Event business simulator
See what your events business would turn over, how many attendees you'd win and who you'd lose them to — quarter by quarter for four years — before you spend real money.
Tickets, venues and the weather on the day. This one opens as Northern Lights Events: An events company running ticketed festivals, conferences and parties across a few cities. Rename it, reprice it, or describe your own events business and let Nova rewrite it to fit.
What a steady events business ends up with
Played steadily for all four years — quality first, then growth, a fair share of the bank spent each year — a steady events business here ends its last year on $504k of revenue and $83k of profit, with 3,360 attendees and 2.1% of the market (#5 of 5).
It starts from nothing: $25k in the bank and you, 40 hours a week, with no attendees yet.
People who play it well do better, and a bad plan runs out of money.
Revenue in the last year: $504k
Profit in the last year: $83k
Attendees at the end: 3,360
Share of the market: From nothing to 2.1%
Where it finishes: #5 of 5
Years and decisions: 4 years, quarterly
What you'll decide each quarter
Each quarter you decide what to ask for, what to spend on finding new attendees against keeping the ones you have, how many staff the work needs, and which cities you work in.
Each decision shows on a forecast before you file it, and every period resolves against the rivals and the economy.
Who your attendees are
Nobody has to give, join or come along — they choose to. The attendees who stay are the ones who can see what their money did.
250,000 attendees in all, across your home city, the capital, the second city, a university city and a coastal city.
Casual ticket buyers: They give when asked well and forget by next month. About 138,000 of them, worth $77 a year each.
Repeat fans: A standing order and a quiet expectation of being told what it did. About 75,000 of them, worth $216 a year each.
VIP and premium: Few, generous and demanding — reports, visits and a named project. About 7,500 of them, worth $2.3k a year each.
Corporate bookings: They give time first and money later, if they feel part of it. About 30,000 of them, worth $123 a year each.
Who you're up against
Three rivals are already in it, and they play to win: they cut prices, spend on marketing and answer what you do. Most of the market is theirs on day one.
The big promoter: The biggest, and slow to change — it has stopped listening to its smaller customers. Holds about 30% of the market.
The free local events: Hasn't changed in years and is living off the customers it already has. Holds about 18% of the market.
The new festival with the buzz: Clever and quick, but stretched thin and hard to get hold of. Holds about 8% of the market.
How it works
Free until you start: building and previewing cost nothing, and starting is $10, once.
Build it — free: Press build and you get your own copy of this market: four kinds of attendee, three rivals and five cities.
Make it yours: Change any number, describe your events business in a sentence or two and let Nova fill it in, or upload a profit and loss or a month-by-month sales history to fit it to your real figures.
Preview — free: See what a steady events business ends up with, and every warning worth reading, before you pay anything.
Start — $10: Pay once to start, your seat included. Then run it quarter by quarter for four years.
Also for
events · festival · tickets · conference · concerts · weddings · promoter
How much does the event business simulator cost?
Building and previewing are free: make your own copy of this events business market, change anything in it and see what a steady events business ends up with without paying. Starting the simulation is $10, once, and your own seat is included.
Can I make it match my own events business?
Yes. Every number can be changed — the attendees and what they pay, the rivals, the cities, the costs and the starting cash. Or describe your events business in a sentence or two and Nova, SparkTower's AI, fills every section in for one Nova action. If you already trade, upload a profit and loss or a month-by-month sales history and the simulation is fitted to your real numbers, starting from where your business stands today.
Are the numbers realistic for an events business?
The template is checked against what real ones do: played steadily, a believable one finishes year four turning over between $150k and $1.5m, with between 1,000 and 12,000 attendees. This one's preview comes to about $504k and 3,360. Your own prices, costs and figures change that, which is the point of trying it here first.
Can I use it to test an events business plan?
That is what it is for. Put your plan's prices, costs and starting cash in, play it forward quarter by quarter, and see whether the money lasts, how many attendees you would need and what a rival's price cut does to you — before you put real money in.
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