Event budget: prepare a complete quote.

Start with a common scope.

List participants, dates, duration, nights and required services. Prepare the number of nights separately from the number of days. A residential proposal cannot be compared directly with room hire without accommodation.

Assign an owner and status to each item: included, to price, already covered or outside scope. Keep trusted suppliers and existing quotes; request only the additions you need.

• Get inclusions confirmed in writing.
• Record the currency and whether taxes are included.
• Compare the same duration, headcount and services.

Follow the journey of participants and equipment.

Review journeys, transfers between station, venue and hotel, and deliveries. A remote venue may shift some requirements towards logistics. Also check loading access, parking and delivery times.

ADEME recommends considering travel and nearby accommodation when choosing a venue. These criteria help prepare logistics; they do not establish a transport price.

Reference: ADEME · Choosing a suitable venue.

• Who arranges transfers, and to what schedule?
• Are equipment delivery and collection included?
• Do late arrivals require a separate service?

Detail equipment and support periods.

Screens, connectivity, sound, microphones and support: distinguish equipment being present from its availability in your configuration. Hybrid meetings or simultaneous workshops may require specific arrangements.

Ask about the entire period of use: setup, tests, arrival, event and dismantling. Overtime, technical staff and cleaning should appear among inclusions or items to clarify.

• Check connectivity and presentation requirements with the venue.
• Clarify staffing periods and overtime conditions.
• Check reinstatement and waste management.

Separate the budget from payment conditions.

Ask about deposit deadlines, final headcount confirmation and change or cancellation conditions. A deposit is a payment instalment: do not add it to the service total a second time.

Identify taxes, coordination fees and exclusions before planning an internal contingency. A contingency chosen by your organisation remains separate from the quote. There is no universal percentage suitable for every event.

• Who approves a change in scope?
• Which amount remains to be confirmed, and by whom?
• What happens if headcount or dates change?

A worked example without invented prices.

Fictional example: a working day with two workshops, followed by dinner. The main room and lunch are included in one proposal; a second room, dinner and return journeys still need pricing.

Complete these three services, check setup times and keep the initial quote. The simulator can help frame an indicative AI hypothesis; only a confirmed quote specifies services and their conditions.

• Keep services already covered.
• Record open questions in your brief.
• Request a quote for the scope still needed.