One of the biggest challenges with hosting a big convention like GalaCon is the budget. Providing our attendees with a great weekend while keeping costs low and prices fair isn’t always easy, but we do our best! The support we get every year from the community via ticket sales, sponsor tickets and StartNext makes so much possible for GalaCon, and for that we are incredibly grateful.
But what does your ticket purchase make possible, exactly? We’re glad to show you!
Here is a breakdown of how the ticket price for the 73€ BASIC ticket of GalaCon 2019 comes together. Sponsor tickets work the same way, just with the addtional amount from the sponsor price – The general idea is still the same.
Compensation and Travel for Guests (27€ – 37%)
Special guests from all over the world bring so much goodness to GalaCon – But we have to bring them to us, first! This category covers compensation for the guests as negotiated between us and them, travel costs via airplane and other forms of transport, and anything else necessary for a good experience for our guests that shines over to our attendees, too.
Venue Rent (16 € – 22%)
Without our own personal Castle of Friendship, a place big enough to fit over a 1000 fans and all the fun that comes with them has a price. This category covers all costs regarding rent of the venue and associated venue costs.
Taxes, Charges, Licensing Fees (9€ – 12%)
A bunch of assorted fees pile up when you have several moving parts coming together for a colorful event. Taxes and licensing fees in particular add up pretty quickly. This category covers all of them, especially the GEMA fees that allow us to license music for our events.
Equipment Purchase/Rent, Office Material (8€ – 11%)
A certain princess knows the value of good organization and so do we!
This category covers all equipment needed for our convention office, ticket handling on-site, staff communication, software, and more. This includes rent for computers, walkie-talkies, paying for postage, and a lot more services big and small.
Merchandise, StartNext, Sponsor Goodies (4€ – 6%)
Thanks to our photogenic Canni and the fantastic artists who make wonderful works in her image, we offer all sorts of goodies for sale, at our StartNext crowdfunding and for our sponsor ticket holders! This category covers all costs involved in creating and producing merchandise items. Any revenue generated this way goes directly back into the convention.
Fees for Ticket Shop and Bank Business (4€ – 5%)
Anything involving the handling of money also incurs fees. This category covers the fees related to our ticket shop and all bank-related business.
Reserve for Current & Future Events (3€ – 4%)
We always have to take the future into account while working on the present. As a result, this category provides us with a safety cushion for future events. This can be necessary for downpayments, cost increases from year to year, and to keep GalaCon safe to run without going into debt, even if sudden changes or challenges come up.
Lodging, Catering and Equipment for Volunteers & Staff (1€ – 2%)
Everyone working hard to make GalaCon possible gives it their 120%, but even then we need a break sometimes! This category covers lodging, food and any other necessary equipment for everyone to do their jobs safely.
Decoration, Printing, Advertising (<1€ – 1%)
As nice as our venue is, it’s so much better with a bit of color, right? This category covers decoration of any sort. Additionally, any printing and advertising is also covered by this category.
Profit & Payment for the GalaCon Staff (0€ – 0%)
It deserves to be emphasized: Nobody, from the core organizers to the floor volunteers, receives any payment for their involvement with GalaCon. Every cent of your ticket purchase goes into making GalaCon possible. Thank you so much!
