The 2025 Guide to Event Costs (with Real Examples)
Last update: 7 May 2025 at 08:55 am
5.00/5The success of your next big event hinges on a crucial decision: is your money being spent wisely? Whether it’s a thousand euros or a quarter of a million, you want it done right.
And whether you choose to manage the event in-house or to outsource it to an external provider, sticking to a budget that doesn’t break the bank is a no-brainer.
In this piece, we’ll look into real events from Sortlist agencies and break down their budgets so that, by the time you start planning your event, you can ensure your business makes the safest—and more ROI-friendly—choice possible.
TL;DR: The price of events organization
Events are among the business needs whose pricing varies greatly, especially due to the number of factors involved in their execution.
Some businesses will require all of these, some will require just a few. But what they all have in common is that they are all considered regardless of whether you decide to outsource or to do in-house.
What does it mean to outsource events organization?
Events, by their very nature, tend to be relatively expensive (think of the aforementioned factors), and while agencies may appear expensive, they bring refined expertise, established vendor relationships, and an experienced team that often knows how to cut costs.
In fact, research says that 32.5% of companies outsource their event design to external production companies.
Find out what your project would cost with a custom budget report based on the latest data.
Outsourcing your event organization to an external agency or provider involves a more straightforward financial commitment, usually in the form of a contract.
What does it mean to do events in-house?
On the other hand, managing an event internally may seem like a cost-saving option at first. But there’s more than meets the eye.
Organizing events in-house leverages existing staff and resources, giving the appearance that expenses are kept to a minimum. However, you’ll quickly notice how hidden costs may turn the tide against you:
- Time taken away from core business activities,
- Potential lack of expertise in event planning,
- The risk of unforeseen expenses, such as technological equipment or venue fees.
51% of event planners said that their biggest challenge when organizing events was managing the budget effectively.
Prices of events per country
From 100,000 projects posted on Sortlist every year from businesses looking to hire trusted providers around the world, we took a look at the numbers to find the most common price ranges in events across Europe and the Middle East.
Prices per event type
There are as many kinds of events as there are brands. It’s far outside the scope of this piece to give prices for every combination of event factors available—simply because it’s impossible to do so.
However, we do have a tool that can make gauging event prices much easier, and that’s the Sortlist AI Budget Advisor. It’s a free tool that gives you real prices for any project, benchmarked against 250,000 Sortlist projects in creative, marketing and IT.
With the AI Budget Advisor in our arsenal, we’ve decided to set course and find the most common event types that Sortlist agencies have organized, analyze real events for each category, and break down the prices for each element involved.
In particular, we’ve looked at four event types:
- Pop-ups: temporary retail spaces or experiences often used by brands to launch products, test markets, or create unique, immersive experiences. These events are designed to generate buzz, engage directly with customers, and capitalize on the novelty and urgency of their limited availability.
- Cultural events: organized to celebrate or promote the arts, heritage, and cultural expressions of a community or region, such as festivals, concerts, art exhibits, etc.
- Event presence: this refers to the participation and visibility of a brand or organization at events such as trade shows, conferences, or exhibitions. This often involves the use of booths or stands where products are showcased, information is distributed, and representatives engage directly with attendees.
- Corporate events: these are gatherings sponsored by a company that targets employees, business partners, clients, or prospects. These events can serve various purposes, including team building, product launches, conferences, and celebrations.
Pop-ups
An exclusive location that didn’t break the bank
Pop-up store for FRED in Saint Tropez – Budget: €38,000:
- Venue rental – €10,000
- Premium catering – €8,000
- Events personnel – €5,000
- Branding and advertising – €5,000
- Co-branded diner – €10,000
You’ve hardly ever walked past a pop-up shop and not stopped to look.
Pop-ups offer a unique opportunity for brands to create a tangible presence for their products and services. It’s usually their ephemeral and out-of-the-box nature that draws people in—a unique design that is not permanent just beckons to be looked at and interacted with.
NICECOM’s execution of its pop-up store for FRED in Saint Tropez is a good example of how to organize a high-end pop-up store.
The project shows that, far beyond meticulous planning and logistics, it’s equally important to raise the level of creative design, especially in order to create a memorable experience that resonates with the demanding users of the luxury sector.
The event was designed to create strong visibility for FRED through strategic collaborations, including co-branded products like hand fans and a special co-branded dinner with renowned chef Michel Sarran. Not only did it boost on-site sales, but it also drove traffic to the brand’s boutique in St Tropez, enhancing both brand exposure and revenue.
Given that this collaboration had an estimated budget of €38,000, gauging the costs involved in its organization can be broken down into several factors:
- Its exclusive location (Saint Tropez).
- Custom design and construction of the pop-up store itself.
- Logistics and high-end materials.
- Coordination of VIP experiences, such as the co-branded diner with the influencer chef.
Using Sortlist’s AI Budget Advisor tells us why this project cost €38,000. The prices of each element considered for the final budget are:
More details about this budget breakdown can be found here.
An island inside a big brand name
H&M “Isla Hennes” – Budget: €65,000:
- Promotional materials – €20,000
- Photo booth – €10,000
- Touch screen/selfie mirror – €15,000
- Brand ambassadors – €20,000
The H&M “Isla Hennes” project is a prime example of innovative event organization by Good Kids.
Like the pop-up at Saint Tropez, this project blends fashion and experiential marketing to create an immersive island-themed event that highlights H&M’s brand identity.
H&M Canada sought to promote their Spring/Summer 2023 collection, Isla Hennes, while reinforcing H&M’s commitment to sustainability and green values. The goal was to bring the essence of the island-inspired collection to life and engage customers in a way that went beyond traditional retail.
The results? Nearly 20,000 impressions and 1,000 engagements. The Isla Hennes decor was repurposed throughout the store, taking the brand’s commitment to sustainability even further while enhancing the overall shopping experience to positive feedback.
The event’s success lies in its meticulous planning and execution; with a budget of €65,000, the nature of the project entails a significant investment in thematic decor, interactive elements, and marketing to create a unique experience. Costs were allocated to creative design, production, staffing, and promotions.
When we run this project through the Sortlist Budget Advisor, it’s clear that the price sits on the higher end of the spectrum, including things like premium promotional materials with custom designs, a photo booth with professional photographer, and at least 6 brand ambassadors. Normally, a high-tier event like this would include these costs:
We can see from H&M’s project description that their investment was higher due to implementing other strategies such as a premium touch screen selfie mirror and an extensive mix of dried, fresh, and silk botanicals to emulate the island’s “location.”
From conceptualization all the way to audience engagement, this work highlights the agency’s expertise and the power of pop-ups to draw users in, and shows how strategic event organization can elevate brand perception and connect with consumers on a deeper level.
More details about this budget breakdown can be found here.
Corporate events
Team-building that spared no expense
Hegelmann Summerfest – Budget: €97,000:
- Venue – €20,000
- Catering – €35,000
- Live music and DJ – €11,000
- Bar – €15,000
- Decorations and lighting – €5,000
- Transportation – €6,000
- Prizes – €5,000
The Hegelmann Summerfest 2022 was a large-scale corporate event carried out by Grail Events for the employees of the Hegelmann Group in Lithuania.
Designed to cater to approximately 700 attendees, this event combined various elements such as catering services, live music, a DJ, a bar, decorative elements, transportation, and prizes, all packed into a single day.
When looking at Sortlist data, we see that the budget for this event was €97,000. And when running it through the Budget Advisor, we can understand why:
This budget puts the Hegelmann Group’s Summerfest into the middle range of budgets for this type of event.
More details about this budget breakdown can be found here.
A successful crypto launch pressed for time
Cryptocurrency launch – Budget: €50,500:
- Hotel venue rental – €20,000
- Catering – €7,500
- AV and live demo setup – €12,500
- Invitations and branding – €3,000
- Media coverage – €7,500
For the launch of H-Cash’s innovative cryptocurrency exchange, ZB, in the UAE, Markable organized an upscale corporate event at the prestigious Bvlgari Hotel.
Find out what your project would cost with a custom budget report based on the latest data.
It was a high-profile event involving multiple key components such as guest management, branding, audio/visual setups, and extensive media coverage—all executed within a tight timeframe of just 6 days.
The launch had a budget of €50,500 that can be broken down into the following:
The distribution of the budget reflects a careful balance between the logistical necessities and the experiential aspect of the event (the live demo).
More details about this budget breakdown can be found here.
Event presence
An immersive booth at the heart of creativity
Crocs at ComplexCon – Budget: €190,000:
- Interactive AR installations – €90,000
- Basic construction and setup – €30,000
- Staffing – €20,000
- Print – €10,000
- Digital displays and content – €15,000
- Branded merchandise – €15,000
- Logistics and transportation – €10,000
Trade shows, conferences, music festivals… What do they all have in common? Brands.
Every time a brand has set up a booth or stand at one of these events, they’re extending their presence and top-of-mind in customers. This is what we call event presence.
The trade show booth designed by DOODLES for Crocs at ComplexCon in Long Beach, USA, showcases a strategic event presence that blends innovative marketing and immersive guest experiences.
Doodles and Crocs aimed to promote their collaborative product line at ComplexCon by creating a trade show booth that would captivate the young adult audience and stand out. The brand wanted to sell the idea of a creative fusion between Doodles’ artistic style and Crocs’ unique identity, appealing to a demographic that values both innovation and self-expression.
This approach resulted in increased brand visibility, strong engagement from attendees, and contributed to the overall success of the collaboration by generating buzz and driving demand at ComplexCon.
With a total budget of €190,000, the financial allocations were planned to cover various essential aspects of the booth, ensuring both functionality and flair. Here’s a detailed breakdown of how the budget was allocated:
By integrating interactive installations and immersive design elements, the project sought to amplify Crocs’ brand presence and engage attendees in a dynamic and memorable way.
More details about this budget breakdown can be found here.
Hitting the road with business-class resource allocation
Lufthansa B2B Trade Show – Budget: €10,000:
- Stand design and construction –€4,000
- Setup and dismantling – €2,000
- Staffing – €2,000
- Marketing materials – €1,500
- Travel, accommodation, and meals – €500
When you’re at an event, how do you get prospects to come and visit your stand? Everyone’s got branded goodies, so SWC and Lufthansa decided to go with a serious prize, and serious FOMO, by emailing a unique safe code to prospects before the event. They could then visit the stand and attempt to open a branded safe to try and win free return business class flights from Europe to New York.
This unique engagement tactic not only attracted a significant number of visitors but also sparked considerable interest and conversation, enhancing Lufthansa’s presence and effectiveness at the event.
With a total budget of €10,000, the allocation can be distilled into the following elements:
The prize of business class flights, and the tickets on show in the safe, were so close to viewers they could almost touch them. And it made Lufthansa’s stand one of the most talked-about brands at the trade show.
More details about this budget breakdown can be found here.
Cultural events
A music festival optimized for time and money
Beauville Festival – Budget: €24,500:
- Venue rental – €5,000
- Premium sound and lighting – €11,000
- Food and beverage stalls – €3,500
- Marketing/branding – €5,000
Organizing events in the entertainment sector is a tough thing to crack—attendance takes center stage, the schedule must be meticulously planned, and especially for larger events, the coordination of various elements must not fail. The Beauville Festival in Belgium, organized by agency Ollie, checks all boxes—and does it on a tight budget.
The festival ensured a seamless execution that catered to its attendees. And the scale of the project goes to show that events in entertainment tend to be complex, multi-faceted projects that require careful coordination of aspects such as artist management, audience engagement, and on-site logistics.
With a budget of €24,500, evaluating the cost of organizing the Beauville Festival include factors such as:
- Venue and infrastructure: it’s more than just renting and setting up the festival grounds; in the case of Beauville, stages, tents, and sound systems were also secured.
- Artist fees and talent management: these include booking performers, including travel, accommodations, and other requirements.
- Marketing and promotion.
- Logistics and operations.
- Audience engagement: interactive installations and activities to enhance the festival experience.
Sortlist’s Budget Advisor shows the costs involved in organizing a festival like Beauville:
More details about this budget breakdown can be found here.
A villa party within budget
Nurai Festival – Budget: €77,000:
- Enhanced sound and lighting – €15,000
- Regional DJs – €10,000
- Advanced stage setup – €10,000
- Security – €6,000
- Food and beverage services – €10,000
- Transportation – €5,000
- Accommodation for performers – €10,000
- Marketing and promotion – €8,000
- Miscellaneous – €3,000
The Nurai Festival is set against the luxurious backdrop of the Zaya Nurai island, which means it stands out as an exclusive, luxury event. Curiously enough, it was less costly than what you would imagine.
Organized by La Table Events, the festival was an ambitious two-day affair featuring pool parties, sunset sets, and some of the biggest names in house music, all culminating in a grand VIP villa afterparty.
With a budget of €77,000, the financial planning behind this festival was as meticulous as it was creative. Here’s how the costs break down for an event like this, according to Sortlist’s Budget Advisor:
The Budget Advisor estimates that the cost of this event sits in the middle range of events of this type, after considering the price of all the elements that the client needed.
More details about this budget breakdown can be found here.
So… should you outsource your event or do it in-house?
Hopefully, these projects will give you a clearer idea of how much to budget for your next event, according to the type of event you want to organize.
By now it should not be surprising to you that organizing events successfully is not an easy thing—there are many logistical elements to coordinate, vendors to filter, marketing to do to ensure attendance.
That’s why many companies hire an expert agency or provider that takes care of these details; they help save time and money on negotiations. But even that may not be the right choice for everyone.
Here’s how to know if you should outsource your events or do them with your internal teams.
Who should outsource events?
- Companies that lack expertise: professional event organizers have experience and knowledge about all aspects of event planning, such as logistics and vendor deals.
- Companies with tight budgets: in the long-run, outsourcing can be more cost-effective than in-house due to better vendor relationships, bulk purchasing, and time saving. An agency ensures businesses are less likely to go over budget.
- Companies without a dedicated events team: outsourcing alleviates the stress on internal teams, allowing them to focus on core business duties.
- Companies without access to advanced tools or technology: event providers often have access to the latest event management software and tools to ensure a smooth event experience for attendees or guests.
Who should do events internally?
- Companies with a dedicated events team: this means your team has expertise in the complete execution of an event.
- Companies that want complete control: managing an event internally gives businesses complete control over every aspect of the event, from budget to creative direction, provided they have knowledge and experience.
- Companies that don’t want to depend on external partners: internal teams may have a better understanding of the company’s culture and objectives.
While both in-house and outsourced event organization have their merits, consider the long-term benefits and ROI of each for your event management. As events become larger or more complex, the expertise, cost savings, and reduced stress that come with outsourcing can outweigh the benefits of in-house management.
Conclusion
When evaluating the costs associated with organizing events, it’s important to consider not just the immediate expenses but also the long-term impact on your time, resources, and overall event quality.
The data from Sortlist highlights the varying costs associated with different types of events. In these wild scenarios, the right provider can help you optimize your expenses by leveraging expert knowledge and accessing better vendor deals, leading to a high return on investment.
By choosing to work with professionals, you can ensure that your event runs smoothly, stays within budget, and achieves the desired impact without stretching your internal team thin. The peace of mind and quality assurance that come with outsourcing can make all the difference, especially as your event grows in scale and complexity.
Ready to make your next event a success? Visit Sortlist to explore agencies specialized in event organization that can help you deliver an exceptional experience without the hassle. Let the experts handle the details while you focus on what truly matters—connecting with your audience and achieving your business goals.
