Conference Budget problem:
Mr Eradico, a manager of an NGO, proposes to conduct a two day workshop (conference) on
eradication of illiteracy. He has contacted a local educational institution which was willing to provide
a conference hall for two days and accommodation for one night for a maximum of fifty delegates. A
caterer was willing to supply bed tea, breakfast, lunch, and dinner on both days, along with tea and
snacks twice on each day during the conference.
Other relevant information for working out the conference budget is as below:
The number of participants will be between twenty and forty. Participants are required to
register in advance along with submission of registration fee.
The number of people in the organizing team will be ten, including all volunteers.
There will be four invited speakers from different parts of the country. Each delegate will be
received at the air port or railway station and dropped back.
Each participant will be provided with a conference kit consisting of a bag, conference
material, and some stationary.
The costs of different items are:
Inaugural tea and snacks for delegates: Rs 100 per person. The inauguration is expected to be
attended by the delegates, the organizing team, invited speakers, and about twenty other
invitees.
Lunch: Rs 200 per plate.
Afternoon tea: Rs 50 per person.
Breakfast: Rs 100 per person.
Dinner: Rs 250 per person.
Rental charge for the conference hall along with audio-video equipment is Rs 10,000/- per
day.
Accommodation charges are Rs 1500/- per night; it is estimated that all delegates will arrive
in the morning on the inaugural day and leave by 7:00 PM on the second day. Hence, a
delegate needs accommodation for only one night.
Conference kit: Rs 500 per person.
Breakfast, lunch, and tea are to be provided on both days, whereas, dinner is to be provided
only on the first day. They are to be provided for all delegates, organisers, and invited
speakers. For the dinner there will be some additional guests and their number is expected to
be around fifteen. Similarly, the additional guests for the inaugural function are expected to
be twenty in number and they will be invited for the tea after the inaugural function.
The invited speakers are to be provided accommodation and are to be picked up and
dropped back at the airport. In addition, they are to be given return air fare which is
estimated to be Rs ten thousand for each speaker. Each speaker is also given an honorarium
of Rs 5000/-.
The charges for local transport for pick up or drop from the airport or railway station are
estimated to be Rs 500 each way.
The conference kits are to be given to all delegates, organizers, and invited speakers.
Additionally, for administrative expenses like telephone, courier and clerical work, a sum of
Rs 40,000/- is to be set apart.
Question: If the entire expenditure for the conference is to be met by the registration fee alone then
what should be the registration fee per participant?
If a maximum amount of Rs one lakh could be raised from sponsorships, what should be the
registration fee per participant?
To answer the above questions, experiment with various possible values of parameters like: numbers
of delegates and sponsorship amount.
Build your model in a spreadsheet.
