Booking process
How to book an event.
Planning a staff day, an in-service or an appreciation event takes real time and money, and it usually gets judged by how much your people remember afterward. The goal here is to make your job easier and your event look good. Here is exactly how it goes.
Ask about the date
Send the date and the town. If it is open, Ben's program coordinator will pencil it in while you work out the details. No contract and no deposit required to hold it. If another client asks for the same date, you get 48 hours to decide one way or the other.
Pick the shape of the day
Sessions run 45 to 90 minutes, so one fits a single period or anchors a whole morning, and Ben will flex to your schedule either way. You want to allow at least 25 minutes for him to speak and draw. Want the art without the talk? That runs 16 to 25 minutes and works as an opener, a closer or the centerpiece of a staff recognition night. Add an ADHD breakout or the LEGO workshop and you have a half day.
Sign and send the paperwork
You get an agreement to sign. Ben's office can supply a W-9, a certificate of insurance and anything else your business office needs, and can invoice against a purchase order. Payment is by non-personal check to CMI, Inc. Credit card is fine with a 3% surcharge.
Build the frame and prep the room
This is the one job that is yours. You build a simple pine frame and stretch a flat sheet over it, and Ben attaches the legs when he arrives. The full parts list, the room dimensions and the AV requirements are on the rider page. Someone from Ben's office calls you a few days out to walk through it.
Event day
Ben arrives 45 to 60 minutes before doors and needs 30 to 45 minutes of private stage time to set up and sound check. He speaks, he draws, the lights come up on the finished piece. The artwork stays with you.
Two things worth deciding early.
Customize the light show
The multimedia reveal that brings the finished art to life can carry your school logo and your event theme. Tell Ben's office when you book and send the artwork files.
Prints for every attendee
The original stays with you. Small reproductions can also be produced so every teacher in the room goes home with one. Decide early, since printing takes lead time.
Ready to check a date?
Send the date, the town, the audience and roughly how many chairs. That is enough for a yes or no.
ben@chalkbyben.com