Virtual Event Budget: Template for free and step-by-step guide

Apr 1, 2023

In addition, the event organizers must meet with ever-changing requirements of their customers. They must compete for fewer attention spans as well as work within increasing budgets. Additionally, they need to show that they've achieved returns on investment (ROI) in their event as well as to create an atmosphere comparable to how you feel at the event personally.

We'll go over the best way to budget your virtual event, and what lines to eliminate in your spreadsheet. We'll also discuss how and how to keep track of the results of your virtual event , so that you can build an even bigger budget for your future event!

Create copies of our budgeting template to help you plan your activities.

In this article

  1.     The reason you should have a budget for events (especially for hybrid and virtual occasions)
  2.     Cost of hosting an event online
  3.     Cost breakdown of virtual events
  4.     What do you require to put together an event that is effective on the web?
  5.     What's the best method of evaluating the efficacy of your online event?
  6.     Include human touches in order to make your experience seem authentic
  7.     Budgeting FAQs for the online event
  8.     It's time to begin planning your next event

The reason you need to plan your budget? (especially in the case of hybrid or virtual events)

Virtual occasions are significantly less costly hosting compared to live gatherings. There's no need to rent chairs or an event space Print materials, arrange arrangements or serve platters of food such as charcuterie.

The budgeting process will let to take a more strategic approach for the event you're planning online , including ways you can cut costs and finding sponsorship opportunities and cash flow.

If you have planned the event in advance it is possible to determine which lines of work are essential to the celebration as well as which lines could be eliminated, and also how you can create a fresh and unique method of entertaining your guests.

The cost of hosting an online occasion

Costs of hosting an online conference depends on a myriad of factors including the duration of the conference, as well as the participants and speakers.

In the next article in the following article will cover the various costs involved in hosting an online event for you to help you to determine the cost of hosting your own party. We'll now outline what you can expect to shell out for hosting a virtual event

  • If you're hosting an introductory webinar with up to 500 attendees generally, expect to pay for between the range of $2,500-$10,000..
  • If you're planning to host an all day virtual conference, which includes the ability to deliver or even create break-out rooms with virtual rooms You can anticipate prices to range between 4000dollars to $25,000..
  • If you're planning an online conference which will last for an extended period of time with multiple sessions or breakout rooms, discussion and recordings, you should anticipate spending in the range of $50 between $50k and 150,000.

It is evident that this is a major difference.

We'll look into the many factors to take into consideration when setting the budget for the virtual event to calculate costs more precisely.

Cost breakdown of virtual event

Line-item Estimated cost
Microphones Amount: $40+ for each speaker
Video cameras Price of $ 24 or higher per speaker
Ring light More than $30 for every individual
Green screens Amount: $18 plus per speaker
Software to host events
Over 100 people Between $50 and $250
Between 500 and 2,500 people Between $625 to Between $600 and
3,000+ attendees From $25,000 to from $25,000 to
Other software (as needed)
Hosting of landing page $39/month - $469/month
Form for registration to Events Between the range of $39 to 720 dollars monthly. Expect to pay the ticket fee (and costs for processing payment) per ticket
Software to manage email $3/month - $150/user/month
Software for engaging with viewers From $ 8 per month, up to $1,000 per month
Speakers pay
A new expert From $2,500 up to $2,500 up to
Keynote Speaker Between $7,500 and between $7,500 and
Leader of the mind Between $10,000 to Between $10,000 and.
Celebrity From $20,000 to $75,000
An extremely well-known and well-loved celebrity $100,000 to $200,000
Content production
In-studio pre-recording From $375-$500/hour
Recording remotes in advance Between $200 and $125/hour.
Post-recording edits From $100 to $200/hour
Swag bags
Notepads that have brand name $4.66/notepad
Custom socks $9.78/pair
Customized tote bag $3.99/tote
Plain mailer bag $0.87/bag
Marketing and advertising expenses Variable Variable

Example of cost breakdowns utilized to plan virtual activity

What are the steps you must take to pull off an event that is successful online

In terms of technology, it is possible to arrange an online conference using nothing more than an online meeting space, cameras, and a microphone. But, if you'd like to create a seamlessand successful online experience, there are some costs that are worth investing in.

Gear

There's nothing to help make your speakers look stylish and polished, but it will take some.

Instead, arrange your presenters beforehand and prepare these items:

If you're planning an event which is less expensive, there is a way to get around several of the points above. Be sure to check your speaker's current configurations ahead of time and guiding the speakers on how to improve the illumination they are using and also the quantity of background music played throughout the event.

Learn more about gear

Virtual Event Hosting Software

It is possible to imagine that the software used to host events is an online location where you will use for your event. Similar to physical venues, software platforms offer a variety of options.

According to Markletic is a great guide to find out the amount you'll spend on the virtual event platform each month:

  • A range of $50-$250 for tiny virtual meetings that can have up to 100 attendees in a single meeting.
  • Between $600 and $8,000 is the minimum required to hold bigger virtual events. These will accommodate between 500 and 2,500 guests.
  • Between $25,000 and $40,000 is the most minimal that is required for events with more than 3000 attendees.

Virtual event platforms typically are priced per user and come with various pricing levels based on the particular requirements of the event. (Think how many guests, marketing and promotion features and security measures as an illustration.)

Be sure to note down all of the features that the event platform you select to host your event comes with. Although some platforms seem to have a price tag that an unintentional level, they may are more costly than the other ones but they might contain additional features that make them less expensive to use in the future.

A different software application is necessary.

If you choose to go with an alternative which does not include these functions, it is important to included the following expenses in your budget to cover the following:

  • Hosting of landing pages:starting at $39 per month for landing pages hosted on your domain. Enterprise plans, specially designed for businesses hosting numerous large-scale events. They can be as high as $469 monthly..
  • Forms for registration to the events are Free for all instances However, you'll be charged for the costs for tickets (for example, $0.99 and 2% of the price) per ticket or an annual membership which starts with 39 dollars per month.
  • Software for managing email Beginning with just $3 each month to send 500 email messages per month. Premium and enterprise plans usually cost between $136 and $150 per user each month.
  • Software that allows for interactions with members of the audience: Beginning with eight dollars per month with audience sizes ranging from 50 to. The pricing for Enterprise plans is between $199 for a month and up to 1,000 dollars per month.

Speakers

Virtual events require little travel and less effort than in-person gatherings. The majority of keynote speakers are paid approximately 50% of their live costs for hosting a virtual event. The amount that a speaker will be charged, however, will depend on their experience and how famous they are.

As per the Big Speak You can anticipate being charged:

  • Amount of $2,500-$5,000 to an expert who is relatively unfamiliar with the topic.
  • Between $7500 and $10,000 for an expert keynote or keynote speaker.
  • Between $10,000 and $30,000 to the thought-leader of the moment with an enormous fan base, or has written books
  • Between $20,000 and $75,000, the most famous.
  • $100,000 to $200,000 for well-known actors

Content

If you're planning to record any kind of video for your event make sure you add the expenses for production to the budget.

If you're recording in a studio, you can expect to spend anywhere between 500 to 375 dollars per hour recording. If you record from a remote location, you're likely to pay less in the range of $125-$200 for an hour.

Whichever way you choose, warns Zephan Blaxberg, Director at ZMBMedia Studio ZMBMedia, which is a studio that specializes in video production. ZMBMedia Be prepared the costs of the production process will be 3 times that of the initial estimate was. If you wish to editing your film post-production expect to pay between $100 and $200 for an hour.

"Keep your mind about a 1:13 ratio when making recordings prior to events that is, for each minute recorded, the time will roughly triple the duration charged. While your host might talk for less than 60 minutes, livestream tech will arrive an hour early for the setup of the studio and begin to work on the project. The livestream tech will stay for at least one hour after recording has completed to archive the video before beginning the edits."

Advertising and marketing

It is possible to ask you (and your team! ):

  • What amount of time will our Marketing team have to commit to this date?
  • What are we able to do to make this event more visible to potential attendees?
  • Would you be interested in putting the money we earn advertising through social media?
  • What does our email marketing look like?
  • We are working with influencers and help them to spread the word about the celebration?
  • What should our post-event marketing method? be like?

Remember that marketing and promotion could be one of the biggest expenses of hosting an event online.

"The largest expenditure we make is advertising, as well as the thought-leaders/experts that we bring to speak at our events," says Miles DePaul Director of Demand Generation at Superside. "This is the point where value of the Superside brand comes into. Once people become more familiar with our brand and utilize our experience and expertise, we can expect increased participation and our budgets for special events are reduced. Advertising is less expensive as our cost-per-click is reduced because of an increase in brand awareness, organic marketing can be an effective way to win. You can cut costs on speakers because of the fact that top speakers will want to cooperate with us or provide discounts."

After you've developed the plan you want to follow and have formulated your strategy, you'll determine which areas you can make use of your assets already in place (such as your marketing department along with the program already in use for email marketing) and also the ones that will require additional funds (for example, partnerships with influencers or landing pages hosting).

Gift cards or Swag

  • Notepads with brand name that allows taking notes ( $4.66)
  • Custom socks ( $9.78)
  • A custom tote bag ($3.99)
  • A plain mailer bag ($0.87)

Shipping prices can differ based upon the location of attendees, but the items inside will cost $19.30 and less than 20 dollars.

Partners or sponsors

This can be a fantastic opportunity to reduce the costs of your budget of your virtual event. (We are interested in hearing about your experience.)

The opportunities for sponsorship could vary when it comes to online events compared to those held on site, but they're there. Prior to the time the event gets underway, sponsors may be highlighted in your marketing of the event, including the event's website and social media channels along with company newsletters as well as reminder emails. You can also email participants with details about promotions offered by companies or sponsors.

At the time of the event, you can showcase sponsor logos and logos your slides, run sponsored polls for them, host a conversation with sponsors, or feature their short-form video. If they'd prefer to give gifts from their sponsors the attendees they can be part of the bags of goodies.

Do not be deceived and mention sponsors on your post-event content including on-demand videos email messages, emails after the event and social media postsas along with video clips. In this way you're showing the value of your sponsors as they'll continue to enjoy coverage for a lengthy duration after the event's conclusion.

What is the best way to evaluate the efficacy of an online-based activity?

You're probably aware that there various costs to organize an event online that's profitable. To demonstrate the value of the investment of your event  and guarantee that future events are funded  You must track and prove the efficacy of the events.

A few metrics you might consider tracking include:

  • The recognition of the company's brand can be measured through the amount of people who register for events, traffic on websites, as well as event impressions and interactions on social media.
  • Leads and customers created through events: tracked by events, the response to event surveys and any other actions undertaken by leads who have been created (such as announcing the availability of the test).
  • The level of education for the viewers is determined by the amount of events that guests attend and by the level of participation in discussion, Q&As and chats.

"Our strategies for events have the highest effectiveness in providing value throughout every channel and in helping customers to be aware of their problems and to be more informed. This can influence sales interactions and ultimately the revenue" DePaul says. DePaul.

Then he adds:



Use human-like gestures in order to make your virtual experience seem IRL

When you're organizing an event online is easy for the attendees to overlook the fact that actual viewers can be found among the screens. This can make it simple for them to lose interest or be lost in.

DePaul and Superside as well as Superside and Superside and Superside team recognize the significance of thoughtful personal touches when they plan their events online. "Throughout all of the process, we are always trying to make it more human by using things such as mail-in letter cards, gifts, or videos or content that users create," he says.

There are many methods to make your audience feel more connected to your program, the other attendees and the presenter:

  • Utilize tools to interact with your attendees like Live chat or polls that have interactive features and Q&A sections in order to make the event an open discussion and is not a monotone. monologue.
  • Gather attendees and discuss in break-out areas. Additionally, you could create a LinkedIn group to ensure attendees are able to connect each other after the event. This could add a social aspect (and another benefit!) to the virtual event.
  • Distribute swag bags or give away prizes to stimulate participants. These simple things can help make the crowd more involved and lively throughout the festival.

DePaul's continues:

"For instance, our biggest conference in 2022, Momentum Summit is heavily advertised through videos of our speakers, which we used in our ads and for one-to-one personal emails. If you visit our page for landing, we'd have videos from our speakers as well as group members discussing the topics we'd like to address during the conference instead of the page's static layout that mostly focuses on text.

We would like to invite some of the top participants in our organization to attend and encourage colleagues to join us with snacks packed in boxes or offering their lunch at the time of the program. In the actual event the main focus will be on peer-to-peer interactions through discussion in the event chatroom, small executive roundtables, as well as inviting them into the Superside group for conversations that continue for the duration of the programme."

Budgeting and planning questions for virtual occasions.

Are you still unsure concerning budgeting your next virtual event? We'll address a variety of frequently asked questions , and also give you links for other sources to help you in organizing your next event.

What's the cost average of virtual conference?

According to Statista the study found the below: 34% of the marketers claim they invest between $500-$1,000 for each participant in an event that is online.

What is the most affordable amount that you have to allocate for meetings via virtual?

How can I best to organize virtual events? Earn some money?

What should I look for when looking for a virtual platform?

This is the perfect time to start planning your events

The procedure of planning an online event isn't easy. But it provides the chance to grow your audience as well as collaborate with creative event organizers and hosts as well as delight guests. Apart from hosting, the platform lets users create an amazing landing page, create email reminders for events, connect with participants, connect the various marketing tools that you have in place and analyze the analysis of the post-event analysis of your event.

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