{
  "slug": "event-lighting-roi-calculator",
  "title": "Event Lighting Package ROI Calculator",
  "heading": "Event Lighting Package ROI Calculator",
  "category": "financial",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/event-lighting-roi-calculator",
  "summary": "See payback and profit on uplighting, string lights, or dance-floor lighting inventory.",
  "description": "Lighting packages (uplighting kits, string light runs, monogram/gobo projectors) are one of the highest-margin add-ons in event production because the same fixtures redeploy for dozens of events with low incremental cost. This calculator computes payback period on the fixture investment and ongoing profit per event after labor for setup/strike and bulb/consumable cost, so you can see how quickly a lighting package investment turns profitable.",
  "formula": "Payback events = equipment cost ÷ (package price − labor − consumables); annual profit = events per year × net margin − equipment cost ÷ useful life.",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-30",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=event-lighting-roi-calculator",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "equipmentCost",
      "label": "Equipment cost",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 3500,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 100,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "packagePrice",
      "label": "Price charged per event",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 450,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 50,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "setupLaborCost",
      "label": "Setup/strike labor cost per event",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 90,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "consumables",
      "label": "Consumables/batteries per event",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 15,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "eventsPerYear",
      "label": "Events booked per year",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 30,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 1,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "usefulLifeYears",
      "label": "Useful life",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 5,
      "unit": "years",
      "min": 1,
      "max": 15
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "paybackYears",
      "label": "Payback period",
      "format": "decimal",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "paybackEvents",
      "label": "Events needed to break even",
      "format": "decimal",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "netPerEvent",
      "label": "Net profit per event",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "annualProfit",
      "label": "Annual profit (net of depreciation)",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Equipment cost: 3500 $",
      "Price charged per event: 450 $",
      "Setup/strike labor cost per event: 90 $",
      "Consumables/batteries per event: 15 $",
      "Events booked per year: 30",
      "Useful life: 5 years"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Payback period: 0.34",
      "Events needed to break even: 10.1",
      "Net profit per event: $345",
      "Annual profit (net of depreciation): $9,650"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter equipment cost ($).",
      "Enter price charged per event ($).",
      "Enter setup/strike labor cost per event ($).",
      "Enter consumables/batteries per event ($).",
      "Enter events booked per year.",
      "Enter useful life (years).",
      "Read your payback period on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "equipmentCost": 2100,
        "packagePrice": 275,
        "setupLaborCost": 50,
        "consumables": 10,
        "eventsPerYear": 18,
        "usefulLifeYears": 3
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "equipmentCost": 3500,
        "packagePrice": 450,
        "setupLaborCost": 90,
        "consumables": 15,
        "eventsPerYear": 30,
        "usefulLifeYears": 5
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "equipmentCost": 5600,
        "packagePrice": 725,
        "setupLaborCost": 140,
        "consumables": 25,
        "eventsPerYear": 48,
        "usefulLifeYears": 8
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.",
    "Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.",
    "This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "Why is lighting one of the highest-margin add-ons?",
      "a": "LED uplights and string lights are durable, reusable hundreds of times, require minimal per-event consumables (mostly battery packs or minor cabling), and the setup skill is easy to train, so the marginal cost of the 50th event using the same fixtures is far lower than the marginal cost of the 1st."
    },
    {
      "q": "How many uplights does a typical venue need?",
      "a": "A rule of thumb is one uplight per 8-10 linear feet of wall space being highlighted, so a mid-size reception room often needs 12-24 fixtures. More isn't always better — overuse can wash out a room's natural architecture."
    },
    {
      "q": "What kills the ROI on a lighting package?",
      "a": "Low booking volume relative to fixture count is the main risk — buying 40 uplights for a business only booking 10 events a year ties up capital in equipment sitting in a warehouse most of the year. Match purchase volume to your realistic, not aspirational, booking pace."
    },
    {
      "q": "Should setup labor be charged as a separate line item to clients?",
      "a": "Some vendors bundle it into the flat package price (as modeled here), while high-volume operators itemize setup/strike labor separately since it scales with room complexity — a simple string-light run takes far less labor than 30 uplights requiring individual placement and color programming."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/event-rental-inventory-roi-calculator",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/tent-rental-breakeven-calculator",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/photo-booth-utilization-calculator"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — Event Lighting Package ROI Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/event-lighting-roi-calculator)"
}