” says Samuel Hawks, former Senior Account Executive for Eventbrite Ads.
“Next conduct A/B testing to monitor key metrics like impressions, clicks, and CPC. Regularly review your city-specific performance and adjust each budget based on these insights.”
2. Choose a partner with great support to make your budget go further
Making budgeting decisions can be stressful. One way to reduce that stress is to team up with an events management platform, like Eventbrite, with advanced tools to keep your spending in check.
That’s what brought Mike Lee, owner of Laugh Out Lounge, to move to Eventbrite.
“I had to look for other options, and Eventbrite was a big one. The name recognition alone was a big part, but when I immediately uploaded six weeks’ worth of events, I was contacted by the Eventbrite sales team, and they were, like, ‘Hey, we know that you’re hosting a lot of events, and we want to help you promote them,’” he says.
“I didn’t expect that type of customer service. In my year with Ticketleap, I never spoke to one live person. Eventbrite’s team was a huge help, and made me think, ‘I made the right decision.’”
Bring in sponsors to boost your budget
Income from sponsors can be your knight in shining armor when it comes to creating an event that truly meets attendee expectations.
Event sponsorship can lead to potential revenue streams you’ve never thought of — or donate goods for conference giveaways or goodie bags.
To attract sponsors, make sure you’re well organized and have genuine incentives to persuade companies to get involved.
“Developing well-structured sponsorship packages streamlines the process for potential sponsors,” explains Renae Smith, Founder and Director of The Atticism PR & Brand Development.
“Clearly outline the sponsorship tiers, benefits, and associated costs. Tailor packages to accommodate various brands’ needs, ensuring a range of options for different levels of involvement.”
Ready to start budgeting?
At the end of the day, you shouldn’t let the large scope of conference planning discourage you. If you have a great idea for a conference, you can make it happen. Just make sure you build your vision using an accurate blueprint.
Download Eventbrite’s free conference budget template to get started plotting out your expenses — and if you need support with managing your event, you’ve come to the right place.
Eventbrite can help you set up a custom event page, create and sell tickets, market events, check your guests in at the door, use analytics, and more.
