A free procurement planning resource
Conference Production Budget Planner
A production quote can look inexpensive until crew days, rehearsals, venue technical fees and contingency appear as extras. Use the worksheet below to organise numbers you already have, identify unquoted costs and prepare a clearer RFP. Every cost figure comes from you; we never invent supplier rates.
Compare the scope, not just the total
Venue access and restrictions
Confirm the load-in and derig windows, rigging permissions, power, internet and any mandatory venue contractors before signing.
Equipment and live content
Separate stage and set, audio, lighting, screens, playback, broadcasting and recordings. Clarify what is hired and what is owned.
Crew and rehearsal days
Count build, technical rehearsal, live show and strike for producers, stage managers, engineers and operators.
Cost exclusions and risk
Ask about freight, overnight labour, permits, venue power, late changes, cancellation terms and who approves contingency.
Questions worth sending to shortlisted conference producers
Who calls the show?
Request named responsibilities for the producer, technical director, stage manager and on-site approvals.
What does your technical plan include?
Ask for a venue-specific equipment list, drawings, timings, speaker checks and any backup systems.
What can change the price?
Obtain written assumptions and variation rates, including extra crew days or changed schedules.
What is delivered afterwards?
Specify recording files, rights, final invoices, equipment returns and a debrief or reconciliation.
Free, interactive worksheet
Build your conference production budget
Enter figures from your own supplier quotes or planning allowances. Blank categories are not treated as included or free. The 10% starting contingency is an editable worksheet assumption, not a recommended market rate. No amounts are sent to us or saved.
Your working total
- Entered costs
- £0
- Contingency (10%)
- £0
- Working total
- £0
0 of 8 cost categories entered. Figures are excluding VAT. Still unquoted: Venue technical fees and access; Staging, set and rigging; Sound, lighting, screens and playback; Crew, show calling and rehearsals; Streaming, captioning and recording; Freight, transport and storage; Graphics and event content; Other production allowances. This is not a supplier quotation, and no taxes or additional fees are calculated.
Request an itemised proposalWhat this planner does not do
- Provide current supplier prices, a Pearl Lemon quotation or a guaranteed budget
- Replace venue surveys, supplier availability checks or a signed statement of work
- Calculate tax or guarantee that a contingency allowance covers every risk
Related pages
- Conference production services
technical direction, stage, AV and show calling
- Hybrid event production
when your conference also has an online audience
- Event logistics
freight, venue access, crew movements and load-in
- Event management RFP
turn the draft budget into a supplier brief
Questions buyers ask
Is this a conference production price estimate?
No. It adds up numbers you type in. The tool contains no supplier price database, and the result is not an estimate or quotation from Pearl Lemon Events.
What if I have not been quoted for an item?
Leave that field empty and mark it as unquoted. A blank or zero amount is not evidence that a service will be free.
Does the worksheet include VAT?
It does not calculate VAT. Choose one consistent tax basis for the figures you enter and confirm the final treatment with suppliers.
How do I compare two production suppliers?
Check that both proposals include the same show days, rehearsal, stage specification, venue restrictions, staffing, streaming requirements and deliverables before comparing their totals.
Ready to scope it?
Send the outline, even if it is only the cities, dates and audience, and we will set out a scope and the questions we need answered. Or call +44 20 7183 3436.