Class Reunion Budget & Ticket Pricing
What should your reunion tickets cost?
Try your numbers below. These starting amounts are examples in USD.
Separate fixed costs from costs that grow with attendance. Track each item as estimated, committed, or paid.
- Fixed costs: venue hire, entertainment, photography, signs, and equipment.
- Per-person costs: meals, drinks, favors, and payment-processing fees.
- Other costs: taxes, service charges, postage, accessibility arrangements, and a contingency allowance.
Planning formula: ticket price ≈ per-person cost + (fixed costs + contingency − confirmed sponsorship) ÷ paying guests.
Example only: $2,000 in fixed costs plus a $300 contingency, shared by 100 paying guests, adds $23 to a $35 per-person meal: $58 per ticket before any fees or taxes not already included.
Run a lower-attendance scenario before committing to minimums. Promised attendance is not the same as paid tickets.
Build your cost list
Request written quotes and note whether each includes taxes, service charges, staffing, setup, cleanup, and equipment. Record the deposit due date, final-payment date, cancellation terms, and any guaranteed minimum. A low headline price can become expensive once the missing items are added.
Use three attendance scenarios
Calculate your budget at a conservative, expected, and high turnout. Keep fixed costs the same unless the venue or service package changes, and adjust costs per guest. Price and commit using a turnout you can reasonably support—not the number of people who clicked Interested.
Worked example: attendance changes the answer
Suppose fixed costs plus contingency total $2,300 and the variable cost is $35 per paying guest. At 100 paying guests, the break-even estimate is $58 each. At 80, it rises to $63.75. At 120, it falls to about $54.17. These examples exclude any additional fees or taxes not already counted.
If complimentary tickets are offered, include the cost of those guests but divide the amount to recover by the number of paying tickets. Check whether a vendor charges per attendee or uses a minimum bill.
Keep payment decisions clear
Tell guests what tickets include, when payment is due, and the refund policy before they pay. Keep ticket receipts and vendor payments traceable. Have a second committee member review the totals before making large commitments or closing the accounts.
When the budget is too high
Reduce the fixed commitment first: simplify the venue, shorten the event, reduce optional extras, or use digital invitations. Do not count on unconfirmed sponsors or last-minute ticket sales to cover a shortfall. Share a final summary with the committee after the event.