How Much Does Pub Entertainment Cost? A Complete Pricing Guide

If you run a pub, bar, or venue, you have probably asked yourself: "How much should I be spending on entertainment?" Whether you are considering hiring a quiz host, doing it yourself, or investing in entertainment software, the costs vary wildly and the wrong choice can eat into your profits.

This guide breaks down every option, compares the real costs (including the hidden ones), and shows you exactly how to calculate the return on investment for your venue.

Option 1: Hiring a Quiz Host

The traditional route. You hire a professional quiz master who turns up each week with their own questions, microphone, and personality. Sounds great on paper, but here is what it actually costs:

A decent quiz host in the UK charges between £100 and £200 per night. Run that weekly and you are looking at £5,200 to £10,400 per year. That is a significant chunk of your entertainment budget before you have even considered prizes.

The Reliability Problem

Here is the part nobody talks about. Quiz hosts are people, and people get ill, go on holiday, take other bookings, or simply stop showing up. When your quiz host cancels at 5pm on a Wednesday, you have got a roomful of regulars expecting entertainment and nothing to give them.

Option 2: DIY Entertainment

The budget option. You write your own questions, print your own answer sheets, and run everything yourself. The upfront cost? Practically zero. The real cost? Your time.

On the surface, DIY looks free. But if you value your time at even £12 per hour, those 3 to 5 hours of prep work cost you £36 to £60 every single week. That is £1,872 to £3,120 per year in hidden labour costs. And you still end up with a pen-and-paper quiz that looks and feels dated compared to what modern audiences expect.

Without professional visuals, automated scoring, or interactive phone play, DIY entertainment struggles to create the kind of buzz that keeps people coming back week after week.

Option 3: Entertainment Software

The modern approach. Entertainment software gives you professional-grade games, visuals, and interactive features for a flat monthly fee. No quiz host needed. No hours of prep. Just open the software, pick a game, and go.

With entertainment software, you get unlimited use for a fixed monthly price. Run games every night of the week if you want. The cost stays the same whether you host one event or thirty.

The Full Cost Comparison

Here is how the three options stack up when you account for all costs, not just the obvious ones:

The ROI That Makes This a No-Brainer

Forget the costs for a moment. Let us talk about what entertainment actually brings in. The entire point of running a quiz night, bingo evening, or music bingo session is to get more people through the door on nights that would otherwise be quiet.

Here is a conservative calculation:

Ten extra customers is a modest estimate. Many venues report 30 to 50 additional covers on entertainment nights. And £15 average spend is conservative when you factor in food, multiple drinks, and the longer dwell time that entertainment creates.

Now compare that £7,800 in additional revenue against your entertainment costs:

• Quiz host at £150/week: £7,800 revenue minus £7,800 cost = break even
• DIY at £50/week (with time): £7,800 minus £2,600 = £5,200 profit (but hours of your time)
• Software at £49/month: £7,800 minus £588 = £7,212 profit

Hidden Costs People Forget

When budgeting for entertainment, most venue owners only look at the headline price. Here are the costs that catch people off guard:

Quiz Host Hidden Costs

• Last-minute cancellations: Lost revenue when the host does not show. Typically £150 to £300 in lost takings per cancelled event.
• Price increases: Good hosts know their worth. Expect annual fee increases of 10 to 20%.
• Limited availability: Want to add a second entertainment night? That is double the cost or finding a second host.
• Quality inconsistency: A host having an off night directly impacts your customers' experience.

DIY Hidden Costs

• Opportunity cost: Every hour spent writing questions is an hour not spent running your business.
• Printing and supplies: Paper, ink, pens, and answer sheets add up to £5 to £15 per week.
• Content fatigue: Coming up with fresh, engaging content every week is exhausting. Quality drops over time.
• No wow factor: Without professional visuals, it is harder to create shareable moments that attract new customers.

Software Hidden Costs

• Equipment: You need a laptop and a TV or projector. Most venues already have these. If not, a one-off £200 to £400 investment covers it.
• That is genuinely it. No ongoing hidden costs, no surprise fees.

Let's Go Games Pricing Breakdown

Here is exactly what Let's Go Games costs, so you can see how it fits your budget:

Running a weekly event? The Starter plan works out to just £7.25 per event. The Professional plan is £12.25 per event. Compare that to £100 to £200 for a quiz host and the maths speaks for itself.

Hosting a one-off event like a charity fundraiser, wedding, or corporate party? The 24-Hour Pass gives you full access to everything for just £14.99. No subscription needed.

How to Calculate Your Venue's Entertainment ROI

Every venue is different. Here is a simple formula to work out whether entertainment software will pay for itself at your specific venue:

Example: A pub that draws 15 extra customers per quiz night, with an average spend of £18, running weekly events on the Professional plan:

15 customers × £18 spend × 4 events = £1,080/month in additional revenue.
£1,080 minus £49 software cost = £1,031 monthly profit.
That is £12,372 additional profit per year from a £49/month investment.

Even if your numbers are half of this example, you are still looking at over £5,000 in additional annual profit. Entertainment software does not just pay for itself. It pays for itself many times over.

What You Get Beyond the Numbers

Cost and ROI are important, but there are benefits that do not show up on a spreadsheet:

• Consistency: Software never calls in sick. Your entertainment night happens every single week without fail.
• Variety: With 5 main games and 6 mini-games, you can run different events every night. Bingo Monday, Quiz Wednesday, Music Bingo Friday - all from one subscription.
• Modern experience: Phone play, confetti effects, rave mode, and professional visuals create shareable moments that market your venue for free on social media.
• Staff empowerment: Any member of staff can run the games. You are not dependent on one person's availability or mood.
• Scalability: Whether you have 10 players or 200, the software handles it. No extra cost for larger groups.

The Bottom Line

Pub entertainment does not have to be expensive. The days of paying £150 a week for a quiz host or spending hours writing your own questions are over. Entertainment software gives you professional results at a fraction of the cost, with zero prep time and complete reliability.

Whether you choose the Starter plan at £29/month, the Professional plan at £49/month, or a one-off 24-Hour Pass for £14.99, you are investing in something that will pay for itself within the first event.

The question is not whether you can afford entertainment software. It is whether you can afford not to have it.