How to host a workshop (in person or online) and how much to charge

To host a workshop, pick one clear outcome people will leave with, cap the group at a size you can actually help, price it from your costs and your time (not just what others charge), and sell tickets with the materials and the room already planned. Small, hands-on and specific beats big and general almost every time.

This guide covers in-person and online workshops: art, crafts, cooking, writing, wellness, music, business skills and anything else you know well enough to teach.

Step 1: Promise one clear outcome

The best workshop titles say what people will walk away with.

"Make your own ceramic mug" beats "Intro to pottery".
"Write your first short story in an afternoon" beats "Creative writing workshop".
"Build a simple budget you'll actually use" beats "Personal finance basics".

Ask yourself: at the end, what will each person have made, learned or decided? Put that in the title and the first line of the description.

Step 2: Choose the format

Length: 2 to 3 hours is the sweet spot for a single session. Long enough to make something real, short enough to fit a weekend afternoon or a weeknight.
One session or a series: a series (for example, four Thursday evenings) lets you go deeper and builds a group. A single session is easier to sell to newcomers.
In person or online: in person is better for anything hands-on. Online reaches people anywhere and has no venue cost.
Group size: for hands-on workshops, 8 to 15 people is a common range for one host. If you need to help each person, keep it small. A helper lets you take a few more.

Step 3: Price it (and know what you need to make)

Work it out from the bottom up:

Your costs: venue, materials per person, snacks, any equipment or software.
Your time: prep, the workshop itself, setup and cleanup. Decide what an hour of your time is worth.
Divide by the number of seats you're confident you'll fill, not the maximum.

Example: venue $150, materials $12 per person, your time 6 hours at $50 = $300. With 10 people: ($150 + $300) ÷ 10 + $12 = $57 per person. Round to $55 or $60.

Then check it against similar workshops near you. If yours is higher, make the value obvious: smaller group, better materials, something people take home.

Ideas that help:

Materials included in the price. Nobody likes a surprise supply list.
An early bird price for the first few seats. (How to price it.)
A "bring a friend" ticket for two at a small discount.
A series price that's cheaper than buying sessions one by one.

Step 4: Book the space and plan materials

In person: a studio, a café after hours, a community room, a library meeting room, a shop that wants foot traffic. Check tables, light, sinks if it's messy, parking, and how early you can get in to set up.

Materials: buy for your capacity plus one or two spares. Prep kits per person before the day if you can. It makes the start much smoother.

Online: test your video link, your camera angle (people need to see your hands for anything hands-on), and your sound. Send a supply list a week before so people have everything ready.

Step 5: Sell tickets

Cap the tickets at your real capacity. Selling one more than you can help ruins the experience for everyone.
Ask one question at checkout if you need it: experience level, dietary needs, T-shirt size, what they hope to make.
Turn on a waitlist. Workshops sell out, and people cancel. A waitlist fills those last seats.
Write a clear refund policy, especially if you buy materials per person. (Templates here.)
Send a reminder the day before with the address, what to bring and what to wear.

Step 6: Run it

Arrive early and set up every station before the first person walks in.
Start with a quick win in the first 15 minutes, so everyone feels capable.
Show, then do. Demonstrate a step, let people try it, walk around and help.
Leave time at the end for questions, photos of what people made, and cleanup.
Online: use names, ask people to keep cameras on for hands-on parts if they're comfortable, and pause for questions after every step.

Step 7: Follow up

Thank everyone the same day or the next, with any notes, recipes or links you promised.
Ask for a photo or a short review. Real photos of happy people sell your next workshop better than anything else.
Tell them about the next one while they're excited, maybe with a returning-guest price.

How to do this in Eventasaurus

Create the workshop under Events with Create Event. Set the price and the Quantity to your real capacity.
Online workshop? Tick Online event and paste your Join link plus any Joining instructions like a passcode. The link is never on the public page: only people with a ticket get it, in their confirmation email, in My Tickets and in the day-before reminder. Visitors see the start time in their own time zone.
Ask what you need to know with a Checkout question. Answers show on your Orders page and the door list.
Sold out? Your page shows Join the waitlist. When a seat opens, click Email next in line.
Reminders are automatic: everyone gets an email the day before, from 7 AM in the event's time zone.
A ticket for two? Set Admits to 2 on a ticket type.
Running a series? Use Add dates on a recurring show to copy the session to new dates, or create a pass for the whole series.
Send notes afterward from Messages, with up to 3 files attached (PDFs or images).

Your buyers pay the ticket price, with nothing added. You pay 1% per order ($1 minimum), plus Stripe's card processing. Free workshops carry no fee.

See the demo workshop or start free.

FAQ

How much should I charge for a workshop?

Add your venue and other fixed costs to the value of your time, divide by the number of seats you're confident you'll fill, then add materials per person. Check the result against similar workshops near you and make the value clear if you're higher.

How many people should be in a workshop?

For hands-on workshops, 8 to 15 people is a common range for one host. Keep it smaller if each person needs individual help, or add a helper to take more.

How do I host a workshop online?

Use a video call link (Zoom, Google Meet or similar), send a supply list a week ahead, test your camera angle so people can see your hands, and pause for questions after each step. Sell tickets so only paying guests get the link.

How long should a workshop be?

2 to 3 hours works well for a single session. For deeper topics, split it into a short series.

Promise one clear outcome in the title, show photos of what people make, offer a few early bird seats, and share it where your people already are. (More on promoting an event.)