Event management

[erin]

I have an offer to pick up a major event, but i've only done theatre so far.  

Any words of wisdom from those who have branched out?    

For a one-day event with two weeks of prep, what is a reasonable asking salary?  (Event includes auction, a couple of bands, dinner, cocktail reception, ballroom dancing, A/V, balloon scultures, confetti cannon....you get the idea).   I honestly have no idea what to ask, and rated hourly/daily/weekly....This is all new to my world.

[VSM]

My rate for events such as these is $500 a day. Weekly rates are $2500 but it all depends on budget, location and actual job description. From what you mentioned, I would start from there.

[centaura]

This might be a bit late, but I didn't see this thread before it was moved to here.  When I worked for an event company, we would hire event managers out at around $25/hr depending on the size of the event.  They were involved in the prep of the event, but under their salary at our company.

-Centaura

[ESM_John]

Sometimes events can be fun..especially when you get tired of concerts, and other high-schoolish events when a show is over..Thats from a H.S. point of view, but im sure it fits elsewhere.

Concerts & Specialty shows usually pay nicely.

[loebtmc]

I used to do events and conventions all the time - figure out how much of this is actually your problem - are you PSMing the entire event or only responsible for the part that takes place on the stage (the entertainment and announcements and so forth) - if so, is it multimedia or straightforward, how much transition between acts. Start that at $500/day for a relatively straight-forward event and add increments for complications. If you are acting as event planner and dealing with everything, that's a whole other ball of wax - those get a flat fee for the event and you shd call some event planners to get a feel for what they make, often several thousand dollars for the day. That includes hiring staff and coordinating all the pieces.

[erin]

Well, i asked for what i was used to getting ($850 a week, for two weeks of work).  That turns out to be a bit low considering the complexity of the event, but it was fun and i didn't have to stay for strike   As soon as all the projections and slides and IMAG and auction and awards and video and confetti canons were done, the band played on and i went home.  And didn't have to file for unemployment those two weeks between shows!

[DeeCap]

Where does one find these event management gigs? ($850 a week sounds good to me right now)

[ljh007]

I've gotten most of my events from the producing company directly. Look into local event production companies - you might find them under party planning, events, talent, or even by researching the society pages of the local paper. There are usually a few of these companies in any mid-sized city. I send them my resume with the standard follow-up. They might also hire non-union stagehands (read: brute labor) for their events, and they usually pay fairly well. You could also go to a local event venue (museums, the convention center, etc) and ask around to see who the event companies are that produce there. Or just contact major event-throwers directly (big hospitals, political parties, the local opera/symphony) and tell them that you are available for hire. For event work, I usually have had to go straight to the source - it's a bit of pavement-pounding, but it can pay off. A final thought - municipal gigs (city-produced concerts, events, etc.) are awesome - they usually pay extremely well and have ample staff and planning behind them.