The Haunted Budget Season: Stretching Dollars Without Ghosting Engagement
with thoughts on AI from Olive Pique, HOST’s resident event expert and mascot
Every fall, event planners, HR teams, and marketing managers face the same chilling reality: the haunted budget season. It sneaks in like a ghost in the night, armed with red pens, last-minute cuts, and the dreaded phrase: “Do more with less”. But slashing budgets doesn’t have to mean slashing impact. In fact, this is the season where creativity shines brightest—if you know how to outsmart the monsters in the finance closet.
Carving out the budget.
Budget Busters to Avoid
Some line items may appear harmless but can quickly bleed your budget dry.
Before you spend, ask: “Does this line item create connection or just check a box?”.
A few usual suspects:
SWAG CREEP - generic items that no one keeps (translation: wasted money and wasted impact).
UNTRACKED SHIPPING COSTS - those “just overnight it” requests that quietly snowball.
VENUE PIVOTS - locking in a spot before approvals, only to pay penalties when budgets shift.
TECH OVERLOAD - stacking three platforms when one robust system could do the job.
Smart Swaps (Tricks & Treats)
Big moments don’t always need big money.
The goal isn’t to shrink your event—it’s to swap forgettable with unforgettable.
Try these cost-savvy shifts:
| INSTEAD OF | GO WITH |
|---|---|
| An expensive group dinner | An interactive cheese and charcuterie tasting event (bonus: hybrid-friendly) |
| Cookie-cutter swag | Curated local gift cards or sustainability-forward kits |
| Renting giant AV setups | Professional hosts and structured games to carry the energy |
| Travel-heavy offsites | A real-time virtual travel tour for an instant global experience |
The ROI Reality Check
Budgets love proof. Leaders love ROI.
In haunted budget season, data is your garlic—it protects you from scary “was this worth it?” conversations.
Luckily, events provide both.
Measure right:
ENGAGEMENT METRICS: Event surveys, chat activity, and attendance drop-off points all tell a story.
BRAND IMPACT: Client-facing events that “feel like your brand” pay dividends in long-term loyalty.
WELLNESS + MORALE: Gallup research shows highly engaged teams are 21% more productive—so yes, that mindfulness + bonsai break actually matters.¹
EFFICIENCY WINS: Custom digital invites and branded registration pages save hours (and dollars) compared to manual coordination.
What’s NEXT
Budget challenges aren’t going anywhere. But neither are creative solutions. Fall is the perfect time to reframe: instead of fearing the cuts, use them as a guide. They force clarity, priorities, and sharper storytelling. And that’s the stuff memorable events are made of!
✍️ A Note from Amy
Budget season used to send chills down my spine, too. Then I realized something: constraints don’t have to kill creativity. They can actually sharpen it.
At HOST, we’ve seen the scrappiest, smartest, most joyful events come together when budgets were tighter than a wrapped mummy!
My encouragement to you this fall? Don’t just look at what you can’t do. Look at what you can do differently and strategically. A meaningful experience can still spark connection and engagement, no matter the budget. And if the spreadsheets start feeling spooky, know that you don’t have to navigate them alone.
Let’s figure it out, together.
— Amy O’Neil
Owner, HOST Events | ONAR Event Services
🫒 Olive Has Thoughts
Budget season is basically Halloween for corporate teams—full of frights, sugar highs, and maybe a skeleton or two hiding in the filing cabinet. But here’s the trick (and the treat): spooky season doesn’t mean you have to hand out “fun-size” events. Go bold. Swap the stale for the surprising. Think Chocolate Tastings instead of cookie-cutter catering. A live-hosted Halloween-themed Music Bingo Night instead of another PowerPoint. Trust me, your team will thank you—and so will your budget.
—Olive Pique, HOST mascot + part-time number cruncher
Escape the Haunted Budget Season
Tight budgets don’t have to mean scary events. HOST helps you plan smarter, celebrate brighter, and prove that connection doesn’t need a blockbuster budget to work. From creative workarounds to morale-boosting experiences, we’ll help you turn “boo” into “bravo.”
Plan With HOST1 Gallup. (2024). State of the Global Workplace Report. Retrieved from https://www.gallup.com