Commercial, partnership and post-event problems
When a post-event report cannot reconcile ticket, sponsor and supplier figures
The post-event report is due, and the ticket, sponsor and supplier figures do not agree with each other.
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The short answer
Do not adjust any number to make it fit. List each source, its date and who produced it, then find the first point where two sources diverge.
Accounting treatment, tax and any audit question are for your finance team or accountant. Your task is to show the differences, mark each as explained or unexplained, and report the unexplained ones as open items with an owner and a date.
What is known and what is not
Start with where each figure came from. Differences often come from dates, tax treatment or what a figure includes, but check before assuming.
| Known | Not yet known | Who can answer |
|---|---|---|
| Ticket counts from registration, payment and check-in, with dates | Why registered, paid and attended counts differ | Registration lead; payment records |
| Sponsor amounts invoiced, received and still outstanding | Whether any amount was received in a different period or under a different reference | Treasurer; finance contact |
| Supplier quotations, final invoices and any variations | Which variations were approved, by whom and in writing | Programme manager; whoever signed the quotes |
| The report's draft figures and who prepared each line | Which lines were typed by hand and which were exported | Report author |
| The reporting period and whether tax is included or excluded in each source | Whether each source uses the same treatment | Finance contact or accountant |
Who has authority to decide
The treasurer or finance lead decides which figures are official and how they are presented. The committee chair or conference owner approves the report. The secretariat head decides who is asked for missing records.
Accounting treatment, tax and audit questions belong to your finance team or accountant. A project lead can lay out the sources and the differences, but cannot decide which figure is correct.
- Which figures are official: treasurer or finance lead.
- Accounting and tax treatment: finance team or accountant.
- Approval of the report: committee chair or conference owner.
- Chasing missing records: secretariat head.
The realistic options, including stopping or scaling down
Reporting honestly with open items is a real option. Each choice below has a cost in time or detail.
| Option | What it involves | Consequence to weigh |
|---|---|---|
| Report with open items | Publish the figures that reconcile, and list the unexplained differences with owners and dates. | Honest and quick. Readers see that some items are pending. |
| Delay the report | Hold the report until the differences are explained. | More accurate, but later. Set a date. |
| Report ranges | Show a low and high figure where sources differ, with the reason. | Clear about uncertainty. Not suitable for formal accounts. |
| Report by source | Show each source separately, side by side, without one headline number. | Transparent, less summary value. |
| Ask for an independent check | Finance or an accountant reviews the sources. | Adds cost and time. Gives more confidence. |
Who says what to whom
Tell readers what is confirmed, what is open and when it will be resolved. Avoid stating a single figure that you cannot trace to a record.
Short template for the report's note on open items:
- The figures for [item] have been reconciled between [sources].
- The following items remain open: [item, difference, owner, expected date].
- These figures are provisional and will be updated by [date]. Questions go to [name].
Follow-up and preventing a repeat
- Log each difference, owner and decision in a decision log.
- Compare supplier quotes, variations and final invoices in the supplier quote normaliser, so missing inclusions are visible.
- Use the weekly status report builder to report open reconciliation items until each one closes.
- Pass the reconciled data and open items to the next team through a handover pack.
- Agree before the next event which system is the source for tickets, sponsors and supplier costs, and who updates it.
Worked example · Fictional example
A fictional forum with three numbers that do not match
Fictional organisation and illustrative figures. No real event is described.
A fictional association reports 410 registrations, 398 paid tickets and 372 attendees at check-in. Sponsors were invoiced RM90,000 but RM75,000 was received, and the AV supplier's final invoice is RM6,200 above its quotation.
The secretariat head lists the sources and finds that 12 registrations were complimentary and 14 paid tickets did not attend. The sponsor gap is one invoice paid after the reporting period. The AV variation was verbally agreed but not recorded. The report goes out with those three items marked explained or open, and the treasurer confirms the tax treatment.
Use this yourself
Reconciliation sheet
One row per figure that appears in more than one source. A difference is explained only when a record shows why.
| Figure | Source A and amount | Source B and amount | Difference | Explained by record? Which | Owner and date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered versus paid | |||||
| Paid versus attended | |||||
| Sponsor invoiced versus received | |||||
| Supplier quote versus final invoice |
Handle it in-house, or bring in help?
Your team can usually handle this when
- Few figures differ and each difference has an obvious record behind it.
- One person holds all the sources.
- The report can carry open items.
Outside planning help earns its fee when
- Many figures differ and the sources were kept in different places.
- Several suppliers, sponsors or co-hosts hold part of the data.
- The report is going to a board, sponsor or auditor.
Need the sources and open items put in order?
A project lead can collect the registration, sponsor and supplier records, build the reconciliation sheet with your finance contact, chase missing records, and prepare the report with its open items marked. A planning diagnostic can review which records to keep for each type of figure at the next event. Accounting and tax conclusions stay with your finance team or accountant.
Questions organisers ask
Can we round the numbers so they agree?
No. Show the actual figures and mark differences honestly. Rounding to hide a difference makes the report less reliable.
Which figure should be the headline for attendance?
Choose the one you can trace to a record, such as check-in, and state how it was counted. Report registered and paid figures separately.
Who signs off the final figures?
The treasurer or finance lead, with the committee chair or conference owner approving the report.
Related resources
Content record: Draft. Written from the cited sources and checked by automated rules; not yet independently reviewed.