LASER SHOW PRICING
Professional laser shows are priced quite differently than many other forms of entertainment. This is due to the many options customers have with laser shows, all of which impact our overhead costs. Imagine asking a real estate agent, "So how much is a house?" or a wedding planner, "How much is a wedding?" Without any other information about what you need or want, or what is within your budget, it would be impossible to give you an answer. There are just too many unknown variables. The same holds true for laser shows.
Before we begin, keep in mind that many laser beams emit from one laser machine. When we say "one laser," we mean one laser machine, not just one laser beam!
If you might have interest, the first step is to arrange a phone call with you. We will NEVER pressure you to choose a laser show. The purpose of the phone call is to get important information to help us determine a fair and accurate quote. In many cases, we will want to visit your venue in person. Some of the variables that impact our overhead costs are:
1) What kind of production do you need to accomplish your goals for the event?
What are you trying to accomplish? This will almost always be the first question we ask you. It gives us an idea as to what your goals are and why the event is being held. This helps us put together proposals that fit what you need. For example, if you say "We want to honor fallen veterans on Memorial Day," we will put together a very different production than if you say, "We want to invite our entire town to celebrate our school's football championship."
2) Your Budget
Since all of our events are customized, we may ask you early on for an approximate budget. Keep in mind laser shows are an alternative to professional fireworks and should be budgeted for accordingly. We are not a replacement for a local DJ or a local band.
With that said, we love what we do and will try to make something work for you based on your budget. Knowing your budget helps us determine what is possible. For example, your event might look great with 4 lasers, but if your budget allows for 8 lasers, it would be spectacular! There may be other upgrades we can suggest to take your event to an entirely new level. So we do not want to short you by only giving you the most economical package, but we also do not want to "scare you off" with packages that are not practical or affordable to you.
3) Will this be a beam show, a graphics/animation show, or a combination of both?
There are two very different types of laser shows. A beam show focuses on an array of visible lights in the sky projecting over your audience. These shows often combine high energy, mystical, and beautiful themes, depending on the music selection. Graphics/animation shows are lasers images and words projecting onto a flat surface, such as a large screen, wide water fountain, or building.
4) Distance from EOP:
Your distance from central and eastern North Carolina, where we keep the majority of our equipment, will impact our overhead in the terms of travel and how many days need to be booked.
5) Day of Week
Entertainment is mostly booked on weekends and major holidays. If you are able to book on a Sunday evening or during the week, it will usually lower your rate.
6) Your venue:
This is a very significant factor in our overhead. We are sometimes asked by potential clients, "Why don't you just have a one-size fits all package with a set price?" With laser shows, this is impossible if they are being done correctly because every venue is different.
How would you feel if you asked a landscaper for a quote to do some work on your lawn, and without ever asking any questions or even looking at your lawn, the landscaper responded, "$5,000." You would wonder how that number was calculated....and you'd be right! How can the landscaper know what is needed without ever looking at your lawn or asking what you want? Depending on your needs, $5,000 could be way too much....or way too little!
When we do a site visit, this is what we are looking at:
* How big is your venue? How long and wide of a projection zone will be needed for everyone to have a great view?
(Remember laser beam shows MUST project OVER your audience. They will not look good from behind or the sides.)
* Is it outdoors or indoors?
* Will you need sound, and if so, how much?
* Where will the crowd be? How far are they from the lasers?
* How much cable do we need and where can we safely run cable?
* Where is the power, and how much is there? Will generators be necessary?
* Where can we safely place and power fog/haze machines?
* Where can we safely project the lasers so as not to hit people at the event or in the distance?
* Will we need to get FAA approval prior to your event?
Learning your venue helps us determine how many lasers are necessary, and what wattage they need to be for your show to look great. The higher the wattage in a laser, the brighter it is. For example, four 5 watt lasers in a middle school gym with one haze machine will look spectacular. Yet, those same 5 watt lasers placed outside in a large stadium will be quite unspectacular!
7) How long of a show is needed? Do you prefer entire songs, a mix, or a combination?
Great laser shows are designed by talented programmers who synchronize the lasers with the selected music. The number of lasers and the length of your show will impact the time to program. Remember, each laser must be programmed to do something for every second of the show. This programming is done weeks in advance before your show ever happens!
Some clients wish to customize their own songs. If desired, our professional DJ can mix your selected songs together ahead of time. Longer laser shows often have a combination of entire songs and mixes.
Some money can be saved if you choose from songs we have already programmed.
8) Is your event one night or multiple nights?
It is VERY important to know that nightly rates decrease significantly the more nights a show is run. Do not make the mistake of taking a 1 day quote, multiplying by 3, and thinking that will be the 3 day price. The most unique aspect of laser shows is that unlike fireworks or a band, lasers are a fixed asset investment for us. This is significant when it comes to laser show overhead.
Fireworks are an expendable product, meaning they are used one time. If you want a second fireworks show on the same night or the next night, you will need to pay for twice the fireworks. Bands perform live. If you want a second live band performance on the next night, you will be likely be charged for twice the time.
Lasers, on the other hand, are designed to perform for many years. When a laser is contracted, that laser machine is designated for that specific event, typically for a period of one week. Why one week? By the time the unit travels to the show, performs, and returns, it will be at least 3-4 days. That laser cannot perform anywhere else during that time -- and most clients want Friday and/or Saturday night performances. This means lasers are typically contracted by the week, not by the day.
If you are looking to get "the most bang for your buck," or even make a profit yourself, multiple nights are the way to go with laser shows. Because the equipment is rented by the week, the overhead for subsequent nights after Opening Night drops significantly......meaning your nightly rate is greatly reduced. This allows you to fill your venue multiple times, instead of just once.
(ex: One of our clients contracted $18,000 for a one night event. Another client contracted 12 nights for $76,000, or $6,333 per night, over a $11,000 per night difference!)
And that's not ALL! The programming labor is the same whether the show runs one time or 50 times! Want to have 3 or 4 showings of the laser show in one night? You can......with VERY LITTLE impact on price!
This arrangement allowed the 12 night client to make a significant profit because their venue was filled over 40 different times in two weeks!
We feel it is important to share all pros and cons ahead of time. This does mean that one night shows will have a more expensive nightly rate. A fair analogy is a weekly beach house rental. If you rent a home and stay there just one night, it was a very expensive night! If you stay the entire week, the nightly rate is usually quite reasonable.
With that said, we have created a solution for clients who want a one night event.......
9) Multiple day packages can be split with nearby clients
Emerald Owl Productions does something most companies do not in an effort to make one night shows more affordable. We can create a 3 or 4 day package......and just like that beach house rental, with some coordination, it can be shared! If you know of another client nearby who would be interested in a laser show, you can "partner" with them to share the cost of the package. Perhaps you each get 2 nights by splitting a 4 day package....or perhaps 3 clients each pay 1/3 for one night. The only stipulations are that the clients must all be within reasonable driving distance (less than 90 minutes apart) and the shows have similar equipment needs. This arrangement can save thousands of dollars for each client, making a one night event quite affordable.
However, you may lose flexibility with your date. We need to be able to execute all of the events in the package on one trip. A risk of this model is if one partner drops out, the rates for the other partners increase. Back to the beach house analogy one last time.....you decide to rent a beach home with 3 other families. If 1 family backs out, the price of the home does not change, but instead of dividing by 4, you are now dividing by 3. If the price increase causes another family to drop, now the split is down to just two... and it may become too expensive for everyone.
10) Shared Revenue
In some cases, we will consider being your partner on an event.....we can work on a lower fixed rate and then agree upon a split of the revenue we generate together. We cannot always guarantee this option, but please ask us! If we can make something a win-win, we are ALL IN!!!
11) We Want to Make It Happen!
There are many moving parts to a laser show....but the good news is all this information only needs to be figured out one time....the first time! Once we get this information, we will not need to address it each year.
We LOVE what we do and we love sharing laser shows with new clients. We will do everything we can to make it happen. If cost is the only obstacle, call us. We may be able to create some creative solutions to create that win-win scenario!
Before we begin, keep in mind that many laser beams emit from one laser machine. When we say "one laser," we mean one laser machine, not just one laser beam!
If you might have interest, the first step is to arrange a phone call with you. We will NEVER pressure you to choose a laser show. The purpose of the phone call is to get important information to help us determine a fair and accurate quote. In many cases, we will want to visit your venue in person. Some of the variables that impact our overhead costs are:
1) What kind of production do you need to accomplish your goals for the event?
What are you trying to accomplish? This will almost always be the first question we ask you. It gives us an idea as to what your goals are and why the event is being held. This helps us put together proposals that fit what you need. For example, if you say "We want to honor fallen veterans on Memorial Day," we will put together a very different production than if you say, "We want to invite our entire town to celebrate our school's football championship."
2) Your Budget
Since all of our events are customized, we may ask you early on for an approximate budget. Keep in mind laser shows are an alternative to professional fireworks and should be budgeted for accordingly. We are not a replacement for a local DJ or a local band.
With that said, we love what we do and will try to make something work for you based on your budget. Knowing your budget helps us determine what is possible. For example, your event might look great with 4 lasers, but if your budget allows for 8 lasers, it would be spectacular! There may be other upgrades we can suggest to take your event to an entirely new level. So we do not want to short you by only giving you the most economical package, but we also do not want to "scare you off" with packages that are not practical or affordable to you.
3) Will this be a beam show, a graphics/animation show, or a combination of both?
There are two very different types of laser shows. A beam show focuses on an array of visible lights in the sky projecting over your audience. These shows often combine high energy, mystical, and beautiful themes, depending on the music selection. Graphics/animation shows are lasers images and words projecting onto a flat surface, such as a large screen, wide water fountain, or building.
4) Distance from EOP:
Your distance from central and eastern North Carolina, where we keep the majority of our equipment, will impact our overhead in the terms of travel and how many days need to be booked.
5) Day of Week
Entertainment is mostly booked on weekends and major holidays. If you are able to book on a Sunday evening or during the week, it will usually lower your rate.
6) Your venue:
This is a very significant factor in our overhead. We are sometimes asked by potential clients, "Why don't you just have a one-size fits all package with a set price?" With laser shows, this is impossible if they are being done correctly because every venue is different.
How would you feel if you asked a landscaper for a quote to do some work on your lawn, and without ever asking any questions or even looking at your lawn, the landscaper responded, "$5,000." You would wonder how that number was calculated....and you'd be right! How can the landscaper know what is needed without ever looking at your lawn or asking what you want? Depending on your needs, $5,000 could be way too much....or way too little!
When we do a site visit, this is what we are looking at:
* How big is your venue? How long and wide of a projection zone will be needed for everyone to have a great view?
(Remember laser beam shows MUST project OVER your audience. They will not look good from behind or the sides.)
* Is it outdoors or indoors?
* Will you need sound, and if so, how much?
* Where will the crowd be? How far are they from the lasers?
* How much cable do we need and where can we safely run cable?
* Where is the power, and how much is there? Will generators be necessary?
* Where can we safely place and power fog/haze machines?
* Where can we safely project the lasers so as not to hit people at the event or in the distance?
* Will we need to get FAA approval prior to your event?
Learning your venue helps us determine how many lasers are necessary, and what wattage they need to be for your show to look great. The higher the wattage in a laser, the brighter it is. For example, four 5 watt lasers in a middle school gym with one haze machine will look spectacular. Yet, those same 5 watt lasers placed outside in a large stadium will be quite unspectacular!
7) How long of a show is needed? Do you prefer entire songs, a mix, or a combination?
Great laser shows are designed by talented programmers who synchronize the lasers with the selected music. The number of lasers and the length of your show will impact the time to program. Remember, each laser must be programmed to do something for every second of the show. This programming is done weeks in advance before your show ever happens!
Some clients wish to customize their own songs. If desired, our professional DJ can mix your selected songs together ahead of time. Longer laser shows often have a combination of entire songs and mixes.
Some money can be saved if you choose from songs we have already programmed.
8) Is your event one night or multiple nights?
It is VERY important to know that nightly rates decrease significantly the more nights a show is run. Do not make the mistake of taking a 1 day quote, multiplying by 3, and thinking that will be the 3 day price. The most unique aspect of laser shows is that unlike fireworks or a band, lasers are a fixed asset investment for us. This is significant when it comes to laser show overhead.
Fireworks are an expendable product, meaning they are used one time. If you want a second fireworks show on the same night or the next night, you will need to pay for twice the fireworks. Bands perform live. If you want a second live band performance on the next night, you will be likely be charged for twice the time.
Lasers, on the other hand, are designed to perform for many years. When a laser is contracted, that laser machine is designated for that specific event, typically for a period of one week. Why one week? By the time the unit travels to the show, performs, and returns, it will be at least 3-4 days. That laser cannot perform anywhere else during that time -- and most clients want Friday and/or Saturday night performances. This means lasers are typically contracted by the week, not by the day.
If you are looking to get "the most bang for your buck," or even make a profit yourself, multiple nights are the way to go with laser shows. Because the equipment is rented by the week, the overhead for subsequent nights after Opening Night drops significantly......meaning your nightly rate is greatly reduced. This allows you to fill your venue multiple times, instead of just once.
(ex: One of our clients contracted $18,000 for a one night event. Another client contracted 12 nights for $76,000, or $6,333 per night, over a $11,000 per night difference!)
And that's not ALL! The programming labor is the same whether the show runs one time or 50 times! Want to have 3 or 4 showings of the laser show in one night? You can......with VERY LITTLE impact on price!
This arrangement allowed the 12 night client to make a significant profit because their venue was filled over 40 different times in two weeks!
We feel it is important to share all pros and cons ahead of time. This does mean that one night shows will have a more expensive nightly rate. A fair analogy is a weekly beach house rental. If you rent a home and stay there just one night, it was a very expensive night! If you stay the entire week, the nightly rate is usually quite reasonable.
With that said, we have created a solution for clients who want a one night event.......
9) Multiple day packages can be split with nearby clients
Emerald Owl Productions does something most companies do not in an effort to make one night shows more affordable. We can create a 3 or 4 day package......and just like that beach house rental, with some coordination, it can be shared! If you know of another client nearby who would be interested in a laser show, you can "partner" with them to share the cost of the package. Perhaps you each get 2 nights by splitting a 4 day package....or perhaps 3 clients each pay 1/3 for one night. The only stipulations are that the clients must all be within reasonable driving distance (less than 90 minutes apart) and the shows have similar equipment needs. This arrangement can save thousands of dollars for each client, making a one night event quite affordable.
However, you may lose flexibility with your date. We need to be able to execute all of the events in the package on one trip. A risk of this model is if one partner drops out, the rates for the other partners increase. Back to the beach house analogy one last time.....you decide to rent a beach home with 3 other families. If 1 family backs out, the price of the home does not change, but instead of dividing by 4, you are now dividing by 3. If the price increase causes another family to drop, now the split is down to just two... and it may become too expensive for everyone.
10) Shared Revenue
In some cases, we will consider being your partner on an event.....we can work on a lower fixed rate and then agree upon a split of the revenue we generate together. We cannot always guarantee this option, but please ask us! If we can make something a win-win, we are ALL IN!!!
11) We Want to Make It Happen!
There are many moving parts to a laser show....but the good news is all this information only needs to be figured out one time....the first time! Once we get this information, we will not need to address it each year.
We LOVE what we do and we love sharing laser shows with new clients. We will do everything we can to make it happen. If cost is the only obstacle, call us. We may be able to create some creative solutions to create that win-win scenario!