When to quote per-day rates versus per-event rates for different equipment categories, and how to handle multi-day events without confusing your clients.
One of the most common sources of confusion in AV proposals — for both the company writing them and the client reading them — is the unit basis for pricing. Is that LED wall quoted per day or for the entire event? Does the technician rate cover one day or the full three-day conference? When clients cannot tell, they either assume the cheapest interpretation (leading to disputes later) or they lose confidence in your professionalism. Getting the per-day versus per-event distinction right is fundamental to clear, trustworthy proposals.
The AV industry has informal standards for which equipment categories are typically quoted on which basis, and following these conventions makes your proposals easier for experienced event planners to read. Audio equipment — PA systems, mixing consoles, wireless microphones, monitors — is almost universally quoted per day. The same applies to video equipment like projectors, LED wall panels, cameras, and switchers. Lighting fixtures, trusses, and control systems follow the per-day convention as well. The logic is simple: equipment wears, depreciates, and could be rented to another client on any given day, so the rate reflects daily usage.
Labor follows the per-day model too, but with important nuances. A FOH engineer, a lighting designer, or a video technician is typically quoted as a day rate. However, what constitutes a "day" varies — some companies define it as an 8-hour day with overtime beyond that, while others quote a 10-hour day or even a flat day rate regardless of hours. Whatever your standard, state it clearly in the proposal. A line item that says "FOH Engineer — €450/day (10-hour day, overtime at €55/hr)" eliminates ambiguity and protects your margin.
Transport and delivery are the classic per-event charges. Whether you are delivering equipment across town or to a venue 200 kilometers away, the cost is incurred once regardless of whether the event runs one day or five. Quoting transport per day would be misleading and would inflate multi-day event costs unnecessarily. Similarly, rigging labor for truss installation is typically a per-event charge — the crew comes once to install and once to strike, regardless of the event duration.
Setup and teardown costs fall into the per-event category as well. The labor to install a PA system, configure the mixing console, focus the lighting rig, and align the LED wall happens once before the event and once after. Charging these on a per-day basis would be double-counting on multi-day events. Some companies bundle setup and teardown into the equipment daily rate; others break them out as separate line items. The latter approach is more transparent and helps clients understand why the first-day cost is higher than subsequent days.
Multi-day events are where the per-day versus per-event distinction becomes critical. Consider a three-day corporate conference. The audio equipment is needed all three days — quoted at the daily rate times three. The FOH engineer is on-site all three days — day rate times three. But the transport is a single charge: one delivery and one collection. The rigging crew installs on day zero and strikes on day three — that is one per-event charge. If your proposal does not make these distinctions clear, the client sees a total that they cannot decompose, which makes comparison shopping easier and negotiation harder.
Some equipment categories do not fit neatly into either model. Consumables like gaffer tape, cable ties, and batteries are typically per-event. Expendable items like haze fluid are per-day if the machines run continuously. Custom fabrication — a branded lectern wrap, a scenic backdrop — is per-event because the item is produced once for that specific show. When in doubt, ask yourself: would I charge more if the event ran an additional day? If yes, it is a per-day item. If no, it is per-event.
CueQuote handles this distinction through the unit field on each catalog item. When you add equipment to your catalog, you set the default unit type: day, event, piece, or set. When the AI generates a proposal for a multi-day event, it applies the correct multiplication factor based on the unit type. Daily-rated items are multiplied by the number of event days; per-event items are charged once. This automatic calculation prevents the most common pricing error in multi-day proposals: accidentally charging transport or rigging labor per day.
The "piece" and "set" unit types deserve explanation as well. "Piece" is useful for items sold or consumed per unit — replacement lamps, for example, or single-use batteries. "Set" is useful for items that are quoted as a package — a wireless microphone set that includes the transmitter, receiver, and accessories, or a conference room audio set that includes a mixer, speakers, and cabling. These unit types give you flexibility to quote in whatever way makes the most sense for each item in your catalog.
From the client's perspective, clarity about unit types builds trust. When a proposal line reads "LED Wall Panel — 24 pcs × €85/day × 3 days = €6,120" versus a line that just says "LED Wall — €6,120," the detailed version gives the client full transparency. They can see the unit count, the rate, the number of days, and how the total was calculated. This transparency reduces the likelihood of price negotiations because the client understands the math and can verify it themselves.
A practical tip for multi-day events: include a brief note in your proposal explaining your pricing structure. Something like "Equipment and labor are quoted at daily rates and multiplied by the number of event days. Transport, rigging, and setup/teardown are one-time charges." This two-sentence explanation preempts the most common client question about multi-day pricing and demonstrates that you have thought through the cost structure carefully.
Finally, be consistent within your company. If one project manager quotes PA systems per day and another quotes them per event, your proposals will confuse repeat clients and create internal pricing inconsistencies. Establish a standard unit type for every item in your catalog and document the rationale. CueQuote's catalog defaults enforce this consistency automatically — once you set the unit type for each item, every proposal that includes that item uses the same basis, regardless of who on your team creates the proposal.