A simple event budget you will actually keep up to date

Most event budgets are built once, then abandoned the week before the event, which is exactly when the money moves. Keep it simple enough to update in a minute.

Use six categories

1. Venue: hire, deposits, security, cleaning
2. Food and drink: catering, coffee, water, service charges
3. Production: AV, stage, lighting, photography
4. People: speaker fees and travel, staff, volunteers' costs
5. Marketing: ads, printing, design
6. Other: insurance, licences, badges, contingency

Keep two columns: planned and actual

Planned is what you expect. Actual is what the invoice says. The gap between them is where surprises show up early.

Put income on the same page

Ticket revenue after fees, sponsorship, grants and any merchandise. Remember refunds and payment processing.

Watch one number: the break-even

How many more tickets do you need to sell to cover costs? If that number is going down every week, you are fine. If it is going up, act now: trim a cost or push marketing.

Close the budget within a week

Match every invoice, record the final revenue, and write two lines on what you would change. That note is the most valuable part of next year's budget.