A HUGE event bid...HELP!!!!!

I just got a call for a large University and they want me to paint for thier company picnic. There will be around 1000 people invited. They have no idea how many of them will want painted. It is open to children and adults. They will have me for 5 hours. I know this will more than likely need additional painters, but how do I figure out how many? I know there is some tyoe of formula our there to figure out how many will be painted, but it will be free to them so I am sure that skews the numbers. Any ideas on how to proceed?

I don't know if there is a great way to truly estimate, but a few questions to clarify:
Are you the ONLY entertainer?
Is it outside or inside?

Is the 1000 actual invites sent or estimated total attendance? If 1000 invites sent, then each could potentially bring 1-4 additional bodies and that really changes the numbers.

In general, 1/3 of the people in attendance seem to want to be painted. That number is partially pulled from my ear and partially from experience painting at large events. The number goes up slightly if I'm the only entertainer and down if there there are other forms of entertainment.

we did a 1000-kids (not guests, kids!) company day last weekend.
9 hours, 4 facepainters, 2 airbrush tattoo guys

Posted on the wrong thread. Woops!

i did a huge co picnic last year 400 kids, 3 paineters 4 hours

It is at a big amusement park, so there will be plenty of other things for them to do. The total amount of people is to be 1000.

The easter event I did had over 1000.... 6 painters for 5 hours.

I recently did a company picnic with roughly 1000 guests. Two painters 4 hours, 2 minute faces. We painted as many kids as possible and had a teen end the line. It went pretty well. I just like to limit hoices in these situations. I don't think I could do 5 hours though, man I could barely move after 4.

I have an event coming up. 3 hours. 1500 kids. Only me. Yes I know how stupid I am. But I agreed to it.

billiebcc wrote:I have an event coming up. 3 hours. 1500 kids. Only me. Yes I know how stupid I am. But I agreed to it.

Why?

10 painters painting for 3 hours would have to average 50 an hour to get everyone painted...

My Easter Event which maxes out well over 1000 has booked a crew of 8 for next year for five hours... I'm thankful they are realistic and willing to pay for making their participants happy.

It's for a good company in my area. The pay was good and I like a challenge. LOL. I. Flat out the them if 1500 children come I cannot paint a child every 8 seconds. That is insane. I will have my dtr helping. She will be (hopefully) putting the base down and my son will be water changer brush washer since I use your sanitation methods. I will have my hubs with to help control the line and they have 5 designs to choose from.

Can't wait to hear how it goes...

Yeah I'm sure you can't. The kicker was the price I quoted them I was sure they wouldn't take.....I **almost** doubled my price because it's my son's birthday. It'll be.......not fun I'm sure.

Yeah, that's hard to give them estimates when you don't know about all the other activities. In that case I'd simply tell them your rate per hour per artist, tell them how many kids 1 artist can paint in an hour, and let them decide how many kids they'd like painted and/or how much the budget will allow. That way they will be the ones deciding to not getting everyone painted if that's the case! If it were me though I'd require that they hire at LEAST two artists for however many hours, so that you would have time to take much needed breaks without stopping the painting.

1,000 people total.... hmmmm.... I bet that the percentage of kids and adults who will opt to be painted is well within the capabilities of 2, maybe 3, painters since you have 5 hours. I did a company picnic last summer with Laurie Laskowski (her gig, not mine) and it took place at Binghamton's baseball stadium... I don't know how many attended, but I think it was was over 1,000. We handled it fine and I can't remember if we were there for 3 or 4 hours....

Okay, my question is once you figure out how many painters you need then How does one find face painters? how do you figure out much to paint the painters. I work from a board, does that mean the other painters much have a board? someone told me it is standard $100 per day and after that 35% of what they bring in.....do they bring their own paints and supplies? This will be my first year of festivals....Thanking you in advance,
Ramona
facepaintnmama.com

Angela-if you have a few set designs that you know you can whip out really fast, you'll do great!

Julie's (Gilded Cat) advice was great.
I ran the #'s on events my assistant & I have done together in the past year. Wether we used our usual board, or used our books at smaller events & work for a few or several hours, we were averaging 14 faces/Hr each. Most events had other venues to occupy the kids....but FP'ing always had a line. One event hired the two of us, since they were unhappy w/only one painter last yr. They has helpers who gave out #'s. For that crowd (large country club), that didn't work. We were just starting, working on #'s 5 & 6...& the parents were upset already..."What do you mean I'm # 72!!!" If pressed, I can paint "mini" versions of most of my regular offerings, which I did that day. Next year we'll have at least 3 or 4 FP'ers.

There's a huge event coming up on the waterfront in West Palm Beach, open to the public, the 2 of us FP'ing & my niece doing glitter tatts. Since we're getting our hourly rate & it's free to the public...you KNOW there will be a huge line. Think it's time to look at Denise Cold's fast faces boards! If there are 5 or less in line, I could embellish a little more, but then, kids would come back asking for THAT face!

Melody Wilkinson Forss (The Face Paint Lady) has also posted some eye designs that are awesome:
(2Tigers/Angel/Tropical Sunset/Cherry Blossoms

Good luck to each of you. Keep us posted on how you do.