Event budget template in rands: how to split your budget by category
4 November 2026 · 6 min read
Most event budgets go wrong in the same way: one total is agreed, spending starts, and nobody knows what each part was allowed to cost until the money has run out. The fix is simple. Split the total into categories on day one, and check every quote against its category.
A starting split for a corporate event
Every event is different, but this split is a sensible starting point for a one-day corporate conference or gala in South Africa. The right-hand column shows what it means for a budget of R250 000.
| Category | Share | R250 000 budget |
|---|---|---|
| Venue | 25.6% | R64 100 |
| Catering | 20.5% | R51 200 |
| AV & technical | 12.8% | R32 000 |
| Entertainment | 9.2% | R23 000 |
| Staffing | 7.7% | R19 200 |
| Accommodation | 6.2% | R15 300 |
| Décor | 6.2% | R15 300 |
| Marketing | 5.1% | R12 800 |
| Transport | 4.1% | R10 200 |
| Miscellaneous | 2.6% | R6 900 |
| Total | 100% | R250 000 |
Then adjust it to your event. A conference with many out-of-town delegates needs more for accommodation and transport. A gala dinner spends more on catering, décor and entertainment. An event at your own offices hardly needs a venue line at all.
Work out the cost per guest
Divide the total by the number of guests you expect. R250 000 for 200 guests is R1 250 per guest. It’s the quickest way to check whether a budget is realistic, and to compare this event with the last one.
Catering is usually priced per person, so do the same sum for it: a menu at R320 per person for 200 guests is R64 000 before waiters, extras and drinks, already more than the R51 200 in the split above. Better to know that before you sign.
Keep a contingency
Hold back around 10% of the total for the things nobody planned: extra guests, a generator hire, a last-minute speaker flight. Take it out of the total at the start, rather than adding it on top, so the categories add up to what you can actually spend.
VAT: compare like with like
VAT in South Africa is 15%. Some suppliers quote including VAT, others excluding it, and small suppliers that aren’t VAT-registered don’t charge it at all. Put every quote on the same basis before comparing. If your company is VAT-registered it can usually claim back the VAT on business expenses, so ask your accountant whether to budget with or without it.
Track spending against the plan
- Record every quote, deposit and invoice against its category as it happens.
- Mark each one as pending, paid or overdue, so nothing is paid twice or forgotten.
- Look at what’s left in each category every week, not only at the end.
- If one category runs over, decide straight away which other category gives up the money.