Chartered Financial Analyst specializing in business viability models and event finance planning.
Find out how many tickets you need to sell for your event to cover its costs. Enter any three variables—Total Fixed Costs, Price per Ticket, Variable Cost per Attendee, or Number of Attendees—to solve for the fourth.
Event Breakeven Calculator
Event Breakeven Formula
The breakeven formula for an event finds the number of attendees (Q) required for ticket sales to cover all fixed and variable event costs.
Q = F / (P – V)
Solve for Fixed Costs (F):
F = Q * (P – V)
Solve for Ticket Price (P):
P = (F / Q) + V
Solve for Cost per Attendee (V):
V = P – (F / Q)
Variables Explained
- Fixed Costs (F): Total costs that do not change with attendees (e.g., venue rental, speaker fees, marketing, insurance).
- Price per Ticket (P): The average revenue you receive from one attendee’s ticket.
- Cost per Attendee (V): The variable cost for one attendee (e.g., catering, welcome bag, printed materials).
- Breakeven Attendees (Q): The number of tickets you must sell to reach $0 in operating profit.
Related Calculators
- Event ROI (Return on Investment) Calculator
- Ticket Price Calculator
- Sponsorship Value Calculator
- Contribution Margin Breakeven Calculator
What is an Event Breakeven Point?
The **Event Breakeven Point** is the number of tickets an organizer must sell for a conference, workshop, or concert to cover all costs. At this number, the event has not made any profit, but it has not lost any money either. Every ticket sold *after* this breakeven point generates pure profit.
This is the most important number in event planning. It determines if an event is financially viable. **Fixed Costs (F)** are the largest component, including venue rental, speaker fees, A/V equipment, and marketing. **Variable Costs (V)** are the per-person costs, such as catering, printed badges, and swag bags.
The profit made on each ticket is the **Contribution Margin** (P – V). This is the money from each sale that goes towards paying the large fixed costs. This calculator helps you find the exact number of attendees you need to cover those costs.
How to Calculate Event Breakeven (Example)
Let’s calculate the breakeven point for a one-day marketing workshop.
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Identify Fixed Costs (F):
The total fixed costs (venue rental, speaker fee, marketing, A/V) are $20,000.
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Identify Ticket Price (P):
The price for one all-day ticket is $100.00.
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Identify Cost per Attendee (V):
The cost for catering and a workbook for one attendee is $25.00.
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Apply the Formula: Q = F / (P – V)
First, calculate the contribution margin per ticket: $100.00 (P) – $25.00 (V) = $75.00.
Next, divide the fixed costs by this margin:
Q = $20,000 / $75.00 ≈ 266.67 -
Conclusion:
The event organizer must sell 267 tickets (rounding up) to cover all costs. The 268th ticket sold will be the first one that generates profit.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Fixed Costs are your non-negotiable expenses, regardless of attendee count: venue rental, speaker/artist fees, insurance, A/V rental, and marketing. Variable Costs are per-person: food and beverage, printed materials (badges, workbooks), and gift bags.
Sponsorship revenue can be treated as a *reduction* in your Fixed Costs (F). If your (F) is $20,000 and you get $5,000 in sponsorships, your new (F) for calculation purposes is $15,000, which significantly lowers the number of tickets you need to sell.
You must use an average for your (P). Calculate your *projected* average ticket price based on how many of each ticket type you expect to sell (e.g., [($50 * 100) + ($100 * 50)] / 150 total tickets).
You can work backward. If you know your Fixed Costs (F), your Cost per Attendee (V), and your venue’s maximum capacity (Q), you can solve for (P) to find the *minimum* ticket price you must charge to avoid losing money.