When organising an event, one of the basic rules to get right is the guest to entertainer ratio. One Magician in a crowded ballroom of 1500 guests won’t even be noticed and there’s nothing worse than a Caricaturist suffering a hail of complaints upon leaving, after having drawn just 20% of the guests.
Quite simply; one Caricaturist or entertainer can cover around 60 guests in 2 hours, upto 90 guests in 3 hours. This is calculated by taking the average number drawn (one every 4-5 minutes) and doubling it, as the subject will show at least one other person; so TWO entertained! Most caricaturists will produce upto 15 drawings an hour, which entertain at least 30 punters. Therefore if you have an event with 120 guests and only two hours to fill with entertainment, I recommend TWO close up entertainers (Carix/Magix), not just one poor blighter, who will be shouted at and grabbed at with every turn.
- 1 Carix: 2 hours = 60 guests
- 1 Carix: 3 hours = 90 guests
- Most events have a 50% take-up, the rest like to watch, however student events have a 99% take-up. So if you have a student ball with 150 guests who ALL have to be drawn, I recommend hiring THREE caricaturists for 3 hours to ensure no complaints!
I was recently hired to attend an event with around 150 drunk guests, for just two hours (including a break for speeches) which was a foolish proposition. I drew a maximum of 30 punters; two per table over fifteen tables, though some tables hogged my time and insisted on more drawings, thus giving other tables instant reason to complain. This was a no-win situation for me, as I would never keep all 15 tables happy and sure enough when my time was up, I faced a barrage of abuse from people who missed out on drawings and entertainment. Quite simply my client had woefully under estimated their entertainment needs and I was left to take the brunt.
This is an unfair situation, so please help avoid disgruntled guests by hiring the correct amount of entertainers for your event.