This is a question for those of you who do children's parties regularly.

Lately, I've been getting more and more requests to perform for children's birthday parties. What sparked these requests were shows I did for my son's nursery school and for my sister-in-law's 9 year old. It's been years since I've done kids shows, so I'm wondering what the typical going rate is.

Now, let me head off a few of you at the (Charlier) pass:

(1) I realize that this will depend on one's experience and skill level. Please assume that I do a professional show -- not an amateur-ish one.

(2) I also realize that this depends, in parr, on the length of the show. Assume 20-40 minutes (I play it by ear, and do however much the kids can handle without getting too antsy).

(3) Finally, I realize that this will depend on where -- geographically -- one is performing. However, an answer like "whatever the market will bear" isn't going to help me much.

So -- with all this in mind, what do you typically charge for a kid's show?

David, it might be a good idea to have a
'friend' check out the local entertainers, about what they offer and their rates for an upcoming function they are planning. This will give you an idea of the range in your area for similar entertainment which you certainly do not want to undercut.

To answer your pricing question, in our area of South Western Ontario Canada, we start with a very basic BIRTHDAY PARTY show starting at $100. and offer options like balloons, etc. to upsell. We also increase the base price accordingly to accomodate travel outside of the city limits. Our commercial rates are double the above, and we tell clients that so they have a comparison gauge.

I know there are others that make a full time living at this wonderful occupation as I do, (quite likely making a lot more than our local market will bear) and for one, would not appreciate someone new coming in and upsetting an established pricing structure that has taken years to set up. People expect to pay more for quality entertainment and we provide the service to accommodate them don't we?

Hope this is of help in opening up some pricing techniques used by our peers.

Hi,
I would also recommend finding out what a few of the competitors charge, then honestly evaluate your show, are you better, worse than each of these performers and price accordingly. Once you are used to the market you can adjust your price for max money/effort.
I think it is essential that you have at least 10-20% of clients that think you are too expensive or you are probably undercharging. Once you are established and most of your work is coming from referals you can then afford to push your prices above the rest of the market bit by bit
phillip

This rule of thumb seems to work:
If you get a booking for every inquiry, you are charging too little.
If you get no bookings, despite inquiries, then you are charging too much.
If you book a show about half the time, you are charging about right.
As you say, David, it will depend on what you do, how long you do it, and where you do it.
Bottom line: Only you can decided on what you consider a fair price.
cheers,
Peter Marucci
showtimecol@aol.com

Check out my most recent Pro-Files column at http://www.online-visions.com

Thanks Scott -- great article!

http://www.performers.net/library/sr-fee.html

Steven Ragatz wrote a great article about this for performers.net, check out the link above.
Jason

Great link