Event Business Profit Model

Sam Parr shares his playbook for building a profitable events business that can generate 7-figures annually through a combination of ticket sales, sponsorships, and smart cost management.

Core Strategy

• Start small with 200-person email list, can generate $60k revenue/$50k profit in first 6-8 weeks
• Scale to $500k-700k revenue per event with 50% margins
• Focus on evening events (7-9pm) that can generate $15k profit per event

Revenue Streams

• Ticket sales ($80 average ticket price)
• Sponsorships (roughly 1/3 of revenue)
• Can do 250+ events per year in different cities

Cost Management Keys

• Avoid union venues and Ticketmaster contracted locations
• Use volunteers instead of paid staff
  • People want to be "in the mix"
  • Allow them to see some talks while working
• Only pay for notable speakers sparingly
  • Most speakers participate for free
  • Only cover economy travel when needed
• Find affordable premium venues
  • Example: Paramount Theater for $10-15k for 2 days
  • Can host 1000+ people

Event Format

• Short, efficient programming
• 7am start with breakfast networking
• 90-minute panel/discussion
• Wrap by 10:30am
• Content is secondary - main value is bringing like-minded people together

Scaling Model

• Start monthly in one city
• Expand to multiple cities (LA, Chicago, etc.)
• Add paid community on top
• Can build to multi-million dollar business within 18 months