What to charge for corporate events.

[last minute]

I am curious to know what other bands are charging for corporate events. We were just asked to price out for a 400-500 person event. Three 45 minute sets. What are people charging?

Obviously there is a difference for in and out of town expenses and rentals etc. But what are you charging for the "performance".

Thanks!

[dbassman59]

Originally Posted by last minute

I am curious to know what other bands are charging for corporate events. We were just asked to price out for a 400-500 person event. Three 45 minute sets. What are people charging?

Obviously there is a difference for in and out of town expenses and rentals etc. But what are you charging for the "performance".

Thanks!

Try them one for $200 / man in the band ... plus whatever expense you see as reasonable (PA rental, etc ...) ... see what happens

[dbassman59]

Originally Posted by dbassman59

Try them one for $200 / man in the band ... plus whatever expense you see as reasonable (PA rental, etc ...) ... see what happens

Sorry .. I meant to say try them ON for $200 / man ...

[BluesWalker]

What kind of corporation is it? Fortune 500, Fortune 100, local? The bigger the company, the deeper the pockets.

[last minute]

I guess that was my question BluesWalker. Do people have a set price or do they try to grab more cash from larger companies?

[FenderP]

Well, doing simple math, let's say @ $30/head for food and drink (minimum), they're paying out $12000 - $15000 there (if not more). Plus hall rental, etc. I'd say this event is probably costing them $20k+. This is all US $, so adjust accordingly.

Asking for $1500 - $2000 doesn't seem unreasonable for basically 3 hours worth of work. But $1000 or lower? I think you may undervalue yourself.

[Phalex]

Originally Posted by FenderP

Asking for $1500 - $2000 doesn't seem unreasonable for basically 3 hours worth of work. But $1000 or lower? I think you may undervalue yourself.

Yep. I'd ask for $1200.00 to $1500.00 but I like this math a lot better!!

[txbasschik]

Do not ask for less than $1,000. Period. The $1,200 to $1,500 range seems very reasonable for an event of that size.

Cherie

[Febs]

Originally Posted by last minute

I am curious to know what other bands are charging for corporate events. We were just asked to price out for a 400-500 person event. Three 45 minute sets. What are people charging?

It depends on a number of factors.

-Do you need to provide sound?

-What type of music are they looking for?

-Are there any impediments to load-in or load-out that would require band personnel to be on-site significantly in advance of or after the event?

-How big is your band?

-Are there any other factors that would influence the price you charge?

Depending on how you answer these questions, these estimates of $1200 to $1500 seem very low. Likewise, $200 per man is too low for this type of event. Corporate events command significantly higher fees than playing in bars.

[zac2944]

Here in Boston we'd get $5,000-$10,000 for an event that large. Like others have said it depends on the budget and what type of company you're dealing with. Because of the economic times we're in my band has seen a lot of these gigs dry up, so we're taking a bit less these day.

FWIW, I'm talking about a 14 piece show band w/ choreographed dancing, costumes, etc. From our take we're usually paying crew and engineers as well. Band members take from a gig like this is about $400-$500.

It is all negotiable. Just try to get as much as you can. I always start out by trying to get an idea of their budget. I let them know that we can usually tailor the show to their budget. Sometimes they'll throw out a huge number because they don't know any better, other times you're bidding with other bands.

Don't forget to negotiate things like food and drink too.

Good luck!

[last minute]

Thanks for all the great advice. We are a 4 piece and do mostly 70's and 80's hits. We've actually been moving more into the corporate world and out of bar gigs. Most gigs have been fairly local (under 4 hours away) but one was actually in Vancouver. Everyone's pricing seems about right, I was just curious what the market could bear in other places. zac2944 , a huge issue can be bands undercharging. We all have day jobs and don't do this for our income, so we have a pretty strick rate, others that need the money that month can undercut you. That doesn't help anyone in my opinion.

[albertofrog]

$2000 dollars I'd say.
give or take the exchange rate thats what we've been charging.

Another angle is to charge so much per head for the guests.

£5 per head x 500 people = £2500

it makes it easier for the promoter to work out the price for his tickets.

We would generally charge £1000 for a flat fee, but £5 per head would make us £2500.

you might want to make it $5-10 per head.

Rob

(Corporate whore.)

[butchblack]

We played a Xmas party gig for an upscale machine shop fabrication company, about 100 people and got $800. So, depending on the going rate in your area $1200-$2000 seems reasonable for a 400-500 person event.

[fdeck]

Something to look at is the nature of the venue. If it's an expensive venue, then you can probably be an expensive band, and vice versa.