How to budget for meetings

Organizing meetings is one of the main tasks of a secretary. The conference venue budget and the conference budget are not the same concept. Generally speaking, the conference budget includes the conference venue budget. Some corporate meetings usually only involve the meeting venue. This article is compiled by the editor for everyone on how to budget for conferences. It is for reference only

Budget

The budget for conferences and exhibitions is not a concept. Generally speaking, the conference budget includes the following aspects:

1. Transportation expenses

Transportation expenses can be subdivided into:

(1) Departure place Transportation costs to the conference venue - including flights, railways, highways, passenger ships, and transportation from the destination station, airport, pier to the accommodation place

(2), transportation costs during the conference - mainly conference services Local transportation expenses include transportation from the accommodation to the club, transportation from the club to the dining location, transportation from the club to the business venue, transportation for business inspections, and other scheduled transportation that may be used by participants.

(3) Farewell transportation and return transportation - including transportation costs from flights, railways, highways, passenger ships and accommodation to airports, stations and ports.

2. Conference room/hall fees

Can be subdivided into:

(1) Conference venue rental - generally speaking, the rental of the venue Some common facilities are included, such as laser pointers, sound systems, tables and chairs, podiums, whiteboards or blackboards, oil pens, chalks, etc., but some unconventional facilities are not covered - such as projection equipment, temporary For decorations, display racks, etc., additional budget may also be required when adding non-podium speech lines.

(2) Conference facility rental costs - this part of the cost mainly covers the rental of some special equipment, such as projectors, laptops, mobile simultaneous interpretation systems, venue display systems, multimedia systems, and video recording Equipment, etc., usually require a certain usage deposit to be paid when leasing, and the rental fee includes technical support and maintenance fees for the equipment. It is worth noting that when renting, you should make specific requirements for various functional parameters of the equipment (you can usually consult a professional conference service company to get the most suitable price/performance ratio), otherwise it may affect the progress of the conference. In addition, the rental prices of these conference facilities may vary greatly due to different brands, origins, and newness.

(3) Venue decoration costs - unless there are special requirements, generally speaking, this part of the cost is included in the venue rental fee. If you have special requirements, you can negotiate with a professional conference service provider.

(4) Other support costs - these supports usually include advertising and printing, etiquette, secretarial services, transportation and warehousing, entertainment and health care, media, public relations, etc. Since these supports are of a temporary nature, if the conference organizer seeks support from these industries separately, the cost may be higher than the market price. If a professional conference service provider is used as an agent, the conference organizer will receive support with relatively low prices and professional services.

For these individual service supports, the organizer should specify the requirements as much as possible and sign a separate service agreement.

3. Accommodation fee

The cost of accommodation should be very easy to understand - it is worth noting that some of the accommodation fees are full prices, while others require additional government taxes. . Accommodation can be one of the major expenses for a conference. You can usually get better discounts by looking for professional exhibition service providers.

The normal accommodation fee is not only related to the hotel star standard, room type and other factors, but also related to the services available in the room - such as long-distance communication in the room, laundry and change, mini bar drinks, one-time It has to do with whether services such as changing clothes for sex, the Internet, and fruit provision are open. Conference organizers should clarify the services and scope of hotels that should be closed or opened.

4. Catering expenses

The catering expenses for a meeting can be very simple or very complicated, depending on the needs of the meeting agenda and the purpose of the meeting.

(1) Breakfast

Breakfast is usually a buffet. Of course, it can also be eaten around a table. The cost is calculated based on the number of people (but taking into account the particularity of conference dining and the quality of raw materials) preparation, so the estimated number of diners must not differ by more than 15 from the actual number of diners, otherwise the restaurant has reasons to refuse to settle the bill based on the actual number of diners - and instead charge based on the reserved number)

(2), Chinese food and lunch

Lunchtime and lunch are basically formal meals, and can be budgeted for the number of people - buffet style, or budgeted based on table - round table style. If the host wishes to purchase the alcohol themselves rather than have it provided by the restaurant, the restaurant may charge a certain amount for the service.

(3). Drinks and service charges

Usually, if you dine in a high-star hotel restaurant, the restaurant will not allow the organizer to bring outside drinks for consumption. If you can bring outside drinks, For consumption, restaurants usually need to add service charges. When holding conferences and banquets in high-star hotels, a service fee of about 15 yuan is usually added to the basic consumption level.

(4). Tea break at the venue

This fee is basically budgeted based on the number of people. When budgeting, you can propose food and beverage combinations for tea breaks at different times. The coffee break price notified by the organizer usually includes the cost of service personnel. If the organizer requires non-program services, additional budget may be required. Under normal circumstances, the types of tea breaks can be divided into two types: Western style and Chinese style - Western style basically includes coffee, black tea, Western snacks, fruits, etc., while Chinese style mainly includes boiled water, green tea or scented tea, fruit tea, fruits, coffee, etc. Mainly fruits and snacks.

(5). Social reception/dance

In fact, the budget for a social reception/dance may be more complicated than a separate banquet. As long as the banquet has set the meal standard and scale, the budget is very simple. Easy to calculate. However, it may take a long time to confirm the budget from cocktail party/dance design to venue and program support:

6. Audio-visual equipment

Unless it is held outdoors, audio-visual equipment The cost is usually negligible. If it has to be done outdoors for public relations purposes, the budget for audio-visual equipment is more complicated, including:

●The rental cost of the equipment itself, usually calculated on a daily basis

● The transportation, installation, debugging and control technical personnel support costs of the equipment can be provided by the exhibition service provider

●Sound sources - mainly background music and entertainment music selections. The organizer can bring his own or entrust an agent

c. Actors and programs

d. Others - snacks, fruits and mixed wine

5. Miscellaneous expenses

Miscellaneous expenses refer to Expenses incurred by some temporary arrangements during the exhibition, including printing, temporary transportation and loading and unloading, souvenirs, models and etiquette services, temporary props, fax and other communications, express delivery services, temporary health care, translation and guides, temporary business vehicles, and exchange etc. The budget for miscellaneous expenses is difficult to plan, and unforeseen expenses can usually be added to the conference expense budget as a flexible solution.

So, what is the difference between the exhibition budget and the conference budget?

The exhibition budget and the conference budget have the same places, but also different places——

The same places: accommodation fees, catering fees, business inspection fees (if there is an inspection plan).

Different places: exhibition venue rental, exhibition layout, exhibit transportation and storage, small press conference or cocktail party.

Exhibition venue rental: If the exhibition is held at a fixed exhibition venue, the rental budget for the exhibition venue is usually calculated by booth. The international standard booth area is usually 3mx3m, and the partition height is between 2.3m and 2.5m. Standard facilities include spotlights, chairs, information tables, and power supplies. Exhibition hall owners usually have the following equipment for rent: exhibition stands, audio-visual equipment, multimedia equipment, decorative items, small handling tools, etc.

If the exhibition is held in other public places (such as municipal squares or sports venues, etc.), then the budget for venue rental is difficult to predict - usually negotiable, calculated on a daily basis, the price depends on the venue The concentration of people flow is related to the exhibition time (whether it is an important holiday, etc.).

How to budget for conference venues

When budgeting for conference venues, the following costs should be considered:

1. Conference venue rental costs

The conference venue rental fee is the largest expenditure of the entire conference venue cost. The general cost is related to the hotel star rating, conference size, location of the conference venue, etc. As for what kind of conference venue to rent, it depends on the nature of the company's conference.

Generally speaking, the rental of a venue already includes some common facilities, such as laser pointers, sound systems, tables and chairs, podiums, whiteboards or blackboards, oil-based pens, chalk, etc., but some unconventional facilities It is not covered, such as projection equipment, temporary decorations, exhibition stands, etc. If you need to install non-podium speech lines, additional budget may also be required.

2. Conference facility rental costs

This part of the cost mainly involves renting some special equipment, such as projectors, laptops, mobile simultaneous interpretation systems, venue display systems, and multimedia systems , video recording equipment, etc., you usually need to pay a certain usage deposit when renting, and the rental fee includes technical support and maintenance fees for the equipment. It is worth noting that specific requirements for various functional parameters of the equipment should be made when renting, otherwise it may affect the progress of the meeting.

3. Venue decoration costs

If there are no special requirements, the general venue decoration costs are included in the venue rental fee. If you have special requirements, you need to communicate with the venue to discuss the specific fees.

4. Other support costs

These supports usually include advertising and printing, etiquette, secretarial services, transportation and warehousing, entertainment and health care, media, public relations, etc. Since these supports are of a temporary nature, if the conference organizer seeks support from these industries separately, the cost may be higher than the market price. If a professional conference service provider is used as an agent, the conference organizer will receive support with relatively low prices and professional services.

As for the budget for the conference venue and supporting equipment, the organizer should find out whether charges are required when inspecting the venue, and what the price will be if charges are charged. They should specify the requirements as much as possible and sign a separate agreement with the venue. Service Agreement.