Sample budget

The main expense is catering, but you'll also need a few supplies (pens, nametags). Here are some figures from a previous workshop to give you an idea of how much to budget. This menu totals about $1,000 to $1,200 (all currency US$).

Catering for 60

• $200 for Installfest pizza & beer. Typical order: nine large pizzas (at least three cheese and/or vegetarian), sliced into sixteen pieces; one case of beer.
• $100 for coffee for workshop morning
• $500-700 for Saturday lunch from a catering service/restaurant
• Getting food from a grocery store like Whole Foods is way cheaper than hiring a restaurant. I ordered 70 pounds of food (a variety of pasta and regular salads and hummus) for a workshop with about 100 students and volunteers. The total came to $584 and there were leftovers.
• $300 for workshop after-party
• Cost for sponsorship is for drinks and tip for 25 volunteers (students pay for drinks).
• $300/25= $12 per drink & tip (this may be more or less, depending on the venue)

Other Expenses

• Name tags and pens shouldn't cost you more than $30.
• The Installfest instructions tell students to get a sticker from a volunteer when their install has been checked. You'll want to procure stickers from your sponsor if possible, otherwise star stickers work just fine.
• It's helpful to find a space that has the necessary tables/chairs so that you don't have to worry about renting those.