How Much Does It Cost to Run a Conference in Australia?

Running a one-day, 200-delegate conference in Australia costs about $49,000 to $166,000 including GST, with $91,520 (about $458 per delegate) on mid-band inputs. Venue and catering are the most predictable line: published day delegate prices at two venues run from $79 to $110 per head. Speakers, AV and marketing are where budgets swing.

• The range: about $48,800 (low band) to $166,100 (high band) for one day and 200 delegates, GST included.
• Venue and catering: Novotel Sydney Olympic Park advertises Monday day delegate packages from $79 per person; Pan Pacific Melbourne’s 2026 early-bird offer page (now marked expired) gave a full retail value of AUD110 per delegate per day.
• Speakers: Saxton puts Australian keynote fees from about $5,000 to well above $50,000.
• Break-even: $457.60 per ticket including GST on mid-band costs, falling to $347.60 with a $22,000 sponsorship.

Rules of thumb

• Catering is charged per head, so budget for every mouth in the room: 200 delegates plus speakers and crew is 220 heads in the worked example.
• Venue and catering are only 26% of the mid-band budget ($24,200 of $91,520); speakers, marketing and AV together are 54%.
• Every $1,000 of cost adds $5 to the break-even ticket price at 200 paid delegates.
• A day delegate package can exclude the projector: Pan Pacific Melbourne’s offer terms list a screen with the projector not included.
• Once GST turnover reaches $75,000, registration for GST is required (ATO); a mid-band conference crosses that on ticket sales alone.

How much does it cost to run a conference in Australia?

A one-day conference for 200 delegates in Australia costs roughly $244 to $831 per delegate, all in, depending on venue tier, speaker fees and how much marketing the event needs.

The figures on this page are treated as including GST, the way Pan Pacific Melbourne quotes its rates; Novotel’s $79 offer does not state its GST treatment, so confirm it when you get a quote. Only venue and catering, keynote fee floors and ticketing fees are published prices; AV, speaker travel, marketing and production are labelled assumption bands, because no Australian price list exists for them on a comparable basis. Replace each band with your own quotes.

This is the cost side only. Selling the seats is covered in our conference marketing guide and the lead generation for event organisers hub.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a 200-person conference cost in Australia?

On this page’s line-item budget, a one-day conference for 200 delegates costs about $48,818 (low band), $91,520 (mid band) or $166,100 (high band) including GST, or roughly $244 to $831 per delegate. Venue and catering are priced from published packages; the other lines are labelled assumptions.

What is a day delegate package?

A day delegate package is a per-person venue price that bundles catering and basic meeting items for one day. Novotel Sydney Olympic Park advertises Monday packages from $79 per person with a 20-delegate minimum; Pan Pacific Melbourne’s expired 2026 early-bird offer page gave a full retail value of AUD110 per delegate per day, with rates quoted inclusive of GST. Check what AV is included.

Do I need to charge GST on conference tickets?

If your GST turnover is $75,000 or more, the ATO says you must register for GST, and a 200-delegate conference at mid-band prices passes that on ticket sales. The break-even maths on this page assumes a registered organiser. General information only; ask your accountant.

How much should I pay a keynote speaker in Australia?

Saxton, a speakers bureau, puts Australian keynote fees from about $5,000 to well above $50,000, depending on profile, exclusivity, travel and event type. Confirm whether a fee includes GST and travel before you budget.

What is the biggest hidden cost of running a conference?

Unsold seats. At mid-band costs the break-even ticket is $457.60 with 200 paid delegates and $610.13 with 150; 50 unsold seats at $457.60 is $22,880 of lost revenue, more than the mid-band speaker or marketing line.

A 200-delegate one-day conference costs about $91,520 on mid-band inputs

A 200-delegate one-day conference in Australia costs about $91,520 including GST on mid-band inputs, $48,818 in the low band and $166,100 in the high band.

The 220 heads are 200 delegates plus an assumed 20 speakers, staff and crew, all of whom eat. The marketing band is per delegate; how to set your own ceiling from ticket margin is worked through in how much to spend on event marketing per attendee.

Day delegate packages run from $79 to $110 per head at two published venues

Day delegate packages at two Australian venues checked on 25 October 2026 run from $79 to $110 per head, and both set minimum numbers.

The $79 is a “from” price on a current offer and the AUD110 is a retail value stated on an expired offer page, so treat both as reference points. A 200-delegate event also needs a room that seats 200 theatre or banquet style: confirm capacity, room hire and minimum spend in writing before comparing quotes. The Pan Pacific terms also list lectern microphones and staging as extras, which is why AV sits on its own budget line rather than inside the package.

Keynote speaker fees start at about $5,000 in Australia

Keynote speaker fees in Australia start at about $5,000 and run to well above $50,000, according to the Saxton speakers bureau’s keynote page.

Saxton says fees depend on the speaker’s profile, exclusivity, travel requirements and event type (Saxton). The low band uses its $5,000 floor; the mid ($15,000) and high ($30,000) keynotes are assumptions inside its published range. The speaker line assumes only the keynote is paid and the other speakers receive travel. Whether a quoted fee includes GST, travel and accommodation varies, so ask for all three in writing.

Speakers can also sell seats through their own networks, which offsets part of the fee; if you expect that, put it in the speaker agreement before the program is announced.

The break-even ticket price is $457.60 including GST for 200 paid delegates

The break-even ticket price for a mid-band, 200-delegate Australian conference is $457.60 including GST, if every delegate pays and there is no sponsorship.

The calculation, for a GST-registered organiser who claims GST credits on costs and charges GST on tickets:

1. Mid-band cost including GST: $91,520.
2. Cost excluding GST: $91,520 / 1.1 = $83,200.
3. Break-even ticket excluding GST: $83,200 / 200 = $416.
4. Break-even ticket including GST: $416 x 1.1 = $457.60.

Selling 150 seats instead of 200 lifts the break-even by $152.53, so fill rate matters more than any single cost line. Comped seats for sponsors and media count as unpaid delegates. Pricing in waves is covered in our early bird ticket pricing guide, and selling blocks of seats to employers in how to sell conference group tickets to companies.

Ticketing fees add $19.39 to $25.80 on a $460 ticket

Ticketing fees on a $460 Australian conference ticket are $19.39 at Humanitix’s standard rate before GST and $25.80 at Eventbrite’s listed service fee, on the rates each publishes.

• Humanitix: standard 4% + $0.99 per paid ticket, excluding GST (Humanitix pricing): 4% of $460 is $18.40, plus $0.99, before GST on the fee.
• Eventbrite Australia: 5.35% + $1.19 AUD service fee per paid ticket, and fees are paid by ticket buyers by default (Eventbrite pricing): 5.35% of $460 is $24.61, plus $1.19. The pricing page does not say whether GST is included.

Across 200 tickets that is $3,878 or $5,160 if you absorb the fee rather than pass it on, about 4% to 6% of the mid-band budget. Decide who pays before you set the ticket price. Both sets of rates were read on 25 October 2026 and change, so check them before you budget.

Sources

1. Accor Events, Monday Meetings Made Better: Novotel Sydney Olympic Park day delegate package
2. Pan Pacific Melbourne, 2026 Early Bird Offer (day delegate package terms)
3. Saxton Speakers Bureau, Keynote Speakers
4. Humanitix, pricing
5. Eventbrite Australia, organiser pricing
6. Australian Taxation Office, Registering for GST