So… how does this all work?
The event entertainment business is a unique industry. For most outside the biz, it’s highly confusing – and that’s why agencies like About Faces Entertainment exist! With decades of experience and a complete understanding of how event bookings work, we smooth out the confusion and try to take some of the headaches out of the process for our clients. Still, we’re often asked about the reasoning and purpose behind some of our policies and the way that we do business. This handy guide should help clear up some of the points which might strike you as confusing or unexpected.
Why is it so expensive?
Pricing for on-site entertainment can seem quite high at first glance. If you’re thinking about how much most people get paid per hour to work, it’s astronomical! However, your entertainer isn’t being paid just to punch a clock. They’re also being paid for:
- Spending years or sometimes decades honing the skills you wish to have at your event,
- Gaining experience at previous events where they worked for free or discounted rates to master their skills,
- Working with clients and/or agencies to customize bookings,
- Putting together and purchasing the materials they need to provide great services,
- Preparing for your event – including costuming, makeup, travel time, and set-up on-site, this can take hours!
Trust me, these are costs that you want to cover for live event entertainment. While our performers make it look effortless, it’s actually really hard to be an engaging and polished artist/performer. You may be able to get your Uncle dressed as Sam and up on stilts for the Fourth of July for $20, but you want more than just a body in the right clothes. You need talented, experienced performers to truly curate a remarkable event. Book the professionals, and you’ll have a celebration fondly remembered for many years.
Why can’t I cancel and get a refund?
When clients want to cancel and receive a refund, although they do not realize it, they are asking for our hardworking talent to give up their paycheck. While some part-time artists can accept these terms, our talented entertainers are mostly full-time and event work is how they pay their bills and feed their families.
Top quality entertainers field far more requests than they can accommodate and are selective about which agencies and events they will work with. Generally speaking, they are not interested in events that may cancel at the last minute and leave them without their wages. There is so much demand for their time and talent, they will simply work with other agencies who are willing to offer them agreeable terms. About Faces is committed to working with the very best in the industry and treating their profession with respect, and as a result, we do not provide guaranteed refunds for cancellations, as do most reputable agencies.
Of course, exceptions are made in the case of emergencies, disasters, pandemics, or threats to life/property. We do our very best to work with each developing cancellation to try to create a good outcome for all parties, and will try to reschedule and/or rebook the talent and bill for the lowest possible amount. But if you call us five minutes before your event starts and want to cancel it, we will be paying the artist who drove an hour to be there and work for you.
So, if you want the ability to cancel without penalty at any moment before your event, we are not the agency for you. If you are looking for amazing, high-caliber performers that will make your event unforgettable, and an agency that values and esteems those arts, give us a call!
But…what if they don’t show up? I still have to pay?
No-showing is a very common issue among independent performers who overschedule themselves or do not use contracts with their clients. Our agency uses a set of policies and procedures to strongly incentivize our artists to never back out of our events. Artists who fail to appear for their bookings do not receive further requests from us, and we make note of it with our other industry connections.
In the rare instance that your performer has an emergency, suffers an accident, or falls ill and cannot be present, we do our best to replace them at cost. If all else fails and About Faces does not provide the entertainment that you have booked and paid for, you are entitled to a refund for the services that were not provided to you.
Why can’t I reschedule? I’m not cancelling, I’m just changing the date!
The artists that you have booked for one specific date have been holding that date open for your event. If someone else asks them to book it, they will say “No, I’m sorry, I have an event already scheduled.” This is true of every weekend date between April-October once you are within a month or so. So, while you did book them for June 1, someone else has them booked for June 7, and every other date between now and Halloween. We can’t cancel another clients’ event to accommodate your rain date, no more than we would cancel your event to accommodate someone else’s.
Why can’t I call the artist directly?
Artists choose to work with agencies to focus on the entertainment aspect of their careers, and leave the booking and coordinating to us. Unlike travelling, performing entertainers, our staff have plenty of time to work through events with clients, discuss details, brainstorm ideas, etc. The coordinating process can take up several days, weeks, or even months for certain high-sensitivity events! Once the details have been settled, and the event is booked, we send the artist an “Event Sheet” which has every possible piece of information about your event, simplified and distilled into bullet points that allow them to get up to speed quickly. They may have four events scheduled with us in a single day, and they rely on having easily referenced at-a-glance guides for their bookings. Introducing additional channels for information – phone calls, text chains, Zoom meetings – makes it far more likely that info will slip through the cracks.
Additionally, connecting artists and clients defeats the point of using an agency – the artist chose to work with us to keep the admin stuff to a minimum, and you chose to call us because of our prompt service and dedicated staff. Artists do not keep office hours and reply on their own time. When clients and entertainers start talking outside of the agency, we are no longer able to effectively coordinate for you.
Here are some other questions we are frequently asked:
Q: Your address is in Maryland. Do you service my area? Are the entertainers coming from Maryland if I live in another state/location?
A: Yes, we service your area! About Faces is based in Maryland but we book entertainers nationwide. That means we reach out to our entertainers who are local to you for their availability.
Q: I don’t see any entertainment featured in my area. Can I still book entertainment through your company?
A: You definitely can! If you submit a request, we will look into artist availability. Not all of the artists we book are featured on our website.
Q: What are your payment options?
A: We accept Visa, MasterCard, check, and money order. All payment must be sent to About Faces and NOT to the artist directly.
Q: Can I pay the entertainer on the day of the event? Do they accept cash?
A: (see payment options answer)
Q: Are there any other fees I should be aware of? Do you include tax?
A: Because we are providing a service, there is no tax. Occasionally artists and entertainers may request a travel fee but we’ll definitely inform you of this prior to sending the contract. If you wish to add pre-printed paper for caricature artists there will be an additional fee.
Q: What if my event goes longer than usual? Will my entertainer stay longer? Also, how do I pay for that? Do I give the payment to the entertainer?
A: You can request the entertainer stay longer but we ask that you sign an overtime approval form, which the artist will provide. About Faces will invoice you for the new balance. Just like paying for your event, we accept Visa, MasterCard, checks or money orders. Payment must be submitted to About Faces and not the artist directly.
Q: I work for a non-profit and I’m looking for volunteer or donations? Do you offer this?
A: Unfortunately, we are unable to provide entertainment on a donation basis, or in exchange for exposure. The artists and entertainers that list with us request an hourly rate and we must honor that when booking them.
Q: What is the customary tip for entertainers?
A: How much to tip entertainers, or whether to tip at all, is completely up to your discretion. It is not required, or even expected, but always appreciated.
