---
title: Budget for Your Next Event or Exhibition | NeosCreative
description: "Build an exhibition budget you can rely on: typical costs for space, design, construction and on-site services, plus the extras people often forget."
image: https://neoscreative.com/hubfs/website-2026/img/budget-event-exhibition-article-hero.webp
---

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Guide

# Budget for your next event or exhibition

Dean Izod · 27 October 2026 · Free worksheet · PDF, 5 pages · 3 min read · [Download the PDF](https://neoscreative.com/blog_list/budget-for-your-next-event-or-exhibition#download)

![Exhibition stand budget planning worksheet](https://neoscreative.com/hs-fs/hubfs/website-2026/img/budget-event-exhibition-article-hero.webp?width=1200&height=560&name=budget-event-exhibition-article-hero.webp)

Contents

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**This comprehensive document is your guide to building a solid budget for your event or exhibition. Follow each section step by step, add up your sub-totals as you go, and you’ll have a budget you can rely on.**

All price guides here are rough estimates only. Final pricing depends entirely on location, contractor and specification.

## How much does exhibition space cost?

Space typically ranges from £200 to £550 per square metre. Think about the size of stand your company needs, considering brand values, impact, industry status, corporate goals and expected ROI.

Stand size shouldn’t be dictated by budget. Influenced, maybe, but not dictated. A budget of £10k for space might support potential ROI above £300k, and there’s a direct link between impact and return.

## What should you allow for design and management?

Design and management is typically 50% to 100% of your space budget, and it should be a key part of your planning. Many exhibition companies offer free design, but nothing is ever free: you’ll pay for it at some stage.

**Design and management covers**

- Stand design and engineering
- Office-based project management
- Graphic design
- Multimedia design and creation
- On-site project management, with associated travel

![Budget worksheet page covering exhibition design and management costs](https://neoscreative.com/hs-fs/hubfs/website-2026/img/budget-guide-design-and-management.webp?width=720&name=budget-guide-design-and-management.webp)

## What does stand construction cost?

Construction depends heavily on your final requirements, and the range is wide: roughly £400 to £2,000 per square metre. It can include walling, flooring, raised platforms, rigging and hanging signage, graphic production, lighting, furniture hire, AV hire, transport, and installation and dismantling.

## How much should you budget for on-site services?

On-site services are hard to estimate, and the closest rule of thumb is around 30% of construction costs. They can include electrical connection and consumption, internet, water and waste, and drayage: moving your stand from the loading dock to your space, storing empty cases and reloading at the end.

> “Stand size should be influenced by budget, not dictated by it.”

## What are the costs people often forget?

There are no fixed numbers for this section, but budget should still be allocated so you can see the true cost of exhibiting.

**The extras and the often ignored**

- Catering: your budget will dictate what you can offer visitors.
- Staff travel, accommodation and subsistence
- Client entertainment at the show
- Giveaways: choose genuinely useful items that keep their value after the show.
- Pre-, at- and post-show marketing
- Uniforms, name badges and accessories
- Literature: use QR codes and downloads instead of printing.
- Product displays, including creation, transport and presentation
- Stand hosts and reception staff

## How do you arrive at a true estimate?

Add up your six sub-totals: space, design and management, construction, on-site services, the extras and the often ignored. The result is a more honest, robust exhibition budget.

Free download

## Download the budgeting worksheet (PDF)

Free worksheet · PDF, 5 pages. Tell us where to send it and it will be in your inbox in a moment.

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## Planning a stand? Send us your brief

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Insight

### [Kick-start your event or exhibition planning](https://neoscreative.com/blog_list/kick-start-your-event-or-exhibition-planning)

A practical guide to kick-starting your event or exhibition planning: the latest stand design trends, ten common mistakes and how to choose ...

![Exhibition stand interior designed as a brand you can walk into](https://neoscreative.com/hs-fs/hubfs/website-2026/img/brand-you-can-walk-into-article-hero.webp?width=800&height=450&name=brand-you-can-walk-into-article-hero.webp)

Insight

### [Can you engineer a brand you can walk into?](https://neoscreative.com/blog_list/can-you-engineer-a-brand-you-can-walk-into)

Creative Director Dean Izod on the “brand engineer”, AI, and what systems thinking means once a brand leaves the screen and walks into a ...

Insight

### [Exhibition Stand Costs: What to Expect and How to Budget](https://neoscreative.com/blog_list/exhibition-stand-costs-what-to-expect-and-how-to-budget)

How much does an exhibition stand cost? Understand the key cost drivers, realistic UK budget ranges, and where to invest for the best ...

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