Set somewhere else

Occupant load

New York City Department of Buildings, with an annual Place of Assembly permit from the Fire Department of the City of New York

DOB issues the Place of Assembly Certificate of Operation and performs the first inspection; FDNY then issues a permit that is renewed annually on the result of its own inspection. The legal occupancy lives on those two documents. A venue can show you the number; it cannot set it and cannot raise it for your date.

Ask instead Ask to see the current PACO and the FDNY place-of-assembly permit, and read the occupancy and expiry off the certificates rather than off a capacity chart.

Threshold at which a permit is required 75 or more persons indoors; 200 or more outdoors

NYC Department of Buildings — Place of Assembly Certificate of Operation — opens on the authority's own site in a new tab · The deciding office, explaining its own rule · checked 2026-09-08

Alcohol

New York State Liquor Authority

The SLA issues the one-day permit that covers sale and service of alcohol at a gathering, and the catering permit that lets an already-licensed on-premises retailer work off its own premises. The permit attaches to a named holder, not to the building, and the SLA caps how often one address can be used.

Ask instead Ask who will hold the permit on your date — the venue, your caterer, or you — and whether this address has already used its allowance of one-day permits this year.

Threshold at which a permit is required 4 one-day permits per location in any 12 months

New York State Liquor Authority — Permits Available Online — opens on the authority's own site in a new tab · The deciding office, explaining its own rule · checked 2026-09-08

Noise and amplified sound

New York City Department of Environmental Protection, enforced jointly with the New York City Police Department

DEP sets and measures the commercial music limit and NYPD answers most complaints. The binding measurement is taken inside somebody else's home, not at the venue's property line, so a room that sounds reasonable on site can still be over.

Ask instead Ask what the venue's own measured level is at the nearest residential window with the system at show volume, and whether DEP or NYPD has attended in the last two years.

Sound limit, in decibels 42 dB(A) measured inside a nearby residence; +7 dB over ambient measured 15 ft or more from the source on a public right-of-way between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.

NYC Department of Environmental Protection — A Guide to New York City's Noise Code — opens on the authority's own site in a new tab · The deciding office, explaining its own rule · checked 2026-09-08

Tents and temporary structures

New York City Department of Buildings

DOB decides whether a tent is a work item needing a permit, on gross area and on how long it stands. The threshold is small enough that most catering marquees clear it, and the filing is the venue's or yours depending on the contract — the code does not care which.

Ask instead Ask who files the tent work permit and by when, and whether the tent you are picturing exceeds 400 gross square feet.

Threshold at which a permit is required more than 400 gross square feet, or in place more than 30 days

NYC Department of Buildings — Code Notes: Temporary Place of Assembly — opens on the authority's own site in a new tab · The deciding office, explaining its own rule · checked 2026-09-08

Temporary food service

New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Bureau of Food Safety and Community Sanitation

DOHMH permits each food operation at a temporary event, whatever the venue's own kitchen status, and wants the organiser's vendor list well before the date. The venue's permit does not cover a caterer working out of a booth beside it.

Ask instead Ask whether the venue's own food permit covers your caterer, or whether each vendor needs a separate temporary permit and who is notifying the Health Department.

Threshold at which a permit is required a one-time event of no more than 14 consecutive days; organiser notice 30 days before

NYC Health Department — Food Vending at Temporary Events — opens on the authority's own site in a new tab · The deciding office, explaining its own rule · checked 2026-09-08

Alcohol

Illinois Liquor Control Commission, with approval by the local liquor control commissioner

The state licence for a special event is open only to educational, fraternal, political, civic, religious or not-for-profit organisations, and it authorises retail sale — not general permission to have a bar. Local approval is a separate gate on top of it.

Ask instead Ask whether alcohol at your event is being sold or given away, who is eligible to hold the licence that covers it, and whether the city sign-off is already in hand.

Threshold at which a permit is required maximum 15 days per application; late fee if filed fewer than 14 days before the event

Illinois Liquor Control Commission — Special Event Retailer's Liquor License (Not-for-Profit) — opens on the authority's own site in a new tab · The permit application itself · checked 2026-09-08

Noise and amplified sound

City of Chicago, under Municipal Code Chapter 8-32 (Noise and Vibration Control)

The ordinance sets an audibility test rather than a meter reading, and a separate night restriction on private property. A venue can tell you what it has got away with; it cannot tell you what is lawful at 11 p.m.

Ask instead Ask what happens to amplified sound at 10 p.m. on your date — indoors, outdoors, and in any courtyard — and whether the venue has ever been cited under 8-32-070.

Hours, by the clock 10:00 p.m. (private-space restriction runs 10:00 p.m.–8:00 a.m.); on the public way, no louder than average conversational level at 100 feet

Municipal Code of Chicago § 8-32-070, Music and amplified sound (American Legal Publishing) — opens on the authority's own site in a new tab · Municipal ordinance · checked 2026-09-08

Tents and temporary structures

Chicago Department of Buildings

The Department of Buildings decides whether a tent needs no permit, an Easy Permit, or full plan review, on covered area and on height. The bands are narrow and a wet-weather upgrade can push you from one to the next.

Ask instead Ask the exact footprint and peak height of the tent being proposed, and which of the three permit routes that puts you on.

Threshold at which a permit is required up to 600 sq ft and 15 ft high qualifies for the Express Permit Program; above that, standard plan review or self-certification

City of Chicago Department of Buildings — Tent, Stage and Temporary Structure Permits — opens on the authority's own site in a new tab · The deciding office, explaining its own rule · checked 2026-09-08

Temporary food service

Chicago Department of Public Health with the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection

CDPH and BACP licence each food vendor at an event and set the certification a booth must have on site. The window for filing closes weeks before the date and is not reopened by a venue's goodwill.

Ask instead Ask which of your food suppliers hold a Chicago licence already, which need a single-event licence, and what date the vendor list has to be filed.

Threshold at which a permit is required Special Event Food Licence covers up to 10 consecutive days; vendor application due 20 days before the event

City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events — Special Events Resource Guide — opens on the authority's own site in a new tab · The deciding office, explaining its own rule · checked 2026-09-08

Alcohol

California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control

ABC issues the daily licence and restricts who may hold one — charitable, civic, fraternal, religious, political and similar organisations, with tax-exempt evidence for a first application. A commercial host is not on that list, which changes the answer to 'can we have a bar' before the venue is involved.

Ask instead Ask whether the venue holds a permanent ABC licence covering your event, and if not, which qualifying organisation would hold the daily licence instead.

No stated figure This rule sets a process rather than a number, and none has been invented to fill the column.

California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control — Daily License (ABC-221) instructions — opens on the authority's own site in a new tab · The deciding office, explaining its own rule · checked 2026-09-08

Temporary food service

Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Environmental Health Division

DPH-EH permits each temporary food facility at a community event and separately permits the organiser. The trigger is the number of food operations present, not the venue's kitchen, so a venue with a permitted kitchen can still host an event that needs several new permits.

Ask instead Ask how many separate food operations will be on site, and whether the organiser application has been filed in time.

Threshold at which a permit is required a community event runs no more than 25 consecutive or non-consecutive days in a 90-day period; organiser application due 30 days before

Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Environmental Health — Community Events — opens on the authority's own site in a new tab · The deciding office, explaining its own rule · checked 2026-09-08

Noise and amplified sound

San Francisco Entertainment Commission

The Entertainment Commission issues the one-time outdoor entertainment permit and the one-time outdoor amplified sound permit, and sets the sound limit each one is granted under. The venue does not set the limit and cannot extend the hours; the permit does, and it is issued to the event.

Ask instead Ask who applies for the permit and whose name it is issued in, then ask what sound limit the last comparable event at this address was granted — the number is on the permit, not in the venue's copy.

Hours, by the clock 09:00-22:00, maximum 6 hours per day

SF.gov — Get an entertainment permit for your outdoor event (Entertainment Commission) — opens on the authority's own site in a new tab · The deciding office, explaining its own rule · checked 2026-09-08

Tents and temporary structures

San Francisco Fire Department, Bureau of Fire Prevention

SFFD sets the area above which a tent needs both a construction permit and a fire operational permit, and treats open-sided canopies on a separate and larger threshold. It also fixes separation distances that quietly decide how many small canopies you can group.

Ask instead Ask whether the cover being proposed is a tent or an open-sided canopy, its area, and whether SFFD permits are already held for the venue's usual setup.

Threshold at which a permit is required in excess of 400 sq ft; open-sided canopies exempt individually up to 700 sq ft with 12 ft clearance

San Francisco Fire Department Administrative Bulletin 2.13 — Submittal Requirements for Temporary Tents and Membrane Structures — opens on the authority's own site in a new tab · The deciding office, explaining its own rule · checked 2026-09-08

Temporary food service

San Francisco Department of Public Health, Environmental Health

SFDPH permits temporary food facilities at any community event that sells or gives away food or drink, and caps how long one may run. Giving food away does not remove the permit.

Ask instead Ask whether food at your event is coming from the venue's permitted kitchen or from a booth that needs its own temporary permit, and who is filing it.

Threshold at which a permit is required no more than 25 days within a 90-day period; applications at least 2 weeks before the event

SF.gov — Guide to food permits for special events — opens on the authority's own site in a new tab · The deciding office, explaining its own rule · checked 2026-09-08

Alcohol

Local licensing authorities under M.G.L. c.138 §14 — in Boston, the Licensing Board for the City of Boston

The statute puts the special one-day licence in the hands of the local licensing authority, which sets its own fees, and limits who may be granted one — the responsible manager of an activity or enterprise, or of a non-profit. The state statute defines the class; the city board decides your date.

Ask instead Ask who would be named as responsible manager on the one-day application, and when the Licensing Board next hears applications before your date.

No stated figure This rule sets a process rather than a number, and none has been invented to fill the column.

Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 138, Section 14 — opens on the authority's own site in a new tab · State statute · checked 2026-09-08

Noise and amplified sound

Air Pollution Control Commission of the City of Boston

The Commission's noise regulations, made under M.G.L. c.40 §21 and Boston City Code Title 7 §50, set the level allowed at a receiving property by zoning district and by time of day. The venue is a source under those rules, not an authority over them.

Ask instead Ask which zoning district the nearest receiving property sits in, and what the venue's measured level is there once the daytime period ends.

Sound limit, in decibels residential districts: 60 dBA daytime, 50 dBA at all other times; daytime is 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. except Sundays

City of Boston Air Pollution Control Commission — Noise Regulations — opens on the authority's own site in a new tab · The deciding office, explaining its own rule · checked 2026-09-08

Tents and temporary structures

Boston Fire Department, Fire Prevention Division

BFD sets the point at which a tent stops being incidental and starts needing flame certification and stamped site plans, under 527 CMR 1.00 and the state-amended building code. Occupancy and area are both triggers, so a small tent full of people counts.

Ask instead Ask the tent's area and its intended occupancy, and who is producing the three sets of site plans if either figure is exceeded.

Threshold at which a permit is required no flame certification for a single or aggregate tent of 400 sq ft or less and fewer than 50 persons; above 400 sq ft, 3 sets of detailed site plans

Boston Fire Department Fire Prevention Division — Tent Requirements — opens on the authority's own site in a new tab · The deciding office, explaining its own rule · checked 2026-09-08

Alcohol

Louisiana Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control, after the City of New Orleans special event permit

The state ATC issues the special event alcohol permit, but only after the city's own special event permit is complete — the order is fixed and the fees differ sharply between beer alone and beer with wine or spirits.

Ask instead Ask which drinks are actually being served, since beer-only and full-bar sit at different state fees, and confirm the city permit is running far enough ahead to leave time for the state filing.

No stated figure This rule sets a process rather than a number, and none has been invented to fill the column.

City of New Orleans — Special Event Permit Guide and Applications — opens on the authority's own site in a new tab · The deciding office, explaining its own rule · checked 2026-09-08

Tents and temporary structures

New Orleans Fire Department, Fire Prevention Division

NOFD permits essentially every tent in Orleans Parish other than recreational camping, prices the permit off area and whether a fire watch is needed, and inspects on the day of the event. Larger structures and anything inside the inner city fire limits pick up sealed drawings and plan review.

Ask instead Ask whether the venue's usual marquee already carries an NOFD permit, what a fire watch would cost on your date, and whether sealed drawings are needed at your size.

Threshold at which a permit is required over 100 sq ft attracts fees, day-of inspection and fire regulations; over 1,200 sq ft or inside the inner city fire limits requires sealed drawings and plan review

City of New Orleans — Tent, Canopy, Temporary Membrane Structure Permit — opens on the authority's own site in a new tab · The deciding office, explaining its own rule · checked 2026-09-08

Occupant load

Nashville Fire Marshal's Office, under the Metropolitan Fire Prevention Code (Metro Code Chapter 10.64, adopting NFPA 1, 2018)

The Fire Marshal's Office issues the places-of-assembly operational permit that lets the room be used as an assembly space at all, priced in two bands by floor area and valid for twelve months or the event. Applications close fifteen business days out.

Ask instead Ask whether the venue holds a current places-of-assembly permit for the space you are hiring, and its expiry date relative to your event.

No stated figure This rule sets a process rather than a number, and none has been invented to fill the column.

Nashville Fire Marshal's Office — Operational Permits — opens on the authority's own site in a new tab · The deciding office, explaining its own rule · checked 2026-09-08

Alcohol

Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission

TABC licenses the caterer, not the venue, for liquor by the drink at an off-premises event, and requires the caterer to hold a permanent catering hall and commercial kitchen and to serve food as well as alcohol. Each catered event must be notified to TABC in advance.

Ask instead Ask which licensed caterer holds the LBD caterer licence for your date, and confirm they have notified TABC at least two full business days before the event.

No stated figure This rule sets a process rather than a number, and none has been invented to fill the column.

Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission — Liquor-by-the-Drink Caterer License — opens on the authority's own site in a new tab · The deciding office, explaining its own rule · checked 2026-09-08

Tents and temporary structures

Nashville Fire Marshal's Office

The Fire Marshal's Office permits tents and canopies at areas well below the figure most planners carry in their heads, and distinguishes an enclosed tent from an open canopy at different sizes.

Ask instead Ask whether the cover is a tent or a canopy and its area, since Nashville's tent trigger is 200 square feet rather than the 400 used in many other cities.

Threshold at which a permit is required tent or air-supported membrane structure in excess of 200 sq ft, or a canopy in excess of 400 sq ft

Nashville Fire Marshal's Office — Operational Permits — opens on the authority's own site in a new tab · The deciding office, explaining its own rule · checked 2026-09-08

Noise and amplified sound

City of Austin Development Services Department, Entertainment Services Group, under City Code Title 9 Chapter 9-2

Austin fixes both a ceiling and a nightly cut-off in the permit itself, and the cut-off varies by district and by day of week. The limit written on a particular venue's permit can be tighter than the citywide maximum, which is the number that actually governs your band.

Ask instead Ask for the decibel limit and cut-off time written on this venue's own outdoor music venue permit, not the citywide figure.

Sound limit, in decibels 85 dBA citywide maximum, 70 dBA for restaurant uses; standard citywide hours end 10:30 p.m. Mon–Wed, 11 p.m. Thu, midnight Fri–Sat

City of Austin — Outdoor Music Venue Permits — opens on the authority's own site in a new tab · The deciding office, explaining its own rule · checked 2026-09-08

Temporary food service

Austin Public Health, Environmental Health Services Division

Austin Public Health permits each booth at a temporary food event under City Code 10-3-96 and the Texas Food Establishment Rules, and charges an expedited fee for late filings. The permit is per booth, so a long buffet run by several suppliers is several permits.

Ask instead Ask how many separately permitted booths your food plan implies, and whether the applications will clear the ten-day deadline.

Threshold at which a permit is required 1–14 days per booth; complete applications at least 10 calendar days before the event

Austin Public Health — Temporary Food Events — opens on the authority's own site in a new tab · The deciding office, explaining its own rule · checked 2026-09-08

Occupant load

Seattle Fire Department, under the 2021 Seattle Fire Code

SFD sets two separate permit triggers: one for operating an assembly occupancy, and a lower one for temporary assembly use of a space not normally used that way. A warehouse or gallery hired for one night crosses the second threshold at half the headcount of the first.

Ask instead Ask whether the space is a standing assembly occupancy or is being used temporarily as one, because the permit trigger is 100 for the first and 50 for the second.

Threshold at which a permit is required occupant load of 100 or more (SFC 105.5.44); occupant load of 50 or more for temporary assembly use (SFC 105.5.54)

Seattle Fire Department — Activities Requiring a SFD Permit (2021 Seattle Fire Code) — opens on the authority's own site in a new tab · Local adoption of a code section · checked 2026-09-08

Alcohol

Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board

The LCB decides which instrument applies by asking whether anyone is charged for the drink. A banquet permit covers a private, invitation-only event where liquor is free or brought by guests and nothing may be charged for it; selling requires a special occasion licence, and that is open only to bona fide non-profits.

Ask instead Ask whether alcohol at your event will be sold or provided, because a cash bar and a hosted bar are two different applications with two different eligible holders.

No stated figure This rule sets a process rather than a number, and none has been invented to fill the column.

Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board — Banquet Permits — opens on the authority's own site in a new tab · The deciding office, explaining its own rule · checked 2026-09-08

Tents and temporary structures

Seattle Fire Department, Special Events

SFD permits tents above a set area, treats open-sided tents on a larger threshold, and applies a much smaller threshold to anything erected inside a sprinklered building. Filings under thirty days out attract late fees.

Ask instead Ask the tent's area, whether it is open-sided, whether any of it goes indoors, and who is filing thirty days out.

Threshold at which a permit is required outdoors, over 400 sq ft (open-sided tents exempt individually to 700 sq ft); indoors in a sprinklered building, over 100 sq ft

Seattle Fire Department — Tents and Flameproofing — opens on the authority's own site in a new tab · The deciding office, explaining its own rule · checked 2026-09-08

Temporary food service

Public Health — Seattle & King County, Food and Facilities Program

The county permits temporary food businesses at events by duration and fixed menu, and the late-application penalties escalate in the final week. The county, not the city and not the venue, is the permitting body.

Ask instead Ask whether your caterer holds a King County permit for this location and menu, and what the filing date is.

Threshold at which a permit is required fewer than 21 days at one location with a fixed menu, or up to 3 days per week for an approved recurring event; apply at least 14 days ahead

Public Health — Seattle & King County — Temporary food service business permit — opens on the authority's own site in a new tab · The deciding office, explaining its own rule · checked 2026-09-08

Alcohol

City and County of Denver Department of Excise and Licenses (Licensing and Consumer Protection)

Denver issues the special event liquor permit for sale by the drink on premises that hold no licence of their own, and restricts it to non-profit, fraternal, patriotic, political, athletic and similar bodies plus certain candidates. There is an annual cap per applicant.

Ask instead Ask whether the venue holds its own licence; if it does not, ask which qualifying organisation would apply and how many of its fifteen permitted days this year are already used.

Threshold at which a permit is required no more than 15 days in a calendar year to the same applicant

City and County of Denver — Special event liquor permit — opens on the authority's own site in a new tab · The deciding office, explaining its own rule · checked 2026-09-08

Noise and amplified sound

Denver Department of Public Health and Environment, Public Health Inspections Division

DDPHE sets the level allowed at the nearest residential or commercial property line and applies a far higher allowance to events that meet every one of the city's festival criteria. Missing a single criterion drops the daytime allowance by 25 dB, which is a different event. Denver revised its noise ordinance in 2025 and publishes a separate summary of the changes; this row was read from a requirements sheet that may predate them, so re-check it before relying on it.

Ask instead Ask whether your event meets Denver's festival criteria in full, because the daytime allowance is 80.0 dB(A) if it does and 55.0 dB(A) if it does not.

Sound limit, in decibels festival: 80.0 dB(A) 8 a.m.–10 p.m., 50.0 dB(A) 10 p.m.–7 a.m. at the nearest residential line; non-festival: 55.0 dB(A) 7 a.m.–10 p.m., 50.0 dB(A) 10 p.m.–7 a.m.

City and County of Denver — Denver Noise Ordinance Requirements — opens on the authority's own site in a new tab · The deciding office, explaining its own rule · checked 2026-09-08

One seller's published rate card · 2025

$33 to $47 per guest, entrée only

Scope Denver, CO — Colorado Convention Center in-house caterer

Published plated dinner entrée prices, vegetarian at the bottom of the band and steak at the top. Entrée only — starters and desserts (a further $11–$15) are priced separately, and the 24% service charge and 8% tax sit on top of all of it.

Where it misleads This is one exclusive in-house caterer at one convention centre; it says nothing about hotel or independent-caterer pricing, and a menu price is a list price before minimums are applied.

Colorado Convention Center — 2025 Sodexo Live catering menu — opens on the publisher's own site in a new tab · checked 2026-09-08

One seller's published rate card · 2023

$40 to $54 per bartender per hour

Scope US convention-centre catering — two named published menus

Published bartender labour: $40 per hour with a four-hour minimum at the Colorado Convention Center, and $270 per five hours ($54 per hour, $95 for each additional hour) at the Javits Center. Labour only — no drinks, no service charge.

Where it misleads The minimum call matters more than the rate: at four and five hours respectively, a two-hour drinks reception is billed at more than double the hourly figure, and the Javits additional-hour rate is higher than its base rate.

Colorado Convention Center 2025 Sodexo Live catering menu; Cultivated catering menu, Jacob K. Javits Convention Center (2023) — opens on the publisher's own site in a new tab · checked 2026-09-08

One seller's published rate card · 2025

8% sales tax, applied to food, beverage and the service charge

Scope Denver, CO — Colorado Convention Center

4% State of Colorado plus 4% City and County of Denver, and the menu states that tax applies to the service charge as well as to the food. Measures the tax rate at one venue in one city, nothing else.

Where it misleads Whether sales tax applies to a service charge is decided state by state, so this figure travels nowhere; the point that survives the journey is that you must ask, not that the answer is 8%.

Colorado Convention Center — 2025 Sodexo Live catering menu — opens on the publisher's own site in a new tab · checked 2026-09-08

One seller's published rate card · 2025

No figure — this row records what the charge is, not how much it is

Scope US convention-centre catering — two named published menus

Both venues state in their own menus that the service charge is a house or administrative charge and is not a gratuity: the Javits menu says it 'is not purported to be a gratuity, and will not be distributed as gratuities to employees', and the Denver menu uses near-identical wording. Measures what the charge is, not how much it is, and does not tell you whether staff are tipped at all.

Where it misleads A planner who reads a 22–24% service charge as gratuity and then tips on top has paid twice; a planner who reads it as gratuity and tips nothing has left the floor staff with whatever the house chose to pass on.

Cultivated catering menu, Jacob K. Javits Convention Center (2023); Colorado Convention Center 2025 Sodexo Live catering menu — opens on the publisher's own site in a new tab · checked 2026-09-08

One seller's published rate card · 2023

22.5% to 24% of the food and beverage bill

Scope US convention-centre catering — two named published menus

The mandatory service or administration charge applied to food and beverage: 22.5% at the Javits Center (Cultivated) and 24% at the Colorado Convention Center. It measures the charge itself, not staffing, which both venues bill separately again.

Where it misleads Two published rate cards are two data points, not a market. Treat this as evidence that a 22–24% charge is unremarkable at large US venues, not as a benchmark a hotel or independent caterer must meet.

Cultivated catering menu, Jacob K. Javits Convention Center (2023); Colorado Convention Center 2025 Sodexo Live catering menu (2025) — opens on the publisher's own site in a new tab · checked 2026-09-08

Government wage statistic · 2026

$16.51 to $19.61 per hour, as wages paid to the worker

Scope United States — national, all industries

Median ($16.51) and mean ($19.61) hourly wage for bartenders (SOC 35-3011) across the whole US economy. This is what the bartender is paid, not what you are billed.

Where it misleads Comparing this to the $40–$54 billed rate two rows above and concluding you are being overcharged is the mistake this row invites: the billed rate carries payroll tax, insurance, supervision, travel and margin. Use it as a floor, never as a target.

US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 — opens on the publisher's own site in a new tab · checked 2026-09-08

One seller's published rate card · 2025

$40 to $51.20 per server per hour

Scope US convention-centre catering — two named published menus

Published floor-staff labour: $40 per hour with a four-hour minimum at the Colorado Convention Center, and $256 per five hours ($51.20 per hour, $88 for each additional hour) at the Javits Center. Excludes chef attendants and captains, which both venues price higher again.

Where it misleads These are the rates for staff you order on top of the service charge; neither menu tells you how many servers the house considers included, which is the number that actually decides the bill.

Colorado Convention Center 2025 Sodexo Live catering menu; Cultivated catering menu, Jacob K. Javits Convention Center (2023) — opens on the publisher's own site in a new tab · checked 2026-09-08

Government wage statistic · 2026

$18.28 to $20.42 per hour, as wages paid to the worker

Scope United States — national, all industries

Median ($18.28) and mean ($20.42) hourly wage for security guards (SOC 33-9032). Wage paid to the guard; excludes agency overhead, minimum call, and any licensing the venue insists on.

Where it misleads Event and licensed-premises security is a small, higher-paid slice of this occupation and metro wages run well above the national median, so a quoted rate several times this figure is not on its own evidence of anything.

US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 — opens on the publisher's own site in a new tab · checked 2026-09-08

One seller's published rate card · 2026

$313.50 to $447.75 per 20A 120V outlet, for the run of the event

Scope New York, NY — Javits Center in-house electrical

Published price for a single 1501–2000W / 20A 120V drop: $313.50 booked in advance, $447.75 at the standard (late) rate. One outlet, for the run of the event; distribution beyond the drop and any labour to place it are separate.

Where it misleads The 43% spread between the two figures is a deadline penalty, not a market range — the same outlet, ordered late. Larger services scale steeply: the same list prices a 201–400A three-phase 24-hour service at $6,010.50 in advance.

Jacob K. Javits Convention Center — 2026 Exhibitor Price List — opens on the publisher's own site in a new tab · checked 2026-09-08

One seller's published rate card · 2025

$174.91 to $262.37 per rigger per hour

Scope Orlando, FL — Orange County Convention Center in-house rigging

Published rigging labour, straight time to overtime (overtime applies after 8 hours). Labour only: motors and hoists are priced separately again, and the centre publishes a $1,049.46 initial deposit for a three-rigger in-and-out.

Where it misleads Rigging at an exclusive-labour convention centre is close to the ceiling of what this line costs; a hotel ballroom with a rated grid and no exclusivity is a different market entirely, and this figure will badly overstate it.

Orange County Convention Center — Exhibitor Price List, Electric and Rigging — opens on the publisher's own site in a new tab · checked 2026-09-08

One seller's published rate card · 2022

$60 per person per hour

Scope Orlando, FL — Orange County Convention Center

Published clean-up or repair labour under Environmental Services, per person per hour, with time and one-half after 8 hours in a day or on holidays. Labour only; it does not include waste haulage or any surcharge for what was spilled.

Where it misleads Four years old and unindexed; treat it as a 2022 floor rather than a current rate, and note that the BLS May 2025 median wage for janitors and cleaners is $17.71 per hour, so most of this figure is not wages.

Orange County Convention Center — Event Personnel, Services, Equipment and Utilities Rates for Show Management (effective 8 August 2022) — opens on the publisher's own site in a new tab · checked 2026-09-08

One seller's published rate card · 2026

from $75 as a published minimum premium

Scope United States — one named carrier's published wedding and event product

Markel's published lowest premium for event liability, with bodily injury and property damage limits available up to $2 million and a $1,000 property damage deductible. Event cancellation is a separate cover with its own published minimum of $130.

Where it misleads A published minimum is an advertising floor, not a quote: the premium moves with guest count, alcohol, venue requirements and limits, and a venue that demands to be named as additional insured at $2 million will not be buying the $75 policy.

Markel — Wedding and event insurance — opens on the publisher's own site in a new tab · checked 2026-09-08

One seller's published rate card · 2026

1.31× to 1.5× of the same trade's straight-time rate

Scope US convention centres — two named published price lists

Published overtime as a multiple of the same trade's straight-time rate: Javits electrical labour $86.37 to $113.25 per half hour (1.31x), OCCC rigging $174.91 to $262.37 per hour (1.50x). Measures the labour premium only, not venue or supplier overtime fees.

Where it misleads The multiple is the least important part: what triggers it is. Javits straight time runs 7:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Monday to Friday, so an evening event is entirely at overtime and the 1.31x applies to every hour, not to a few at the end.

Jacob K. Javits Convention Center 2026 Exhibitor Price List; Orange County Convention Center Exhibitor Price List, Electric and Rigging — opens on the publisher's own site in a new tab · checked 2026-09-08