For meeting planners
Event setup guide.
Everything your team needs to get the room ready. If you have booked speakers before, this is the rider. Space and staging, sound and lighting, the one thing you build ahead of time, and the paperwork your business office will ask for. Copy any of it straight into your proposal.
Three pages, everything on this page. Easy to forward to your custodian or your business office.
Room and stage.
| Space needed | At least 16 feet wide by 15 feet deep, with ceiling clearance of at least 10 feet. Do not seat the audience closer than 15 feet from the easel. |
|---|---|
| Staging | Ben sets up center stage. Elevated staging is preferred so everyone can see. If a band shares the stage, place their gear with Ben's setup in mind before he arrives, and cover drum kits and keyboards with cheap plastic tarps. |
| In a gymnasium | Seat everyone along one side of the gym, on the floor if necessary. Do not seat the audience on both sides with Ben in the middle. For very large groups, ask about running multiple shows. |
| Sound | A good quality sound system with a wireless handheld mic, whatever the size of the group. Also run an XLR cable from the house system to the middle of the stage so Ben can plug in a direct box for his own music. |
| Lighting | Regular stage lighting while he speaks, plus directional light on the canvas while he draws. Not a spotlight from the back of the room. Hotel ballrooms almost never have adequate stage lighting, so plan to rent. For smaller venues Ben can bring a small portable light for the canvas only. |
| Power | One heavy duty 50 foot three-pronged extension cord for the projector, plus a second for his music player. In a gym, long enough to reach the middle of the floor in front of the bleachers. |
| Volunteers | One person to help with load in and out. Two more to carry the canvas on and off if it needs to move. |
The one thing you build
The frame and the canvas.
Here is the good part: the finished piece is yours to keep. Because your team builds the frame, the artwork stays with your school when the day is over. Hang it in the front hall, the library or the cafeteria and let the building enjoy it through the school year.
You build the frame and stretch the canvas before Ben arrives. Everything on the list below comes from your end, including the lumber for the legs, since Ben travels by air and does not bring wood with him. He attaches the legs himself once he is on site. Build it exactly as laid out below. Different thickness wood, extra brackets or mitered edges make the frame unusable, and it has to be rebuilt on the spot.
What to buy
The lumber comes from any hardware store. For everything else we have linked exactly what Ben uses so you can order online if that is easier. The links are there for your convenience, not a requirement, and any equivalent product works just as well.
Target used to sell the flat sheet on its own and now only sells the full set, so the video shows the old way. Buy the set and use the flat sheet. If you have no use for the fitted sheet and the pillowcases, pass them along to Ben and he will put them to work.
A new frame is needed for every presentation. The legs can be reused.
Having trouble finding someone to build it?
It happens, and it is not a dealbreaker. Ben can build the frame himself. It usually means shifting his arrival and setup time, and there may be some additional cost for the extra day, so mention it early and his office will give you a straight number. Do not let this be the thing that keeps you from bringing the event to your school.
Also on the list.
| Water | A couple of bottles per presentation, waiting backstage or beside the easel. |
|---|---|
| Arrival | Ben arrives 45 to 60 minutes before doors open. Have one person meet him at a set place and time with a mobile phone, and send that name and number ahead. |
| Setup and sound check | 30 to 45 minutes, in private. No simultaneous sound checks and no audience watching. At a multi-presenter event, allow at least a 10 minute private slot. |
| Merchandise table | One eight-foot table, ready before Ben arrives, plus one or two trustworthy people to help run it. Books, posters and original art. |
| Green room | Usually only worth it on a multi-show day with downtime in between. When you and Ben talk through the event he will tell you whether you need one. If you do, a private room near the stage with a couple of chairs, water and a few snacks is plenty. Nothing extravagant. |
| Recording | No part of the performance may be recorded for resale. Archival recording is fine and a copy is appreciated. Photography and social media are welcome. |
What it costs and how to pay.
| Getting a price | Every event is quoted on its own. Send the date, the kind of event you are planning and about how many people will be in the room, and you will have a number back quickly. Request a quote here |
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| What the price includes | One all-inclusive number. Airfare, hotel, ground transportation and meals are already built in, so there is no second invoice for expenses after the event. The only things you buy separately are the items on the what-to-buy list above. |
| Holding the date | Fifty percent is due when you return the signed agreement. That is what takes the date off the calendar and reserves it for you. |
| The balance | Due before the presentation. Most schools mail it ahead so it clears their accounts payable process on time, and some prefer to hand it over on the day of the event. Either way works, so do whatever fits your business office. |
| Who to pay | Checks payable to Chalkguy Creative. Credit cards are accepted with a 3% processing fee. |
| Travel arrangements | Ben's office books the flights, the hotel and the rental car. Nothing for you to arrange or reimburse. |
| Forms your district needs | W-9, certificate of insurance and a signed agreement are all available. Send your district's vendor packet and Ben's office fills it out and sends it back. |
Funding
Where schools usually find the funds.
Staff training and in-service
The most common line. A keynote plus a breakout can carry a half-day in-service.
Teacher appreciation
Appreciation week, staff recognition and end-of-year events, often funded outside the training line.
PTO, PTA and booster funds
Parent organizations frequently sponsor a staff appreciation keynote or a student assembly.
Special education funds
The ADHD and learning-differences sessions map cleanly to special education training goals.
Grants
Plenty of schools cover an event like this with grant money. Community foundations, state arts councils, education foundations and local service clubs all fund assemblies and staff development, and the applications are often short. If you are writing one, Ben's office can send a program description, session objectives, a bio and the vendor paperwork so you are not building the packet from scratch.