How do I build my budget?

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Make a few versions of your budget and pick one to be your official budget.

Start a version

Each version of your budget is called a scenario.

  1. Click Budget, then Build.
  2. Click the + button on the right to open the New scenario menu.
  3. Pick where to start:
    • From the budget: copy a budget that’s already in Aletheia (not your spreadsheet) and try changes.
    • From blank (what-if): start from typical costs and adjust them.
    • From hotel proposal: upload up to three proposals (PDF, Word, Excel or PowerPoint) to compare their costs.
    • From vision: answer a few questions about your event, like its type and Budget ambition, and Aletheia drafts a budget.
    • From past budget: upload last year’s spreadsheet. Aletheia keeps each line’s share and scales it to this year’s target.
    • Upload current budget: bring in your spreadsheet as it is.

Not sure? If you have a spreadsheet, choose Upload current budget. If you only have hotel proposals, choose From hotel proposal.

Each line shows where its number came from: Extracted (pulled from your files), Estimated from typical costs, or Needs input from you. Click one of those words above the table to see only those lines.

Compare and choose

Click the Compare tab at the top of Build to see your scenarios side by side. When you’ve chosen one, click Set as budget.

Your budget then waits for approval on the Summary page, where someone with permission clicks Approve budget. Once it’s approved, Track compares your spending to it. To change it later, click Reopen for changes on Summary.

Track and share

Budget’s Track page has four tabs: Budget Tracking, Vendors, Invoices and Payments. Fill them in as you book vendors and bills arrive.

Reports lets you download a Budget Analysis report (PDF or PowerPoint) to send your VP. It also has an Excel template with live formulas and a full list of budget lines. If your event details change after a report is made, it’s marked Stale so you know to make a new one.

Food & Beverage and your budget

Your Food & Beverage (F&B) grid doesn’t change the budget. Type the grid’s total into the F&B line in Build yourself.