What's In A Price?

What's In A Price? You receive a price quote from an entertainer for your upcoming event. For the sake of this example, we will call it a wedding. Your reception is five hours long, and is scheduled from 6PM until 11PM. The quote of "$X" may seem to reflect just the five hours of the reception, but in reality there are several other things that are or are not factored into the quote depending on the entertainer's business situation and policies.

1. Time and labor charges for set up and break down of equipment - The amount of time may increase or decrease according to the amount of equipment that the entertainer has to deal with and whether they have anyone helping them.


2. Arrival time at the venue prior to the start of your wedding - Professional entertainers will arrive anywhere from one to two hours (this may increase depending on the amount of equipment) prior to the start time of your event to ensure that they are able to set-up the equipment, perform a sound check, and speak with your other vendors.


3. Travel time to and from the event venue.


4. Consultation time spent speaking with you over the weeks leading up to your wedding.


5. Preparation time spent selecting, arranging and reviewing the music for your wedding.


6. Cost associated with the purchase or rental of any music or equipment needed for your wedding that was not previously owned by the entertainment company - The cost for rented equipment is usually incorporated into the quote for your single event. The cost for purchased items is usually factored in over the quotes of several events with each event paying a small portion.


7. The cost of all overhead expenses including; office space, equipment and its' upkeep, education, training, insurance, advertising, etc are also all fractionally factored into each quote.

The five hour reception very quickly equates to 10 to 12 hrs of time alone spent on your event. This doesn't include the items from numbers 6 and 7 above that may be factored in. Suddenly the price quote of "$X" is brought into its true light of what's in a price.

Please be sure to check out our next post entitled "Why Price Should Not Be a Determining Factor". As always please post your thoughts on this subject and make sure to visit us on the web at http://musictoyourearsme.com/ .