For Event Organisers · Budgeting
It’s the question every organiser needs answered before they can get a budget signed off, and almost nobody in the industry will answer it straight. Here’s an honest explanation of what drives the number — so you can budget properly before you ask anyone for a quote.
Look across the Australian market and you’ll notice the same thing: the established MCs quote per event rather than publish a price. That isn’t evasiveness — a published number is either so high it scares off events that were affordable, or so low it has to be walked back once the real brief lands. Neither is a good start to a working relationship.
What you should expect instead is a fast, specific answer. Send the date, venue, format and audience size, and you should have a clear figure back quickly, with what’s included spelled out.
Include these and you’ll get a firm number rather than a range: the date and venue; the format (conference, awards, gala, launch, Q&A); rough audience size; the run time you need covered; whether you want scripting or just delivery; whether there’s a rehearsal; and your budget range if you have one. That last one isn’t a trap — it saves everyone a round trip.
Planning an event now? See how Jo works as an MC, or read how to brief your event MC.
Two decades on Australian screens, radio and mastheads — the credibility walks into the room before she does.
Placeholder section — not real quotes. The layout is built and ready; the six cards below are dummy text so the design can be reviewed. Replace with real quotes (name, job title, company, event) before this page is promoted.
“Sample quote — what the client said about the room, the timing, or how Jo handled a moment that could have gone wrong.”
“Sample quote — ideally names a specific save: the speaker who ran late, the AV that failed, the segment that needed care.”
“Sample quote — the strongest kind names a repeat booking, e.g. ‘back for the fourth year running’.”
“Sample quote — from a charity or gala client, on how the fundraising moment was handled.”
“Sample quote — from a brand or launch client, on tone and how well she represented the brand.”
“Sample quote — from a conference organiser, on preparation and how little they had to manage on the day.”
Repeat bookings carry the most weight — “back for the fourth year” outperforms any adjective.
The fee is never just the hours on stage — that’s the part everyone sees. Every booking includes:
No weddings. Corporate, media, brand and charity events are all Jo does — which means every hour of preparation goes into rooms like yours.
It varies with the brief, which is why professional MCs quote per event rather than publish a rate card. The number is built from run time, preparation and scripting, rehearsals, travel, and whether you need straight hosting or on-stage interviewing. Send the details and you'll get a specific figure back quickly.
Because a single published number is misleading in both directions — too high and it deters events that were perfectly affordable, too low and it has to be corrected once the real brief arrives. What you should expect instead is a fast, specific quote with everything itemised.
They're different roles, so it's not a like-for-like comparison. A keynote delivers one prepared talk; an MC carries the entire event — opening it, linking every element, managing time and energy, and closing it. Most events with a keynote also need an MC.
A proper briefing call, research and preparation on your organisation and speakers, name and pronunciation checks, Jo's own scripted links written around your run sheet, early arrival and AV checks on the day, and the event itself.
Jo is Sydney-based and works Australia-wide. Interstate and regional events carry travel, and sometimes an overnight depending on timings — it's built into the quote up front, never added afterwards.
Not automatically — it depends on run time, how many names and categories need rehearsing, and whether there's a rehearsal or fund-a-need moment. A long awards ceremony with 40 categories carries more preparation than a one-hour hosting slot.
A few details is all it takes — you’ll hear back promptly, usually within a business day.