Pricing
Honest numbers, no mystery math
Most activations land between $7.5K and $30K, all-in. Here's exactly what's inside that number, what moves it, and what never sneaks onto the invoice.
Activation pricing has a reputation for fog — rate cards that hide the real total behind equipment fees, garment markups, and “art charges” that materialize after the handshake. We price the opposite way: one project quote, line-itemed, covering everything it takes to run your activation. You’ll know the number within 24 hours of sending the brief, and it’s the same number after the event.
The anchor: most activations land between $7.5K and $30K. Smaller single-format events sit near the bottom of the range; multi-format, multi-day, or high-headcount productions reach the top. Wherever yours lands, the quote shows why.
What drives the number
- Guest count. The headcount sets garment volume and crew size — the largest single factor on every quote.
- Hours of service. A two-hour reception window and a three-day trade-show booth are different productions; setup and teardown are included either way.
- Format mix. One press is the efficient core. Adding a hat bar, DTF station, embroidery, or engraving adds equipment and specialist crew — and a second lane for your guests.
- Garment tier. Standard retail-quality blanks are included; premium and specialty garments (heavyweight fleece, name-brand caps, performance fabrics) move the per-piece cost.
- Travel. Zero inside Orange County, LA, and San Diego. Beyond SoCal, one transparent travel line covers crew and gear transport — see the service map.
What's always included
- The crew — our standard build staffs two professional printers across two stations, scaling up with your headcount. Experienced, uniformed, great with guests.
- All equipment — presses, heat presses, embroidery machines, engravers, flash units, dryers, lighting, and the road cases they live in.
- The blanks — retail-quality tees, hoodies, hats, totes, or hard goods in your chosen colorways and a sensible size curve. No separate garment invoice.
- Art prep — separations, patch layouts, digitizing for embroidery, ink matching to brand guidelines. Send a logo; we handle press-ready.
- Setup & teardown — load-in, booth dressing, floor protection, cable management, and a clean strike inside the venue’s windows.
How the tiers tend to shake out
Near $7.5K–$12K: one format, a few service hours, roughly 100–300 guests, SoCal venue — the classic first activation. $12K–$20K: the standard two-station build with several hundred garments, full branding, and an evening or show-day of service — our most-booked tier. $20K–$30K: multi-format productions, four-figure guest counts, multi-day runs, premium garment programs, or travel markets. For worked examples by scenario, read the cost answer and the budget guide.
Pricing questions, answered
No — and that’s deliberate. Hourly framing punishes successful events: the busier your booth, the more nervous the clock makes you. Every activation is quoted as a complete project — crew, equipment, blanks, art prep, and hours of service in one line-itemed number — so the figure you approve is the figure you pay.
The full production: professional crew (standard build is two printers and two stations), all equipment and supplies, retail-quality garment blanks in your sizes and colors, artwork preparation and separations, booth dressing to match your brand, setup, and teardown. The only common addition is the travel line for events outside Southern California.
Never inside our home turf — Orange County, Los Angeles, and San Diego book with zero travel cost. Outside SoCal, a travel fee covers crew and equipment transport and appears as its own transparent line on the quote, never folded invisibly into other numbers.
Yes, and we’d rather know the number up front. Budget shapes the lever choices — service hours, format mix, garment tier, design count — and there’s almost always a strong activation at the budget you have. Tell us the figure in the brief and we’ll spec the best event it buys.
Within 24 hours of receiving your brief, every time. The quote is line-itemed and doubles as a production outline: formats, crew, throughput plan, and any travel. If the date is inside two weeks, say so — rush timelines get same-day attention.