Can local fairs and events help me win customers?

A stall can look profitable until the preparation hours, travel and stock are counted. This calculator reproduces the Surrey Hills Enterprises event return spreadsheet online, so you can decide before booking and record the real result afterwards.

Purpose: Calculate the full cost before booking, define the purpose of the event and record both immediate and follow-up value.

Most useful for:

Producers, retailers and service organisations booking stalls, fairs or shows.

Time required:

About 15 minutes per event

Enter the costs, your time and the sales you can attribute to the event. The figures follow the approved Surrey Hills Enterprises spreadsheet exactly, and you can add more than one event to compare them.

Download the Excel calculator

Event 1

Event details

Event nameEvent dateMain purposeTarget customerMinimum acceptable result

Cash costs

Stall or ticket fee£Travel and parking£Accommodation£Equipment or furniture hire£Paid staff cost£Marketing and print£Card or platform fees£Other cash costs£

Staff and owner time

Preparation hoursEvent hoursFollow-up hoursValue of your time per hour£

Total time cost: £0.00

Sales and margin

Average customer spend£Expected number of salesOn-the-day sales, if you prefer a total£Follow-up sales attributed to event£Gross margin percentage%Product cost used, optional override£Qualified leadsConsented marketing contactsStockist or partner conversations

Results

Total cash costs: £0.00; Everything you pay out, excluding stock and your own time.
Total time cost: £0.00; Preparation, event and follow-up hours valued at your hourly rate.
Product cost used: £0.00; The cost of goods sold, taken from your margin unless you entered an override.
Total revenue: £0.00; Sales on the day plus later sales you can attribute to the event.
Total investment: £0.00; Cash costs plus product costs plus the value of your time.
Estimated gross profit: £0.00; Revenue less the cost of the goods sold, before your other event costs.
Break-even revenue: £0.00; The revenue needed, at your margin, to cover cash and time costs.
Sales needed to break even: Add an average spend; Break-even revenue divided by your average customer spend.
Net contribution: £0.00; What the event left you with after every cost is counted.
Return on investment: 0%; Net contribution as a percentage of total investment.
Revenue per event hour: £0.00; Useful when comparing a long show with a short market.

Your estimate is close to break-even, so small changes in cost or sales would change the outcome.

This calculator provides an estimate based on the figures entered. Actual event results will vary, and organisations should consider both financial and non-financial objectives.

What would you like to do with this?

Your results are already yours. These options are here if they are useful.

Ask the team a question Explore current event opportunities

Decision notes

What worked?What should change next time?Book again, improve, or stop?

Event planning checklist

Before booking

0 of 6 complete

The audience matches our target customer or trade buyer.
We have checked stall fee, commission, electricity, insurance, access and trading hours.
We have included travel, staffing, preparation, equipment and the value of our own time.
We have chosen the main goal: sales, leads, sampling, research, awareness or stockist conversations.
We have set a minimum viable result and a clear break-even figure.
We have a lawful, explicit way to collect marketing consent where required.

Data note: an email address collected for a receipt or booking does not automatically provide consent for marketing. Check current ICO guidance before collecting or using contact details.

Event return calculator

Can local fairs and events help me win customers?