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What does a team offsite cost per person?

· By BookWorkations editors

Euro coins and banknotes on a table
Photo: Avij · Public domain

Almost every organiser asks 'what does it cost per person?', and the honest answer is rarely a single number. It depends on the length, the venue, the group size and the programme. This article shows which cost items to include, how to estimate them and how a simple formula gives the cost per person. The amounts in the example are invented to make the sums clear. Replace them with your own quotes.

The cost items at a glance

An offsite has more cost items than the venue price. Include all six, including the ones you only see later:

  • Accommodation: overnight stays and the room for the sessions.
  • Food and drink: breakfast, lunch, dinner and the coffee in between.
  • Travel: train, bus, a minibus hire and parking.
  • Programme and facilitation: the facilitator, workshops and activities.
  • Technology and materials: projector, sound, printing and stationery.
  • Contingency: a buffer for what you forgot or what turns out more expensive.

How to request comparable quotes

Quotes only compare well when they are based on the same conditions. Ask every venue for a price on the same number of people, the same days and the same programme.

  • Ask whether the price is per person, per group or per night.
  • Ask whether the room hire, technology and catering are listed separately or as one package.
  • Ask whether taxes, service charges and any local tourist tax are included. This differs per venue and per municipality.
  • Add a buffer of, for example, ten per cent to your budget for the things you forget.

Fixed and variable costs

Some costs grow with the number of people, such as food and overnight stays. Others stay the same, such as the room or the facilitator. Fixed costs weigh most per person in a small group and least in a large one. That is why group size makes such a difference to the price per person.

A worked example

The formula is simple:

  • Cost per person = variable costs per person + (fixed costs ÷ number of participants)

The calculation with twenty participants

The example assumes twenty participants, two days and one night. Every amount is an example, not a rate:

  • Accommodation (example: €80 per night, two nights): 2 × €80 = €160 per person.
  • Food and drink (example: €90 per person per day, two days): 2 × €90 = €180 per person.
  • Travel (example: €1,000 for the group): €1,000 ÷ 20 = €50 per person.
  • Room and technology (example: €1,500): fixed costs.
  • Facilitation and programme (example: €2,000): fixed costs.

The result

The variable costs come to €160 + €180 + €50 = €390 per person. The fixed costs come to €1,500 + €2,000 = €3,500, which is €3,500 ÷ 20 = €175 per person. Together that is €565 per person. With a buffer of ten per cent it becomes €621.50.

What if thirty people come? The variable costs stay at €390 per person, but the fixed costs fall to €3,500 ÷ 30 = €117 per person. The total is then about €507 per person, without a buffer, or about €557 with a ten per cent buffer. The same programme costs noticeably less per person when the group is bigger, because the fixed costs are shared by more people.

Then look at the items you can still influence. A different venue or a shorter lunch changes the total faster than the largest line in one quote.

Where you can save without losing the goal

Savings that do not touch the purpose of the day are the easiest to find:

  • Choose a period outside the peak season, if your agenda allows it.
  • Plan one travel moment for the whole group instead of separate journeys.
  • Ask whether a venue you already use can help with technology and catering.
  • Decide in advance what the programme must deliver. An offsite without a clear goal tends to run over budget.

Finding a venue

Looking for a location that fits your number of people and your budget? Browse the venues on BookWorkations, and look at the offsite pages for the format that suits your goal.

Frequently asked questions

What is a realistic amount per person?

It depends on the length, the venue, the group size and the programme, and nobody can give a sensible number without those details. Ask for three quotes on the same basis and calculate them with the formula above.

Is an offsite always more expensive than a team day?

Usually, because of the overnight stay and the extra meals. For a small group, a team day in an expensive room can still come out high per person, so always calculate per person.

Should I budget the total or the cost per person?

Budget the total and divide it by the number of participants. Keep fixed and variable costs separate, so you can see at once what changes when someone joins or drops out.

Do participants pay anything themselves?

That is a choice to make in advance. Be clear about what the organisation pays and what participants pay themselves, such as drinks or an extra night.