Ticket price calculator

How the sum works

Start with the costs you pay even if nobody comes. Put venue hire, sound, travel or marketing into separate fixed-cost rows. Add the cost for each person, such as food or materials. Use pounds for every amount, so the result can be checked against your budget.

Capacity is the most tickets you can sell. Expected sell-through is the share of that capacity you expect to fill. We round expected attendance down to whole tickets. A price based on that attendance is a planning figure, not a promise that those tickets will sell.

Break-even price is (fixed costs − other income) ÷ expected tickets, plus cost per person and the optional fixed ticketing fee. The target price adds your target profit before dividing. Negative required revenue gives a zero price. Results round half up to pennies at the last step; allow a penny of margin when setting the actual price.

At your chosen price, each ticket contributes price minus the per-person cost and ticketing fee. Divide uncovered fixed costs by that contribution and round the ticket count up. If the contribution is zero or negative, more sales cannot cover uncovered costs. We show when the required count exceeds capacity.

The table repeats the profit sum at 50%, 75% and 100% sold. Other income is treated as fixed and already net of its own costs. Percentage card fees are not added automatically; put an estimate in the optional fee field.

Worked example

With £1,000 fixed costs, £2 per person and 150 expected tickets, break-even is £8.67. A £500 profit needs £12.00. At £15, each ticket contributes £13; £1,000 ÷ £13 rounds up to 77 tickets. Profit at 100, 150 and 200 tickets is £300, £950 and £1,600.