Event budget

Event Budget

Create realistic, benchmark-grounded budgets for B2B events. Produces actionable financial plans with fixed/variable cost modeling, revenue projections, and variance tracking — not blank templates to fill in.

When This Skill Activates

Use this skill when the user wants to:

• Create a budget for a new event from scratch
• Estimate costs for a specific event type and scale
• Build budget scenarios (base / lean / stretch)
• Calculate cost per attendee or break-even point
• Set ticket pricing based on cost structure
• Project revenue from registrations and sponsorship
• Track actuals vs. planned budget (variance analysis)
• Identify cost-saving opportunities
• Create a post-event financial reconciliation
• Estimate ROI from an event investment

This skill does NOT: Write sponsorship proposals (use the event-sponsors skill), set up registration platforms (use the event-registration skill), or analyze post-event survey data (use the event-analytics skill). Handles financial planning, tracking, and forecasting.

Step 1: Gather Context

Required context (ask if not provided):

Parameter	Why it matters
Event type	Determines cost structure and category mix
Event format	In-person / virtual / hybrid — fundamentally changes budget shape
Expected attendees	Drives variable costs (F&B, badges, materials)
Event duration	Multi-day events multiply venue, catering, and staffing costs
Location / region	Affects venue rates, travel costs, tax, currency
Total budget envelope	If known — otherwise skill estimates from benchmarks

Optional context (use if available):

Parameter	Default if not stated
Revenue model	Assume mixed (tickets + sponsors) unless stated
Number of speakers	Estimate from event type
Venue status	If booked, use actual cost; otherwise estimate
Sponsor revenue confirmed	Include confirmed only; project pipeline separately
Currency	Use user's currency; ask if not specified
Previous event data	Use actuals from prior edition as baseline if recurring

Step 2: Select Budget Profile

Different event types have fundamentally different cost structures. Load benchmarks from references/cost-benchmarks.md.

Format-specific budget profiles:

• In-person: Baseline allocation — venue and F&B dominate (40-45% combined)
• Virtual: Reallocate entirely — 0% venue/F&B, 35-45% technology/platform, 20-25% marketing (wider reach). Cost index 0.1-0.3× vs. in-person equivalent.
• Hybrid: Most expensive format — full in-person production PLUS full virtual production. Budget 30-40% premium over in-person alone. Contingency 15-20% (dual-format = more failure points).

Event Type	Largest Cost Center	Revenue Model	Key Budget Risk
Trade show / Expo	Venue + exhibitor infrastructure	Exhibitor fees + sponsor + tickets	Floor plan changes, AV scope creep
Partner conference	Venue + F&B + networking	Sponsor-funded or internal	Catering overruns
Product launch	Production + AV + demos	Internally funded	Production scope creep
Sales kickoff	Venue + accommodation + F&B	Internally funded	Travel and resort pricing
Developer conference	Venue + AV + speaker travel	Tickets + sponsors	WiFi infrastructure
Industry summit	Venue + speaker fees + catering	Tickets + sponsors	Premium venue costs
Community meetup	Venue + catering	Sponsor-funded	Sponsor dependence
Virtual event	Platform + production	Tickets + sponsors	Platform licensing
Hybrid event	All in-person + all virtual	Mixed	Dual production (30-40% premium)

Step 3: Generate Outputs

Output A: Full Budget Breakdown

Detailed budget organized by category. Load structure from references/budget-categories.md.

Structure: Revenue section (registration tiers, sponsorship tiers, exhibitor fees, other income) → Fixed costs (venue, base AV, platform, insurance) → Variable costs (catering per head, badges, materials) → Semi-variable costs (marketing, speakers, staff, photography) → Contingency (10-15%) → Net result.

For each line item provide: description, unit cost, quantity, subtotal, notes, and category percentage.

Output B: Scenario Modeling

Three scenarios: Lean (20-30% below base — minimum viable event), Base (realistic working budget), Stretch (20-30% above base — enhanced experience). For each show total cost, cost per attendee, break-even count, and key trade-offs.

Output C: Revenue Projection

Model all revenue sources. Registration: by tier with early-bird (20-25% of registrations at 15-20% discount) and comp tickets (10-15%). Sponsorship: by tier with close rates (60-70% returning, 20-30% new). Exhibitor: booth fee × count plus add-ons. Calculate break-even point and sensitivity at 80% and 120% of target.

Output D: Cost-per-Attendee Analysis

Calculate and benchmark against references/cost-benchmarks.md: gross cost per attendee, net cost per attendee (minus sponsor revenue), F&B cost per attendee, marketing cost per registration. Flag metrics significantly above or below benchmarks.

Output E: Variance Tracker

For events in progress or completed: category-level comparison of budgeted vs. actual with RAG status (🟢 within ±5%, 🟡 5-15% over, 🔴 over 15%).

Output F: ROI Calculation

For completed events: pipeline ROI, revenue ROI, cost per lead, cost per meeting. Load ROI frameworks from references/roi-frameworks.md.

Step 3.5: Verification Gate

Before presenting outputs, verify:

1. Math accuracy: Line items sum to category totals, categories sum to grand total, percentages sum to 100%
2. Benchmark alignment: Flag any category more than 10 percentage points off from benchmarks
3. Revenue realism: Registration projections based on realistic conversion rates
4. Contingency present: 10-15% of total expenses — never present a budget without it
5. Currency consistency: All figures in same currency, tax/VAT handled consistently
6. Fixed vs. variable logic: Variable costs actually scale with headcount

Skill Interface

Accepts input from:

• event-planner: Event brief (event_type, format, dates, attendee_count, budget_envelope)
• event-sponsors: Sponsorship revenue (tier_pricing, expected_sponsors_per_tier, close_rates)
• event-registration: Ticket revenue (tier_pricing, expected_registrations, comp_tickets)
• event-logistics: Vendor costs (venue_quote, av_quote, catering_quote, vendor_estimates)

Produces output for:

• event-sponsors: Revenue targets (total_sponsorship_target, per_tier_targets)
• event-registration: Pricing guidance (break_even_point, price_benchmarks)
• event-analytics: Financial baseline (total_budget, category_allocations, revenue_targets)
• event-logistics: Budget constraints (vendor_budget_per_category)

Step 4: Connect to Specialized Skills

• Event planning: "For full event plans with timeline and checklists, use the event-planner skill"
• Sponsorship revenue: "For sponsorship package design and pricing, use the event-sponsors skill"
• Registration and pricing: "For registration flow and ticket tier design, use the event-registration skill"
• Post-event ROI: "For comprehensive KPI frameworks and ROI reporting, use the event-analytics skill"
• Vendor costs: "For vendor selection and RFP templates, use the event-logistics skill"

If the user has an event brief from event-planner, ask them to share it for more accurate estimates.

Output Format

• Default: Markdown tables with category headers
• For spreadsheet: CSV-ready tables (Category, Item, Unit Cost, Qty, Subtotal, Notes)
• Currency: Use the currency specified by the user. Ask if not provided.
• Show both absolute amounts and percentage of total per category
• Include one-paragraph executive summary at top of any full budget

Examples

Example 1: Mid-size conference budget

User says: "Create a budget for a 500-person developer conference in Berlin, 2 days, €200K total budget."

Skill response: Full breakdown using stated budget as anchor. Developer conference profile: higher AV/tech (15%), moderate F&B, 20-30 speakers. Three scenarios (Lean 75%, Base 100%, Stretch 130% of stated budget). Revenue: ticket tiers + 4-tier sponsorship. Break-even analysis. Cost per attendee = 40% of per-head benchmark at base scenario. Timeline: budget finalized by T-6 months, vendor deposits by T-4 months.

Example 2: Trade show booth budget

User says: "How much should we budget for our booth at a major trade show? 20m² booth, 3 days. Shell scheme price from organizer is $350/m²."

Skill response: Exhibitor budget using $350/m² shell scheme as anchor. Custom build = 3-6× shell scheme = $1,050-2,100/m². Total booth space + build for 20m²: $21,000-42,000. Add staff travel, lead capture, materials, giveaways. Flag: production scope creep is #1 risk.

Example 3: Virtual event cost estimate

User says: "What does a virtual conference for 1,000 people cost? We have a quote for a platform at $8,000."

Skill response: Virtual budget using platform cost as anchor. Platform = 20-40% of technology budget, technology = 35-45% of total. Derived total: $18,000-40,000. Allocation: 0% venue, 40% technology, 25% marketing, 15% speakers, 10% staff, 10% contingency. Cost index 0.1-0.3× of equivalent in-person event.

Example 4: Budget variance review

User says: "Our conference is T-3 weeks out. We're 15% over budget on AV."

Skill response: AV variance analysis. Common causes. Immediate savings options by T-2 weeks. Revised forecast with updated contingency draw.

Edge Cases

• No total budget given: Use calibration method from cost-benchmarks.md — ask for one local anchor price. Present percentage-based allocation and flag that absolute numbers need user-provided data.
• Internal event (no revenue): Skip revenue section. Focus on expense budget with cost justification.
• Multi-currency: Primary currency for all figures, note exchange rates, add 3-5% fluctuation buffer.
• Very tight budget: Priority cut order: swag → print → photographer → entertainment → premium catering → venue downgrade. Never cut contingency.
• First-time event: Use benchmarks, add 15% contingency, flag that first editions cost 10-20% more.
• Recurring event with history: Use prior actuals as baseline, adjust for inflation (3-5% annually).
• Green budget options: Include line items for: carbon offset (1-3% of per-attendee cost for in-person), sustainable catering premium (+10-20%), reusable signage and booth materials (higher upfront, lower over 3+ events), digital swag alternatives, waste management and recycling. Present as optional add-ons with ROI framing — sustainability increasingly influences sponsor and attendee decisions.