Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Miranda on May 16, 2011 at 12:25pm

Your a "beginner fire spinner" so charging less would be fine for a while; you get what you pay for.   Fire is dangerous and very impressive so 150 is not too much! I think moms throwing birthday parties can afford 150. They can save up to rent bounce pins, ponies, clowns ect... You can charge anything you want and they can either afford it or they can't.  Too many times performers are underpaid (or not paid "we can offer exposure") simply because they are doing what they love so they'd do it weather they're paid or not! I feel performers should be paid a living wage for professional "work".  that wage should include travel time, supply and demand, costuming, equipment, etc... for example my dad plays bagpipes; he gets 100 to 200 for playing 2-4 songs at a wedding!

Permalink Reply by Aurora of Elemental Hoops on May 16, 2011 at 12:29pm

thats what i was thinking, "you get what you pay for". I just assume I should charge less due to being a beginner however it doesn't mean i'm not good at fire hoop. I think I do pretty damn good considering the amount of time I have been hooping and or been fire hooping. i guess we'll seeeee. thank you for responding :)

Permalink Reply by Aurora of Elemental Hoops on May 16, 2011 at 12:32pm

also what you charge starting 150 for non fire? and is that for an hour?

Permalink Reply by Miranda on May 16, 2011 at 12:46pm

If it's just me, it takes 100 to get me there.  I'll do almost anything they want with normal hula hoops for a few hours (with regular breaks) including bringing hoops to share.  I'll bring fire for about 200.  I never spin fire without my own fire safety person and I want to pay him/her at least 20$.  I don't have insurance or other creditably other then experience. There are some events I just can't do because of that.   If I'm working with a troop it's entirely different.

Permalink Reply by Angelica on May 16, 2011 at 6:19pm

What ARE the differences in working with a troupe?  I'm trying to start one with some friends in the area, and we got offered a gig at our town's festival right before the fireworks but they want us to have an event policy as well....   I have contacted the insurance broker but they haven't gotten back to me yet on the pricing for the single day--- but the lady did say it could be up to as much as 175.   Our city doesn't want to pay for the performance,  (tehcnically as a group its our first) .. which kind of sucks but would only be like 30 bucks a person to get some exposure and also get some material to video....  hmmmmm

 

 

Permalink Reply by Martika* of MartikasMysticDesign on May 16, 2011 at 7:23pm

check out http://nafaa.org/fire_ins.html, it has a list of insurance companies world wide. I'd read very closely on who/ how many can be insured. The company i'm with doesn't do troupe insurance but you can get a discount if you all buy in at once. I do know that Clowns of the U.S will cover a event for up to a week, and it's at lest $125 not sure how much. But I don't know how many people are covered so thats something to check into.

 

If you all throw in $20-40 a person you could have enough for troupe insurance, depending on the company, you can buy insurance for a event (1 week), 6 months or one year.I wouldn't spin fire without insurance it's important for so many different reasons, in my area you can't perform without it.

Permalink Reply by Angelica on May 18, 2011 at 4:00pm

Yeah I agree it is very important to have insurance.   We are going to have to cancel on the city if we can't find any decent priced!  

 

I just got a quote back today for 1800 a year for our troupe!!! lol

 

I looked at your link, but it is all U.S> and Aus. and NZ based?  I'm pretty sure they can't offer insurance to canadians... if the underwriters they are dealing with are in the US.

 

I didn't think this would prove to be so difficult!!

 

Thanks for the link and the info! <3

Permalink Reply by Angelica on May 19, 2011 at 4:03pm

Turns out here in B.C. (canada) the cheapest I can get for this particular event is 125 $ CAN for the single event.... for 6 members.   Apparently the price is, "more be based on revenues and number of events, rather than if there were 6 or 24 performers."

 

I guess they take everything into consideration... size of the crowd, etc. 

 

As far as for other canadians who need long term insurance, it still looks as though http://www.specialtyinsuranceagency.com/  is the best way to go if you can manage to get a u.s. postal address, or know someone with one...   At 200 US, for one year, it is worth it.

 

I am so over e-mailing and calling insurance agencies now! lol

 

 

Permalink Reply by Mackenzie Lucas on May 18, 2011 at 1:11pm

Does the fire safety person need to be certified? or is he just a guys with an extinguisher?

 

Permalink Reply by Miranda on May 18, 2011 at 11:07pm

(disclaimer: I'm not exactly "legal") but, my personal fire safety person does not need "certified" but I need to know/trust they are sober, sane and can remember all I tell them when it's needed. It takes me a good 15-20 min to "train" a fire safety person. I'm sure there's another forum for details of this topic: fire safety.  They do have an extinguisher handy but it's ONLY used in an emergency.  They usually only need a damp towel. The damp towel, used properly can handle all small/normal situations... 

Please learn safety protocol and follow it 100%!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Permalink Reply by Cara Zara on June 6, 2011 at 4:07am

I would research what clowns, jugglers, magicians and other party entertainers charge for a 1 hour party. Then make that your base rate for a REGULAR performance (no fire). Try to make your package similar. If they are offering face-painting, costume, party gifts, games, etc. make your package the same but based around the hoop. You can always tweak your prices down to fit someone's budget - but it's harder to sell up. Under cutting other party performers in your area will make you look unprofessional.

 

For fire performance - double your regular party rate and always have a safety. 

 

Please get insurance! At www.specialtyinsuranceagency.com  it's $215 annually. Having insurance is a selling feature and helps you to justify your rates. I would also get certified with the Red Cross in CPR.

 

When someone calls about a party. Ask a ton of questions before you give out a rate! How old is the child? How many kids are invited? Location (how far do you have to travel)? Location (gym, backyard, clubhouse)? How long do they want an entertainer? What have they done in the past for parties?  Have they ever hired an entertainer for a party? Do they want a costumed entertainer? Fire? No Fire? and so on... Then you will have a better idea of what to charge. Huge party with tons of kids at a country club will pay more than a backyard budget party with 8 kids.

 

Hope this helps. Check out my website and hit the parties link for more info on what I do. Notice that I do NOT list prices on my website. www.carazara.com - I've been doing birthday parties for over a year and I'm booked almost every weekend. Good Luck!!

 

And one more time... PLEASE get insurance to protect yourself and others!

 

Hope this helps!!