For many planners, the best starting point for a new event is a previous success. Instead of starting from scratch, Aletheia’s Budget Playground allows you to leverage your Proven Blueprints—taking the financial structure of a successful past event and adapting it to your next one instantly.
This feature is a game-changer for consistency. It allows you to take a "tried and tested" budget and apply its logic to a new city, a different attendee count, or a refreshed budget cap, saving you hours of manual data entry and structural planning.

The Proven Blueprint: Create a Budget from a Past Event

The Value: Why reinvent the wheel? By using a previous budget as a reference template, you ensure that your new event follows a financial structure you already trust. Aletheia does the heavy lifting of scaling those numbers up or down to match your new event’s parameters.

Prerequisite: Your Reference Data

To use this feature, please ensure:
Past Budget File: You have a budget from a previous event (on your local machine or in your integrated apps).
Data Minimums: The reference budget must have either Estimates or Actuals filled out so Aletheia can understand your previous spending patterns.

How to Build a Budget from a Reference Template

1. Access the Budget Playground
Navigate to the global menu within your event and click on Budget, then select the Budget Playground option.
2. Upload Your Reference Template
Choose the option to "Use a Past Budget." Upload your file to let Aletheia analyze your historical categories, sub-categories, and percentage-based spending habits.
3. Define Your New Parameters
Tell Aletheia how this event differs from the last one. You can specify:

• New Location: Select the target city.
• Scale: Input expected attendee counts and number of breakout rooms.
• Timeline: Set your new Start and End dates.
• Target Amount: Define your total budget goal and add any specific instructions for the AI.

4. Generate Your Options
Aletheia will apply the DNA of your past budget to your new parameters, maintaining your preferred percentage allocations. To give you the best strategic view, the system will generate three versions:
Conservative: Slightly below your target budget.
On-Target: Matching your specified budget amount.
Growth: Slightly above your target budget to show what extra investment could buy.

Analyze and Refine

Once your three versions are ready, you can dive deeper into the data:
Contextual AI Analysis:
Use built-in prompts to understand the shift from your past event to your new one:

• “How does the F&B cost per head in this new city compare to my reference budget?”
• “Identify where the biggest cost increases are happening due to the new location.”
• “Suggest where I can trim 5% to bring the 'On-Target' version closer to the 'Conservative' version.”

Total Control & Manual Edits:
The power remains in your hands. Just like our other playground features, you can:

• Edit Inline: Add or delete categories and sub-categories.
• Live Adjustments: Change dollar amounts and watch the total update in real-time.
• Regenerate with "Retain Edits": If you change your attendee count later, you can regenerate while keeping all your manual tweaks and custom allocations intact.

Explore the Market: Discover Venues and Cities

Once your budget is refined, Aletheia helps you visualize your options in the real world. You have two powerful ways to find the right fit for your estimated numbers:

• Targeted Search: If you already have a destination in mind, search for Venues, F&B providers, and AV vendors within a specific city. Aletheia will filter results that align with your estimated budget segments.
• Smart Suggestions: Not tied to a location? Aletheia can suggest cities and specific venues that best match your budget profile. This is ideal for finding high-value destinations you may not have considered.

Note: These results are estimates and serve as a starting point. Always perform due diligence and contact vendors for final pricing and availability.

Saving and Exporting

Save: Keep your new plan in the Budget Playground for continued work.
Download: Export your comparison in PowerPoint, Google Slides, PDF, or Word to show stakeholders exactly how you’ve scaled a successful past model into this new opportunity.