Without getting out every Diary since '78 and counting, I would estimate that Sue (my wife) and I have got through about 6,800 minimum to 7,200 maximum. That includes touring and theatre shows. Interested to hear your calculations.

(Don't reply if you don't want the IRS or Inland Revenue to know!!)

I pay my taxes, so I'm cool.

Probably 150 shows a year average, including parties, schools, libraries, and other kid type shows. Twenty-three years. . . 23x150. . .getting pencil & paper. I calulated 135,294 shows! Not bad for a guy with a 4th grade education!

Troy Roark

Sorry Ace, but I have better things to get on with than count how many minutes I've worked.
Best Wishes, Billy

I'm not that bored that I'm going to take the time to work it out in minutes, but I do know that I've just gone past 400 shows for the last 12 months, most of these 2-hour parties. I've only been full time for 3 years so the time before that isn't worth counting, but in 2000 and 2001 I did over 350 shows each year.

Hey Troy, I make that about 3,450 parties! Still a great performance! Did I ask how many minutes anyone has worked? If I'm not interested in topics I don't post on them!

I find it a great topic of conversation to parents at parties when they ask how long we've been doing this? But always add: "your only as good as the last one you did!"

Sorry Ace I've got my dyslexic head on, I read minimum as minutes. Normally it's only my typing finger that's dyslexic, now my eyes are going as well.

Hope Peter M. joins in this one from Canada. (Thanks Clive!). - Tony.

Hi,

I would find it difficult to calculate the kid's parties. I would have to go through each diary with care as I tend to do quite a lot of corporate kids work and I am often there for a whole or half day. Same with carnivals and fetes. I tend to judge each year on a financial basis rather than how many bookings I had compared with the previous year. Emazdad, do you only do kids shows? Are you charging VAT? Or have you in some way separated the business to avoid it?
Phillip

Yes I only do kids shows, birthday Parties, fetes, open days, HM Warships families days, anywhere they want kids entertained. A few of the shows are all day balloon modelling events, I do get enquiries for adult work but I turn them away, I don't enjoy them and I don't need to do them.

No I don't charge VAT. I'm not VAT registered. I don't need to be.

Not enough.

Hi Emazdad,

Well, you must be getting close to the lower limit to register. I believe it's £55,000.00 to charge and you are asked to register at £50,0000. Divide that by 400 and that's only £125.00 for a full party. Billy said in an earlier post elsewhere that the average fee in your area was £90.00 for an hour show.

Anyway, there is a way legally of avoiding registering (I used it many years back), so if you get any closer, PM me.
Phillip

Hi Phillip,

There's not a lot of money down here. I charge £65 for the 1-hour or £95 for 2-hours. (That's the birthday party price, other events are charged according to size, event, type of entertainment requ'd, etc.) I've just gone up from £60-£90. This covers an area with a radius of 10 miles. Uutside that area I charge a lot more. It's a lot of money for people down here and you can often hear the sharp intake of breath when we tell them the price. I think it's a reasonable price for what I do, without being greedy. I actually think I'm worth more, but if the money's not there you can't ask for it. I haven't noticed any drop in bookings since the increase, but if I go above the magic ton, then my work load would drop.

£105 sounds a heck of a lot more than £95 even though it's only £10 difference. There is one guy around here who does charge a bit more, but he doesn't do enough kids shows to live off, and does adult stuff as well. Most entertainers around charge less. Every area is different. In London, I'd be able to charge a lot more.

Billy Whizz, our mate, Chris Wish, and I all charge the same, and have got this area sewn up. We all do good shows. We all recommend each other.

Apart from my summer season work at a holiday camps (28 shows), all my work comes in direct, not from agents. I hate using agents and class them lower than car salesmen. I don't trust them to look after my interests.

Hi Clive and Phillip,

Well there IS a lot of money up here, but we still charge the same as Clive (don't do 1-hours). I think we should all buy real estate in Milford Haven to get rich really quick!

Only ever come near the VaT threshold once (that's a tax on high earnings in UK USA/NZ/Australia friends). Would not wish to endure the nightmare of this, and let's face it, we'd have to absorb the VaT in our existing fees.

Okay, Aceparties, I'll jump in! <G>

Over the years, I suppose the total number of shows would run into the zillions! (Well, sort of!)

But kids' parties specifically would probably be in the thousands. For sure.

That's just kids' parties, not walkarounds or table-hopping specifically for kids.

Eeek! THAT many? I just scared myself!

Sometimes at busy periods, like Xmas, when I did 60 shows in December, I get to the point where I'm going, "Oh no, I've had enough I want a break."

Then, when I finally get the much waited for day off, I think, "Oh no, I haven't got a show today," and miss going out to perform. Strange, isn't it?

HI Ace and Emazdad,
Actually a lot of people do own second homes down here as you can still buy a terraced house for £40,000.00 or a nice detached with some grounds for £100,000.00 out town.
I do charge a bit more for shows than you seem to and I am a lot more expensive than any one else down here too. But I am pretty sure that I could move anywhere and get the same as other magicains told me I could charge so much here. I have two businesses one sole trader (childrens parties) and one Partnership for my adult and corporate childrens work this allows me to keep Vat free. I do not really mind too much if the adult and corporate kids breaks the threshold, but I want to avoid charging Vat on kids parties.
Phillip

aceparties, is one bazillion a number?

Tim

I feel like a new kid in class. Haha. I just did my first children's birthday party tonight. It was a blast. The litle ones were so awesome.

Well done Brian, it's a real buzz when the kids are great isn't it?

50 a year