Conference Cost Calculator

Estimate what a conference costs per delegate and per day. Real UK venue, catering, production and delegate management rates from working event producers.

Set your delegate count and format to get a realistic conference budget band. Rates reflect what UK venues, caterers and production suppliers actually charge, split so you can see where the money goes.

Cost bands

  • Standard conference — £95–£180 per unit. Hotel or conference centre, single plenary, basic AV.
  • Produced conference — £180–£320 per unit. Set build, full AV, breakouts, content support.
  • Flagship / customer summit — £320–£650 per unit. Custom set, broadcast-grade AV, film content, hospitality.

Optional add-ons

  • Evening dinner or awards — £85–£190 per unit. Three-course dinner, drinks, entertainment.
  • Delegate accommodation — £120–£260 per unit. One night, per delegate, UK city average.
  • Film and content capture — £8,000–£35,000. Multi-camera capture, highlights film, session edits.
  • Event app and registration — £4,000–£18,000. Registration platform, badging, delegate app.

What these figures assume

  • Per-delegate rates cover venue hire, day catering, AV, staging and production
  • They assume a single conference day; multi-day events improve the per-day rate
  • London sits at the top of each band, regional UK cities 15–25% below
  • Speaker fees, travel and marketing sit outside these figures

Frequently asked questions

How much does a conference cost per delegate?
In the UK, a standard conference day runs £95–£180 per delegate, a produced conference £180–£320, and a flagship customer summit £320–£650. Those figures cover venue, day catering, AV and production.
How much cheaper is a regional conference than London?
Typically 15–25% for the identical specification, driven mostly by venue hire and catering. Delegate travel sometimes offsets that, which is why central cities like Nottingham and Birmingham often produce the lowest total cost.
What is the biggest avoidable cost in a conference budget?
Late decisions. Room drops, AV changes and catering guarantees confirmed inside two weeks of the event carry premium pricing across the board, and it is routinely 10–15% of the total.

Minimum project £30,000. Send the brief and we return a budget band, format recommendation and outline timeline within 24 hours. Call +44 207 183 3436 or email info@pearllemongroup.com.