Comparison Costs for Hosting a Virtual Murder Mystery vs. a Live Event?

It’s a question we hear all the time from corporate groups, especially since the pandemic made virtual events so much more viable: “Should I go virtual or plan a live murder mystery event?”

So let’s break down the real costs, so you can pick the perfect option for your group (and your team building budget).

Virtual Murder Mystery: The Quick Hit

• Lower Upfront Cost: Virtual murder mystery events are usually more affordable both in terms of buying in services and from your hosting perspective. There’s no venue hire, no travel expenses for staff, no catering, no bar. You just need your game, your guests, and a reliable internet connection.
• No Travel Hassles: Forget about trains, taxis, or sitting in traffic. Everyone joins from home with a virtual murder mystery. You aren’t “losing man hours” to get staff to a specific place and time on a specific date.
• Time-Saving: Virtual murder mystery games can be squeezed into a lunch break or after work – no need to lose a whole day out of the office. Your team can just join the call from home at a specific point in the day. They can even come if they have no child care that day – as we’ve seen plenty of kids on the virtual team building we’ve run!
• Flexible Pricing: When we host a virtual murder mystery, our costs are lower, we aren’t paying actors travel time either – so you’ll find our virtual hosting costs are lower than our live event costs are saving you ££s there too.
• Options to scale up: Just because it’s at home doesn’t mean you can’t use the remaining budget to give you more bang for your bucks.  We’ve sent snack and fancy dress boxes to guests before, and you can scale up to include custom scripts if you want to make it special.

Live Event: The Full Experience

• Venue Costs: You’ll need to book a space – whether it’s your offices, a hotel, or a quirky restaurant. We’ve hosted in marquees, quads, even in multiple venues for a pub crawl style mystery.  We’ve also hosted outdoors in treasure hunt style city events.  But you STILL need a central gathering point at the start and end.
• Travel & Accommodation: Factor in the cost (and time) of getting everyone to the venue. For corporate groups, that’s a day out of the office, plus possible overnight stays.
• Catering & Extras: Food, drinks, decorations… it adds up!
• Higher Base Price: Live events start higher – because we have to get actors, props, and costume to a specific place and a specific time.

Sample Price Comparison

• Virtual Murder Mystery: Starts from £325 for a fully hosted detective experience.
• Live Event: Starts from £685 for a fully hosted detective experience.

Other Hidden Costs (and Savings!)

• Virtual: Saves time and money on travel, easier to fit into busy schedules, no dress code (unless you want one!).
• Live: Priceless atmosphere, face-to-face laughs, and the chance to make a night of it—but at a higher cost and time commitment.

Which Is Right for You?

If you want quick, easy, and budget-friendly, virtual is the way to go. If you’re after the full “night out” experience, nothing beats a live event. Still not sure? Reach out for a quote and we’ll help you weigh up the options!

Combining both worlds?

It’s possible to meet together and have your actual event remote.  We have attended a number of in-person events on a virtual conference call, supplying live detectives virtually to a gathering that’s in-person.   Some groups gather in a single space in multiple venues forming teams that are in person together in different spaces, while our acting crews are all remote.  It’s a great way to combine both in a hybrid format without breaking the bank.

We are also one of very few companies who can supply a fully hybrid event, creating a live experience “in person” at one location while also supplying the same event virtually to a number of guests online.  If this is something you’re looking for to create a unique Hybrid conference then do reach out.  We’ve done it before and can do it exceptionally well!