Price your tickets too high and the room is half empty. Price them too low and you can fill the room and still lose money. Most organisers pick a number that feels right, but a few simple steps will get you a price you can defend.
Start with your costs
List everything the event will cost: venue, sound and lights, performers or speakers, security, decor, printing, promotion, staff, and anything you're giving guests such as food, drinks or merchandise. Add a buffer of 10 to 15 percent for the things that always come up, like extra fuel for the generator or a last-minute delivery.
Then estimate how many tickets you can realistically sell. Be honest here. Your venue's capacity is the ceiling, not the forecast. If you've run the event before, start from how many came last time.
Your break-even price is your total cost divided by the number of tickets you expect to sell. That's the minimum. If sponsors or a bar will bring in money, subtract that from your costs first.
Check what your audience will pay
Your costs tell you the lowest price you can charge. Your audience tells you the highest. Look at what similar events in your city charge, and think about who you're inviting. Students, young professionals and corporate guests have very different budgets.
If your break-even price is above what your audience will pay, you need to change the event, not just the price. Find a cheaper venue, a sponsor, or a smaller line-up.
Use tiers to reward commitment
Tiered pricing helps both you and your guests. An early-bird ticket, with limited stock and a lower price, rewards people who commit early. It also brings in money when you need it most, before the event, for deposits.
After early bird sells out, a regular price applies. Some organisers add a final tier for the last few days or at the gate. If you do, say so from the start, because it gives people a reason not to wait.
A VIP tier works when it offers something genuinely better: a reserved area, a better view, a drink or a meet-and-greet. Group tickets (a table for six, a pair for couples) are useful for dinners and parties, where people buy together anyway.
Decide who pays the service fee
Ticketing platforms charge a fee on paid tickets. On revel it's 5% of the ticket price plus ₦100, payment processing included. You choose, for each ticket type, whether the buyer pays it or you absorb it.
Here's how that works out at common prices. On a ₦2,000 ticket, the fee is ₦200: the buyer pays ₦2,200 if they cover it, or you receive ₦1,800 if you absorb it. On a ₦5,000 ticket, the fee is ₦350, so it's ₦5,350 or ₦4,650. On a ₦10,000 ticket, the fee is ₦600, so ₦10,600 or ₦9,400. On a ₦25,000 ticket, the fee is ₦1,350, so ₦26,350 or ₦23,650.
Passing the fee on keeps your full ticket price, and buyers see it added at checkout before they pay. Absorbing it means the price on your flyer is exactly what people pay, which can matter for cheaper tickets. If you absorb the fee, remember to include it in your costs when you work out your break-even price.
Round numbers sell
Once you've done the maths, round to a price that's easy to say and remember: ₦5,000 rather than ₦4,850. People share prices by word of mouth, and a clean number travels further.
Use discounts carefully
Discount codes are useful for partners, groups, students or a last push before the event. Give each one a purpose and a limit, either a number of uses, an end date or both, so a code shared in one group chat doesn't end up undercutting your regular price everywhere.
