If you have never run an event before, it may surprise you what the highest cost of running most events are. It’s not the venue, and (unless you are bringing in a lot of overseas speakers) it’s not the travel. No, for most conferences, it’s going to be one thing that most people will need and complain about the most: the food.
Food, or catering if you want to be all sophisticated about it, is typically the largest budget line item for any conference. This is why most events of any size either charge a large registration fee or, in lieu of a fee, let people fend for themselves.