compensation for tour manager / similar position?

Jan 14, 2011
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San Francisco, CA
I'm about to embark upon uncharted professional waters, hopefully some of you have experience with this. Here's what I've been asked to do:

A group of televised talent-show finalists are occasionally hired to do a show that promotes a certain hotel chain. I have done four shows for them in the past. When the show was local, it was business as usual with my own gear, crowd of 200 or less. There was a bit of time spent cajoling the client and securing some backline, but I was given a modest day rate and the equipment rental made everything hunky dory. On an out-of-town show, I put together a rider and coordinated with a local AV company to deliver the equipment, but for all intents and purposes it was business as usual with someone else's gear, same audience size.

In a few weeks they're doing the same show, except this time it's taking place in a train station and the audience is 1000-2000. Initially I was going to get the same modest engineer's day rate to make sure that the performers got their basic rider requirements satisfied, and everything else would be taken care of by the AV company hired by the client. Today's conference call revealed that no such company has been hired, so they want me to coordinate the whole production - sound, lights, video - with a local AV company.

The talent coordinator I've worked with before said that I would have to get paid more to do that, which was great of her to say, but I got off the call to discuss other things and I need to figure out what to charge them for my services.

My questions:
1) What role exactly am I fulfilling here if I'm participating in the design of the PA and lighting system for a one-off event? Does a tour manager usually do that?
2) Since the AV company I've decided to work with has lots of experience in the event space, I will be following their recommendations for the most part. What effect does that have on my compensation.

Thanks a ton, folks.
 
Re: compensation for tour manager / similar position?

1) What role exactly am I fulfilling here if I'm participating in the design of the PA and lighting system for a one-off event? Does a tour manager usually do that?
2) Since the AV company I've decided to work with has lots of experience in the event space, I will be following their recommendations for the most part. What effect does that have on my compensation.

Ooh, I've got answers! I'm sure others with more direct experience will chime in, but since I am first to the table here:

1) Production manager.
2) None whatsover. See what I did with the bold there? You brought special knowledge and strategy to the table and made a crucial decision even before you have an official job title. You had insider's knowledge of the best team for the job -- that could be called a shortcut. You're being paid for good decisions and shortcuts. If anything, you should be paid more for working smarter, not harder.

-waldo (manager of a number of people that work dumber and easier.)
 
Re: compensation for tour manager / similar position?

I do it by a day rate kind of deal. You have to figure that you charged them a day rate for the day of show stuff, you should get that to and from the gig as well as any days you work on the project. Since you are hiring an AV company you should charge them at least 4 days, but realistically 5 since your show day will probably be a long one. That works out to be an advance day, a show day, two travel days and an overtime pay.