The standard terms at a glance
These are the standard terms in our service agreement. The agreement you sign is what governs, so if anything here differs from it, the signed agreement wins.
Planners often forward this page to finance or procurement before a contract goes out. The table covers the questions those teams ask most, and the chapters below explain each one.
| Term | Standard | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Holding the date | A signed service agreement | A quote alone doesn't hold the date |
| Deposit | 50% when you sign | Invoiced with the agreement |
| Balance | Due 7 days before the event | Booked inside about three weeks: paid in full at signing |
| Ways to pay | Check, ACH or wire transfer, credit card | |
| Card fee | Up to 3% on credit cards, where state law allows it | ACH, wire, check and debit cards carry no fee |
| Sales tax | None added to the invoice | |
| Purchase orders | Your PO number prints on the invoice | Need your own contract terms? Ask us |
| W-9 | On request | |
| Certificate of insurance | On request | $1M per occurrence and $2M aggregate general liability, plus a $5M umbrella; the host facility can be named additional insured |
| Booking lead time | Three weeks or more | Four weeks or more for charity builds, large groups, and November and December dates |
| Rush fee | May apply to bookings inside 7 days | Quoted up front, before you sign |
| Facilitator travel | Included in the continental U.S. | |
| Final headcount | Due 15 days before the event | Billed at the guarantee or actual attendance, whichever is greater |
| Cancellation, in person | 25%, 50% or 100% of the program cost | Set by how much notice you give; see the tiers below |
| Cancellation, virtual | 25%, 50% or 100% of the program cost | Set by how much notice you give; see the tiers below |
| Postponement | Up to 14 days before the event | Rebook the same program within 3 months |
| Outdoor weather backup | You provide an indoor backup space | Full fees apply if none is arranged and the program is canceled |
| Several programs or events | Ask about package pricing | |
| Nonprofits | Ask us |
Holding a date, and how far ahead to book
A signed agreement is what holds your date. Book at least three weeks ahead, and four weeks or more for charity builds, large groups, and November and December dates.
Here's how a booking moves once you've picked a program from the proposal. We send a short set of contract questions (who signs, the billing contact, the venue and the shipping address), then the service agreement and the deposit invoice. Once it's signed, a program manager is assigned and the facilitator is confirmed for your date.
Three weeks gives everyone room to work: materials ship ahead of the event, and the final headcount is due 15 days out. Charity builds need longer because the donated items ship to your venue ahead of the build, and the extra week helps large groups and holiday-season dates too.
Shorter notice is often possible when a facilitator and materials are free. Two things change when you book late. Events booked inside about three weeks are paid in full at signing instead of with a deposit. And bookings inside 7 days may carry a rush fee, which we quote up front so it's on the agreement before you sign.
Paying the deposit and the balance
Pay a 50% deposit when you sign and the balance 7 days before the event, by check, ACH, wire transfer or credit card.
The agreement lists both due dates, and the invoice follows the same schedule. If you book inside about three weeks of the event, the full amount is due at signing.
ACH, wire, check and debit cards carry no fee. Credit cards carry a fee of up to 3% where state law allows it. If you want your purchase order on the paperwork, send us the PO number and it prints on the invoice.
The program price includes program design and delivery, customization, production, program materials, professional facilitation and staffing. Facilitator travel is included anywhere in the continental U.S.; outside it, we quote travel up front. We don't add sales tax to the invoice.
Outside the price are entry fees, permits, PA or AV equipment and other third-party charges. We don't book the venue or provide food and drink, so those stay on your side of the budget. Booking several programs or events? Ask about package pricing. Nonprofits: ask us.
From our sales calls
Paperwork for procurement
We send a W-9 and a certificate of insurance on request, complete supplier and vendor forms, and print your PO number on the invoice.
Our certificate of insurance shows commercial general liability of $1M per occurrence and $2M aggregate, plus a $5M umbrella policy. If your hotel or venue needs to be named as an additional insured, tell us and it goes on the certificate.
Many procurement teams need a new vendor set up before they can pay a deposit, so start that step the day you decide on a program. Here's what to collect, in the order most accounts payable teams ask for it.
- Request our W-9 for your vendor file.
- Request the certificate of insurance, with the name of any venue or company to be listed as additional insured.
- Send us your supplier onboarding or vendor forms, or the link to your vendor portal.
- Raise the purchase order and send us the PO number so it prints on the invoice.
- Tell us who signs the agreement and who receives invoices.
- If your legal team wants changes to the agreement, or wants to use your own contract, ask us before the signing date.
If plans change after you sign
Your final headcount is due 15 days before the event, and cancellation fees depend on how much notice you give. The tiers below are the standard terms; the signed agreement governs.
The final headcount (the agreement calls it the final guarantee) can go up after you sign. You're billed for the guarantee or actual attendance, whichever is greater, and the price never drops below the minimum the quote was based on.
In-person cancellation fees are a share of the program cost plus any expenses, including travel, that we've already paid toward your program.
You can postpone instead, up to 14 days before the event. The same program has to be rebooked within three months of the original date, and what you've paid, less expenses we've already incurred, moves to the new date. If we ever have to cancel, you get a full refund or, if you'd prefer, a suitable replacement. The agreement also has a force majeure clause for events neither side controls, such as a hurricane or a government order.
For an outdoor program, the agreement asks you to have an inclement-weather plan: an indoor backup space big enough for the program, confirmed with us before the event. If the backup room is smaller, the facilitator may adjust the activity. If no backup is arranged and the program has to be canceled, the full contract price applies. Most outdoor programs have an indoor version at no extra cost, so the backup is usually a room, not a new program.
| Format | When you cancel | Cancellation fee |
|---|---|---|
| In person | 21 or more days before the event | 25% of the program cost, plus expenses paid toward the program |
| In person | 8 to 20 days before | 50% of the program cost, plus expenses paid toward the program |
| In person | 7 days or less before | 100% of the program cost |
| Virtual | 14 or more days before the event | 25% of the program cost |
| Virtual | Inside 14 days | 50% of the program cost |
| Virtual | Within 48 hours of the start | 100% of the program cost |