How to Build an Event Budget That Survives Delivery
The budget lines most often forgotten at planning stage, and how to size a realistic contingency.
Most event budget overruns don't come from the big line items — they come from small recurring ones nobody costed: technical crew overtime, express freight, late permit fees, and reprints after a last-minute change.
The practical rule we work to: a contingency of at least 12% of total budget for recurring events, rising to 18% for first-time events or untested venues. That contingency is not margin, and it is only released against a documented decision.
Second point: keep technical production and hospitality as separate lines in the same sheet. When the squeeze comes, it is then obvious where you can cut without touching what happens on stage.
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