How to Price Event Tickets: Tiers, VAT, Fees and Break-Even
Use the free ticket pricing calculator to model early bird, GA and VIP tiers, remove UAE VAT and fees, and find the price ladder that covers your costs and sells out.
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Your ticket price isn't your revenue. Take off 5% VAT, then payment and platform fees, and see how many tickets you actually sell, and the numbers look different. The free Ticket Pricing Calculator does that maths for every tier.
How to use it
- Add your tiers: early bird, general admission, VIP, tables.
- Enter VAT-inclusive prices and quantities.
- Set the expected sell-through. Early bird often sells out, but the last tier rarely does.
- Add fees: a percentage plus any fixed amount per ticket.
- Enter total event costs. Get them from the budget calculator.
Reading the results
- Net ticket revenue is what pays for the event.
- Average net per ticket is the honest price.
- Break-even is how many tickets of your planned mix you must sell.
A worked example
300 early bird at AED 150, 1,200 GA at AED 250 (80% sold) and 150 VIP at AED 750 (70% sold) gives about AED 400,000 gross. After VAT and 3% fees, it's roughly AED 370,000 net. That's comfortably above a AED 250,000 budget.
Pricing tips
- Each step on the ladder should be a reason to buy now.
- VIP should be a different experience: entrance, lounge, hospitality.
- In Dubai, categories and prices are approved with your permit. See ticket approval and pricing strategy.
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