Do you differentiate.

[Babybob]

Do you charge differently for a 5 hour Saturday night gig eg 7-12 as opposed to the same time frame for a wedding.
What I mean is, say a potential customer rings you to cover a Sat night at a Social club type venue and you turn up to find it's a wedding night, would your price have been any different.
I would imagine that most would ask what sort of event it is but let's say the customer tells a few white lies because they believe they may get it cheaper.

[DeckstarDeluxe]

I do charge more for weddings but not a great deal more. Weddings are quite stressful to do and require more groundwork, meeting with the couple to be and 99% of the time wearing a suit. I know some people disargee with this however.

[Danno13]

Nope. If someone wants to hire me for a kids party on a Saturday in July, they get the same quote as a Wedding enquiry would. Out of season I'm a bit more flexible though.

Just booked a 65th on one of the Saturdays in July at full price :)

[Shakermaker Promotions]

Same here. If someone enquires about a birthday on a saturday night from 7.30pm - Midnight then they will get the same quotation as a wedding for the same times. The wedding may end up being more profitable as I have found that just lately they are going for the extra services.

I've had a couple of enquiries before where someone has asked if I could play from 6.00pm - 9.00pm. I have slightly discounted it but to me it's a saturday night and although the duration is shorter, if I commit to it then it means I can't go on anywhere else and have to turn down something else.

[Dynamic Entertainment]

Same here. I have no more work with a wedding as i still 9atleast offer) to meat the organiser before hand. Afterall, a 40th birthday is just as, if not moreso with some people, important with some people. I have known operators who double their price for a wedding as they see it as easy money. I have also heard of people changing their price according to venue, i.e. an expensive venue means that they can afford it, so their price goes sky high!

Thats the same stand i take Gary with childrens parties/christenings. If it goes past 5pm then its severly limiting my availability for the same evening.

[Excalibur]

Do you charge differently for a 5 hour Saturday night gig eg 7-12 as opposed to the same time frame for a wedding.
What I mean is, say a potential customer rings you to cover a Sat night at a Social club type venue and you turn up to find it's a wedding night, would your price have been any different.
I would imagine that most would ask what sort of event it is but let's say the customer tells a few white lies because they believe they may get it cheaper.

7-12 is 7-12, whatever the gig. Extras at weddings may often involve an early setup, which costs. That's one important difference, thus it's no longer simply 7-12.

[Shakermaker Promotions]

One of the other reasons I charge the same is that every enquiry gets the same attention. I go and see every enquiry I can whenever possible so the 'work that goes into it' element is still there.
Duration is duration no matter what the occasion. Yes, weddings are important obviously but I think that all functions are important and should be treated the same, hence the same price structure.

[Dynamic Entertainment]

Exactly, the last thing you want aswell is getting a repeat booking from the B&G (say for their birthday) and quoting less. It makes them feel like you ripped them off for their wedding, imo.

[Shakermaker Promotions]

Not sure about that to be honest. I think the publics perception is that wedding discos are generally going to be more expensive?
Just my opinion.

[Dynamic Entertainment]

Public perception is based on the general publics experience though isnt it :D On a small scale, if someone rings up 5 discos round here and just happens to ring 3 who whack the price up, they they will be under the impression that a wedding disco costs more, but if they ring round and happen to get 3 who dont charge through the roof, they they will think that the 2 who do put their prices up are overly expensive... (Do you get what im trying to say, not sure if i even understand it myself...)

[Shakermaker Promotions]

Yes, I understand your theory. However, if the same people contact 5 Discos enquiring about Discos for Birthdays and get a price and then phone again saying that the Disco is for a wedding....well, you know what I mean?

[DeckstarDeluxe]

Public perception is based on the general publics experience though isnt it :D On a small scale, if someone rings up 5 discos round here and just happens to ring 3 who whack the price up, they they will be under the impression that a wedding disco costs more, but if they ring round and happen to get 3 who dont charge through the roof, they they will think that the 2 who do put their prices up are overly expensive... (Do you get what im trying to say, not sure if i even understand it myself...)

Yes but depends what the customer is looking for. If they want a professional top quality service for the best day in their life then they'll enquire about what they get for their money. On the other hand some people want to keep costs down.

In my defence and being one of the few people that do charge differently my booking start from £150 for a saturday night and the most i have quoted for was £300 for a wedding because of the distance to travel (1.5 hrs)

[Dynamic Entertainment]

Aye. It comes down to professional standards again doesnt it. If everyone offered the same level of service, clent meetings and the like for all events, then it wouldnt particularty matter if they phone back and say its a wedding.

Incedentally, if had a few birthday parties recently that have wanted uplighting as they seen it at weddings i done and liked it. Ive also had a query as to whether i do projectors as they wanted to embarrass the birthday boy :) (i dont, but will be) :D

Neli - I get what your saying and it comes back to the old argument, you get what you pay for, the £60 sid etc etc) I dont have one flat fee, as you know, i have packages which can be tailored. Most social club knees ups go for the bronze, whilsts weddings often go for the gold option. I also have a map with concentric circles with my areas on, and my price adjusts as per the area (to accomodate mileage and travel time). Its all transparent and open. I dont want to quote one price for one person, then get her friend on the phone for a seperate event and not be able to explain why the price is different (if it is).

[rob1963]

One of the other reasons I charge the same is that every enquiry gets the same attention.

Exactly the same here.

I charge the same for a disco of up to 5 hours, regardless of the type of function.

All my clients receive the same high quality service, which is why they all pay the same rate.

[Shakermaker Promotions]

If you do go down the projection root try Misco.co.uk.
I just purchased another projector as backup last week and it's actually better than the one I have been using! The one I was using was given to me and was probably top of the range when it was new.

It was this one - http://www.misco.co.uk/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=317161&Sku=Q137794

[Dynamic Entertainment]

Cheers Gary, can i ask what screen you use. Do you have a nice one with a surround, or is it one of the ones you would see in a school. The hold back for me is i dont really want one of these as they are quite unstable.

[Shakermaker Promotions]

I can't remember where I got mine from but it's a bit like the one above but with no black border. It's huge too and was about £55.00.

[Dynamic Entertainment]

Sorry to go off topic, do you have the proijector infront or behind. And how much space does it need roughly?

[Excalibur]

Exactly the same here.

I charge the same for a disco of up to 5 hours, regardless of the type of function.

All my clients receive the same high quality service, which is why they all pay the same rate.

Unless they have the super de luxe package, with two extra lights. :p :D :D

[Shakermaker Promotions]

The screen isn't rear projection. Most of the time I like to have the screen near me so the projector isn't that far away but more often than not, the screen and projector are set up in another part of the room to avoid people getting in the way and also damage. I think what I may do in the end is get a rear projection screen aswell.

[ppentertainments]

The screen isn't rear projection. Most of the time I like to have the screen near me so the projector isn't that far away but more often than not, the screen and projector are set up in another part of the room to avoid people getting in the way and also damage. I think what I may do in the end is get a rear projection screen aswell.

Thats what I was thinking of until I worked out the cost. We have an Argos clearance shop nearby selling 42" Tv's for only £399 which is what am now considering instead.

[rob1963]

All my clients receive the same high quality service, which is why they all pay the same rate.


Unless they have the super de luxe package, with two extra lights. :p :D :D

Indeed...and thanks to the way I've designed my packages & the brilliant marketing on my website, I'm glad to say that 85% of them DO!

:D :D :D :D :D

[Dynamic Entertainment]

TVs a good option, and it can be used for wedding fayres etc to run a powerpoint off. Aslong as its got the right ports/inputs.

[Excalibur]

Indeed...and thanks to the way I've designed my packages & the brilliant marketing on my website, I'm glad to say that 85% of them DO!

:D :D :D :D :D

:bowdown: