Event budget template and calculator
Total budget$3,713$149 a person. Includes $338 contingency (10%).
- Food and drinkper person$1,00030%
- Activity or entertainmentLive price: Feud Night for 25$1,75052%
- Decorfixed$1504%
- Gifts or prizesper person$37511%
- AV and musicfixed$1003%
- Otherfixed$00%
This event budget template works for an office holiday party, a virtual team event or an offsite. The calculator splits per-person costs from fixed ones, adds contingency and keeps planned and actual side by side, with no email form. The activity line starts at our live price for your headcount. Below: the 12 lines to copy, 8 dated cost benchmarks, six planning steps, the hidden costs and three worked budgets.
Event budget template: 12 line items to copy
Copy it into Google Sheets or Excel. It pastes as columns, with Planned, Actual and Difference left blank for you.
| Line item | Basis | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Venue or room rentalFixed | Fixed | Room hire, food and drink minimum, setup and cleanup fees |
| Food and drinkPer person | Per person | Meals, snacks, coffee, soft drinks, dietary options |
| Service charge and tax% of food | % of food | Venue service charge, sales tax, delivery fees, tips |
| AV and techFixed | Fixed | Mics, screens, speakers, Wi-Fi, a video license for remote guests |
| Activity or entertainmentPer person or fixed | Per person or fixed | Hosted game, workshop, speaker, band or DJ |
| Kits and shippingPer person | Per person | Workshop kits, treats or gifts mailed to remote guests |
| DecorFixed | Fixed | Centerpieces, signs, lighting, linen and furniture rentals |
| Gifts and prizesPer person | Per person | Favors, raffle prizes, game winners, thank-you gifts |
| Staffing and securityFixed | Fixed | Event staff, coat check, security, overtime |
| TransportPer person or fixed | Per person or fixed | Shuttles, rideshare credits, parking, travel for remote staff |
| Insurance and permitsFixed | Fixed | Event liability cover, venue certificates, city permits |
| Contingency% of total | % of total | 10% for most events, 15% to 20% for new venues or travel |
How much does a corporate event cost? 8 benchmarks
Dated figures from named sources, each linked. Use them to sanity-check a corporate event budget, not to replace local quotes.
- $263
Meeting cost per attendee per day, 2026 forecast
GBTA and ALTOUR travel price forecast, Jul 28, 2026 - $267
Meeting cost per attendee per day, 2027 forecast
GBTA and ALTOUR travel price forecast, Jul 28, 2026 - 91%
Meeting planners who expect bigger event budgets in 2027
Amex GBT Meetings & Events Forecast, via Voyages d'Affaires, Oct 14, 2026 - Up for every meeting type
Cost per attendee in 2027, as planners expect it
Amex GBT Meetings & Events Forecast, via Hotel Dive, Oct 14, 2026 - About $59, up 31%
Holiday party food and drink per employee, 2025
ezCater holiday party survey, via CFO.com, Nov 14, 2025 - Up 13% on average
Holiday party budgets, 2025 vs 2024
ezCater holiday party survey, via CFO.com, Nov 14, 2025 - $113 lodging, $68 meals and incidentals
Federal standard per diem, FY2027
US General Services Administration, FY2027 highlights (Word file), From Oct 1, 2026 - $28 to $38
Federal dinner allowance within the $68 to $92 meals and incidentals rates
US General Services Administration, M&IE breakdown, FY2027
Event budget planning in 6 steps
- Start from the approved number. Ask what per-person figure your approver will accept, then multiply by headcount.
- List every line. Use the 12-line template, and keep the lines you expect to be zero so you remember to ask.
- Split per-person and fixed costs. Food and gifts scale with headcount; the venue and most activity packages don't.
- Get two or three quotes for the big lines. Food and drink, the venue and the activity usually make up most of the total.
- Add contingency. 10% for most events, 15% to 20% for a new venue, a new city or travel.
- Track actuals as invoices arrive. Keep the final sheet: it is next year's starting budget.
Need ideas before numbers? Start with our office holiday party ideas or the corporate event ideas list, and for a tight party budget, these free team building activities cost nothing to run.
8 hidden costs to budget for
The lines that turn an approved budget into an awkward follow-up email.
- Service charge plus tax. Hotels and venues add both to food and drink; get each percent in writing.
- Food and drink minimums. A free room often comes with a minimum spend you must hit.
- Overtime. Venue staff, AV techs and security bill extra when the event runs late.
- Delivery fees and tips. Catered office food rarely arrives at the menu price.
- Rentals the venue doesn't include. Linens, extra chairs, a stage or a coat rack each cost something.
- Shipping outside the continental US. Kits and gifts to Canada, Alaska, Hawaii or abroad cost more and take longer.
- No-shows. For a casual office party, order food for about 90% of RSVPs.
- Late changes. Rush shipping and headcount changes after a deadline cost more.
3 example event budgets
The calculator's starting lines at three headcounts, with the activity at today's live price. Swap in your own quotes.
25-person office holiday party
| Line | How it’s priced | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Food and drink | 25 × $40 | $1,000 |
| Activity or entertainment | Feud Night, live price for 25 | $1,750 |
| Decor | Fixed | $150 |
| Gifts or prizes | 25 × $15 | $375 |
| AV and music | Fixed | $100 |
| Contingency | 10% of the lines above | $338 |
| Total | $149 a person | $3,713 |
The game is one package price for up to 50 people, so at 50 the same plan costs $5,225, or $105 a person.
50-person virtual team event
| Line | How it’s priced | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Hosted activity | Fun-Filled Feud, live price for 50 | $1,195 |
| Meal or treat delivery | 50 × $25 | $1,250 |
| Gifts or prizes | 50 × $10 | $500 |
| Contingency | 10% of the lines above | $295 |
| Total | $65 a person | $3,240 |
The treat delivery credit is 42% of the plan and optional. For a hands-on hour instead, Cookie Decorating ships a kit to every home for $3,979 for 50 people, continental US shipping included.
100-person offsite dinner
| Line | How it’s priced | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Venue or room rental | Fixed | $2,500 |
| Food and drink | 100 × $75 | $7,500 |
| Service charge and tax | 25% of food | $1,875 |
| AV and tech | Fixed | $750 |
| Activity or entertainment | Team Trivia, live price for 100 | $2,200 |
| Transport | 100 × $25 | $2,500 |
| Decor | Fixed | $300 |
| Contingency | 10% of the lines above | $1,763 |
| Total | $194 a person | $19,388 |
The venue, the food and its service charge make up 67% of the plan, so that is where a second quote saves the most.
Virtual event budget and hybrid events
- No venue or travel lines. The activity, kits and any food delivery credit become the big costs.
- Kits are per person. Most kit workshops are a price per person plus one base fee, with continental US shipping included.
- Time zones. Hosted games can run as two sessions for teams split across time zones; budget each as its own line.
- Hybrid. Run an in-person format in the office plus a virtual session for remote staff, or one virtual event for everyone.
See how a mixed team can share one event on our hybrid team building page.
Put a real price on the activity line
The activity is the line most planners guess at. These four show their price for your headcount before you book.
- An office party: a host runs Feud Night, a Family Feud-style game, at your office or venue in 17 US cities.
- A remote team: Fun-Filled Feud is a hosted game show on Zoom, or Teams, Google Meet or Webex on request, in 60 minutes.
- Something hands-on: Cookie Decorating ships cookies, icing and sprinkles to every home for a hosted class. Kits need about 3 weeks.
- An offsite: Team Trivia, hosted at your venue, with each team’s captain answering on a phone.
Four ways to fill the activity line, with today’s prices.
Book hosted games about 2 weeks ahead and kit workshops 3 weeks ahead (about 5 for international addresses). December dates fill first. Compare live totals for 25, 50 and 100 people on our corporate team building page, browse every virtual holiday party format and all team building kits, or find your city under in-person team building. Or get a free quote.
