That's the age-old question, isn't it. What's even more frustrating is that presenters usually don't list their prices on their website. How do they expect you to know whether they fit in your budget or not?
But that's why I put this guide together. Because as an assembly presenter, I want you to have all the tools you need to make an informed decision so you can bring your students a great presentation without breaking the bank.
By the way, I'm Kristen, The Confidence Cowgirl, and I help kids (and the kids at heart) boost their self-esteem and rope resilience using, well, a lot of ropes and any other train robber skills I've still got. (And if you have no idea what that means, don't worry, I've got the story here.)
Here's what this guide covers:
You might think you're paying for 45 minutes on stage. As much as I wish that were true, it's not. Just like a doctor isn't paid for the 45 minutes they spend with you, they're paid for the years of medical school and residency it took to become one, while we assembly presenters may not be brain surgeons, we've put in a lot of time, sweat, tears, and love (and in my case, whiplash to the rear from too many crashed ropes) to make the craft of delivering an educational assembly a fun, engaging experience.
One veteran school performer once broke down a two-show trip: by the time she counted travel, an overnight stay, and packing up, she'd spent about 30 hours on what looked like a single day's booking. After gas, food, and lodging came out, her real hourly rate wasn't far off minimum wage. That's fairly typical in this industry. A quote that looks high on paper is usually just honest math on what the work costs to do well.
Sometimes I think, if I'd known how much work went into putting on an assembly, would I have rethought my career choice? But honestly, no, I can never say that, because this is the most awesome job in the world. There's nothing better than feeling like you're making a difference. Besides, milking cows and running a dairy farm was way harder!
By the NumbersThere's nothing about being in Utah specifically that changes national pricing much. Most school assembly programs fall into a few tiers:
If you're looking for a great presenter in that mid-range tier specifically, I'll soon be sharing a running list of Utah presenters I know and trust, myself included.
Here's a tip that applies at pretty much every tier: many presenters, myself included, will offer a discount if you can help connect them with other schools in your area. If a presenter can book two or three assemblies in the same trip instead of just one, the travel and setup cost gets spread across all of them, and that savings often gets passed along to you and the other schools you helped bring on board. It never hurts to ask.
Paying For ItThis is something I've personally found useful to learn and understand, so I can keep an open mind about how I set my pricing and how I can support the schools I work with as they raise the funds they need.
Utah PTAs run on a formal annual budget process voted on by the membership, not decided by any single person, including the principal or PTA president. That means assembly funding usually has to be planned for ahead of time as its own budget line rather than approved as a one-off expense. If your PTA hasn't budgeted for an assembly this year, it's not necessarily a dead end (budgets can be amended during the year with a membership vote), but earlier is always better than later.
Common funding sources for Utah schools:
If you're a Title I school, it's worth asking presenters if they offer a discount. Personally, performing for Title I schools is where I got my start, so I have a big soft spot for supporting them, and I do offer a discount. Let me know if you're interested, and we can talk.
A Cowgirl's Guide to Building Self-Esteem
Sticky stories are the negative beliefs that get stuck to us somewhere along the way, at school, at home, or after a hard season of life. In this assembly, students learn to spot theirs and peel them right off, with the help of a rope trick and one very patient dairy cow named Honeybee.
A more useful way to compare quotes than the sticker price alone is cost per student. A $1,200 program for 400 kids works out to $3 per student. A $600 program for 100 kids is $6 per student, the "cheaper" one is actually twice the cost per child. When you're comparing presenters, ask how many students they can effectively reach per show, not just what the flat fee is.
This is something I think about a lot in how I structure my own assembly days, reaching as many kids as possible without losing what makes the message land. It's part of why I built Find Your Brave the way I did.
Where I Fit InMy assemblies are priced to sit comfortably in that mid-range tier, professional, full production, curriculum-aligned, without the premium price tag of a national touring act. And because I quote one all-in number up front, what you see is what you pay. No separate travel line added after your PTA has already approved a budget.
So there you have it! I'm sure there are some details I missed, but I hope you found this little guide helpful. And if you're trying to schedule an assembly in Utah, and self-esteem or resilience with a little western spice sounds like a good fit for you this year, just give me a holler. I'll do the best I can to fit your schedule, and your budget.
Multi-school bookings in the same area become more affordable per school as more schools participate. Reach out for a custom quote based on your event, or if you've just got a question, I'd love to help.
