The verdict in three sentences
For a London MICE agency handling 80 events a year, a custom platform covering registration, accommodation, transfers, badges and budget costs EUR 45,000 to 100,000 in 2026. Event SaaS tools charge EUR 3 to 6 per attendee, plus add-ons: from 25,000 attendees a year, custom software is cheaper from year two. The other gain is margin tracked per event, which scattered spreadsheets never deliver in time.
What your current tooling costs you
Most agencies combine a registration SaaS, spreadsheets for rooming lists, email threads with hotels and coach operators, then a budget file rebuilt after the event. Each conference ties up 2 to 4 project managers on re-keying tasks.
| Cost item (80 events, 28,000 attendees a year) | Current situation | 2026 annual order of magnitude |
|---|---|---|
| Registration SaaS licences (EUR 4.50 per attendee on average) | 28,000 attendees | EUR 126,000 |
| Paid add-ons (badges, app, payments) | 3 to 5 options | EUR 18,000 to 30,000 |
| Re-keying rooming lists and transfers | 25 hours per event | 2,000 hours, i.e. EUR 90,000 loaded cost |
| Rooms not released in time (attrition) | 2 to 4% of the hotel block | EUR 35,000 to 60,000 |
| Budget versus actual gap found at project end | 5 to 8% of margin lost | EUR 60,000 to 110,000 |
| Online payment fees | 1.4% to 2.9% depending on provider | EUR 8,000 to 15,000 |
These are estimates for an agency of 20 to 30 staff with about EUR 6 million in managed business volume.
Pricing a custom MICE platform
Custom software is justified by three MICE specifics: fine-grained hotel block management, transfer logistics and a per-event budget linked to purchasing.
| Module | Functions | Indicative 2026 price |
|---|---|---|
| Registration and event pages | Conditional forms, rates, codes, white label per client | EUR 10,000 to 20,000 |
| Accommodation | Hotel blocks, rooming lists, attrition alerts, hotel export | EUR 7,000 to 15,000 |
| Transfers | Shuttles, flight times, vehicle allocation, driver lists | EUR 6,000 to 13,000 |
| Badges and access control | Printed or mobile QR badges, room scanning, session counts | EUR 5,000 to 10,000 |
| Per-event budget | Supplier quotes, commitments, actuals, real-time margin | EUR 8,000 to 18,000 |
| Payment and invoicing | Card payment, attendee invoices, client rebilling | EUR 4,000 to 9,000 |
| GDPR compliance and security | Consents, automatic purge, access log | EUR 3,000 to 7,000 |
| Hosting, maintenance, support | Load peaks, backups, event-day on-call | EUR 600 to 1,500 a month |
A first phase (registration, accommodation, badges) ships in 12 to 14 weeks for about EUR 45,000. The per-event budget and full transfers come next.
The payback calculation
With 25,000 attendees a year, SaaS at EUR 4.50 costs EUR 112,500 a year before add-ons. A EUR 80,000 platform plus EUR 12,000 of yearly maintenance costs EUR 92,000 in year one and EUR 12,000 after that. Over 3 years: EUR 116,000 versus more than EUR 337,000 in SaaS. Below 10,000 attendees a year, stay on SaaS: custom software does not pay back fast enough.
Mini case study
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Oliver, director of a 24-person MICE agency in Shoreditch, runs 80 events and 28,000 attendees a year. He invests EUR 85,000 in a full platform. He drops EUR 126,000 of SaaS licences and cuts re-keying from 2,000 to 800 hours, recovering EUR 54,000 of loaded time. Attrition alerts save him EUR 30,000 in unreleased rooms. Annual gain: about EUR 210,000, minus EUR 14,000 of maintenance. The project pays back in 5 months, and the per-event budget finally shows real margin before the final invoice.
FAQ
Can the platform handle the registration opening rush?
Yes, the infrastructure is sized for several thousand registrations per hour, with a load test before each major conference. Extra hosting for a peak stays around EUR 100 to 300 a month.
Can we keep a white label per client?
Each event gets its own colours, domain and emails. Creating a new event from a template takes about 2 hours.
How is attendee personal data handled?
Data is hosted in Europe or the UK, consents are logged and an automatic purge runs 12 to 36 months after the event according to your policy.
Do we need a native attendee app?
Not necessarily: an installable web app covers agenda, badge and notifications for about 70% of the cost of a native app. Budget EUR 8,000 to 15,000 as an option.
Can we migrate our event history?
Yes, importing the last 2 or 3 years (attendees, suppliers, budgets) usually costs EUR 2,000 to 5,000.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your attendee volume and current tools: we will price a platform between EUR 45,000 and 100,000, with a first phase live within 14 weeks. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
