TL;DR: A Summary of the Budget Guarantee
✅ Guaranteed Accuracy & Accountability – Moniker guarantees your retreat will come in under budget. If we miscalculate, we will cover the difference. Full stop.
✅ No Budget Surprises – You can plan with confidence, knowing exactly what you’ll spend, and what the final outcome will be.
✅ Industry-Leading Transparency – We’re the only ones in the industry doing this, setting a new standard for accountability. In fact, we challenge our competitors to do the same!
✅ A Proven Track Record – We can do it because we stand by our experience, our processes, and by our confidence that we’re bloody good at what we do - and our people know exactly what they are doing!
Let’s be honest: the travel and events industry aren’t exactly known for budget transparency. It’s not uncommon for companies to receive a quote that seems reasonable at first, only to be hit with unexpected add-ons, operational fees, or surprise expenses as the event unfolds, long after it’s too late to pull out or change tack. You start with one number, only to watch it creep up as unexpected costs, fees, and last-minute changes pile on. Before you know it, you’re stuck trying to justify a budget overrun to your CEO or Head of Finance that no one saw coming. Except you should have.
That’s where Moniker’s Budget Guarantee comes in.
Why Are We Doing This?
Two big reasons:
1️⃣ Because we really do know what we’re doing, and stand by it. We’ve been in this game long enough to be really, really good at budgeting. Our track record speaks for itself—we have consistently come in under budget on 96% of the retreats we’ve run in the last 5 years. So, why not make it official? Or even a competitive advantage?
2️⃣ Because it’s the right thing to do. If someone tells you a trip will cost $X, you should be able to trust that number. No asterisks, no fine print (well, some fine print, but only the fair kind that we share upfront, outlined below).
At the end of the day, we believe a budget should be a commitment, not a moving target. We’re so confident in our ability to plan, price, and execute retreats accurately that we’re willing to put our money where our mouth is - so If your final costs exceed our last pre-event budget estimate, we’ll cover the difference. We promise.
Can other retreat planning agencies match that? 😉
How It Works - The Fine Print
Our Budget Guarantee is as simple as it sounds:
✔️ If the final cost of your retreat exceeds our final pre-event budget estimate, Moniker will cover the difference.
Of course, this applies to the aspects of the budget that we can control—because let’s face it, we’re good, but we can’t predict last-minute add-ons or airline mishaps (well, we can if it’s Spirit Airlines). So, here are the reasonable exceptions that are excluded from the guarantee:
🔹 On-Site Additions – If you decide mid-trip to add a fireworks show, hire a last-minute DJ, or upgrade the bar-rail open bar to “whatever premium labels the CEO likes,” that’s on you.
🔹 Flights & Associated Fees – Airline delays, cancellations, and missed connections are a whole different beast. Any costs that arise due to the aforementioned issues are out of our control, and therefore excluded from the guarantee.
🔹 Room Attrition & Cancellations – If attendees decide to cancel last minute, any penalties imposed by hotels fall outside our guarantee. We’ll do our best to manage attrition, but a contract is a contract, and we have to follow the terms of the agreement we signed (with your approval!).
🔹 Foreign Exchange Fluctuations – We lock in the FX rate from the final budget date to keep things fair and consistent when comparing both the pre- and post-event budgets (for an “apples-to-apples” comparison).
🔹 Items Outside Our Scope – If you independently booked a keynote speaker, 200 teaser gift baskets, or a surprise guest appearance by a celebrity llama, and now want those costs included in the reconciled budget to get a holistic picture of how everything stacked up, those costs won’t be included in the guarantee, unless they were added in beforehand.
🔹Contingency Buffers Must Remain in the Budget - Our team intentionally includes placeholders and contingency amounts as separate line items in budgets to allow us to account for anticipated, but indeterminate expenses that can not be accurately predicted in advance (such as people having drinks during meals or evening events, or items based on consumption on-site). If a client wishes to remove them from the budget, it would void the Budget Guarantee, as that is exactly how we are able to confidently keep our budgets on track - by having the experience to include amounts for foreseen, but yet-defined expenses.
Here’s how we keep it fair: We use the final version of the budget (date-stamped within 72 hours of the retreat’s start date) as the reference point, then compare it to the actual reconciled costs, which we will finalize within 30 days. So if there is something that came up during the planning process, or something you want included in the budget, as long as it’s added prior to the last version - we gucci. 🤙
If we went over—we will cover the difference.
What This Means for You
Less stress. More trust. No surprises.
For companies planning a retreat, this guarantee offers something that’s hard to find in the travel & events industry: peace of mind.
✅ You’ll always know what you’re spending. No hidden fees or budget creep.
✅ You can plan with confidence. We’re accountable for our numbers, and have built in the proper buffers and contingencies to allow for some wiggle room, to avoid surprises.
✅ You get a partner, not just a vendor. We treat your budget like our own, and own the outcome.
If you’ve ever worried about the "What if our retreat goes over budget?" question, we’ve just eliminated it. Gone. Donezo!
No more worrying about surprise costs. No more uncertainty about whether the final bill will match the initial expectations. Instead, you get a trusted partner who takes responsibility for the budget—because we know what we’re doing, and we’re willing to put our money where our mouth is.
This is more than just a policy. It’s a testament to our experience, confidence, and dedication to delivering incredible retreats without financial surprises.
Let’s Talk
If you’re planning a company retreat and want a trusted partner who delivers on budget, every time, let’s chat. Our Budget Guarantee is just one of the many ways Moniker ensures your retreat is seamless, stress-free, and financially predictable.
We’d love to hear your thoughts — drop us a line at ciao@monikerpartners.com or fill out our contact form.
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