Define what the budget must deliver
Start with the event objective, expected attendance, venue, operating hours and required production standard. Record these assumptions beside the budget. Without a shared scope, two suppliers can price different events while appearing to quote for the same brief.
Keep three figures visible: the current forecast, the committed amount and the actual spend. An approved estimate is not the same as a purchase order, and a purchase order is not the final cost.
Use a complete cost structure
- Venue and hospitality: room hire, food, beverages, service requirements and minimum commitments.
- Creative and build: concept development, drawings, fabrication, branding, furniture and finishes.
- Technical production: screens, sound, lighting, control, power distribution and crew.
- Content: presentations, video, graphics, translation and playback preparation.
- Operations: registration, staffing, transport, freight, accommodation where required, installation and dismantling.
- Other allowances: applicable fees, insurance, taxes and contingency, with inclusion or exclusion clearly stated.
Price the whole equipment period
Equipment may be needed before and after the public event. Ask suppliers to state installation, rehearsal, live operation and dismantling periods separately, together with what is chargeable. Check whether operators, rigging, cabling, delivery and standby equipment are included.
For LED production, confirm screen dimensions, pixel pitch, processing, playback requirements and the content scope. A square-metre rate alone does not describe the delivered system. See our audiovisual production services for the types of requirements to discuss.
Compare quotations on the same basis
Create a comparison sheet with one row per deliverable. For each supplier, record specification, quantity, duration, exclusions, payment milestones and cancellation terms. Clarify vague lines such as “full production” before approval. A lower initial total can become a higher final cost if essential delivery items are excluded.
Illustrative planning example
For a hypothetical one-day conference, the venue may allow access the previous evening while the production design requires a full installation day. The practical choices are to negotiate earlier access, simplify the build or allow additional labour and overtime. This is a planning example, not a Fekra quotation or a market price benchmark.
Control changes without slowing decisions
Agree a contingency appropriate to the uncertainty of the project rather than applying an unexplained fixed percentage. Keep it separate from optional enhancements. Every change request should state the reason, additional cost, programme impact and approver before an order is placed.
- Before approval: confirm scope, assumptions and exclusions.
- During production: update commitments and log authorised changes.
- After delivery: reconcile invoices, release unused allowances and record lessons for the next event.
If the brief is still evolving, event management consultancy can help establish a workable scope before procurement begins.
