Hosting Dinner Detective Shows
Are you seeking ways to entice potential patrons to your establishment while highlighting your distinctive features? Allow The Dinner Detective to captivate and delight with their immersive murder mystery dinner show, ensuring a memorable and enjoyable outing.
Host our show to attract new customers and create a buzz. We take care of everything from marketing, ticket sales, and entertainment so that you can focus on your team's core strengths.
We want to give our guests a great experience without breaking the bank. We've included venue agreements and are excited to work together for a win-win deal. Note that pricing may vary depending on location and other factors.
After reviewing the below information, schedule a follow-up call with Kasey.
Let's work together to develop a successful long-term partnership. Schedule a call via the link below to review our seamless process and discuss the proposed menu and space. You can schedule a call with Kasey using the link below.
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The Dinner Detective Sneak Peek!
How It All Works
This isn't every single detail but some of the most important.
Cast Details:
Every show has nine cast members, four among the guests and four backstage, and the "first to die" leaves right after Act 1.
On Saturday nights, the cast arrives for rehearsals at about 4:30 - 5:00 PM, and guest check-in begins at 6:00 pm.
The greenroom is an unused banquet space or boardroom. The cast needs it as a safe place to be off-stage, keep their belongings, and store props and clues for the show.
Free parking for each cast member (if applicable)
We will hold auditions for local performers 6-8 weeks before the Grand Opening. We will be looking to hire 30-40 performers.
What's Served:
- Plated meal with three entree selections (i.e., Chicken, Fish, and Vegetarian are the most common selections), just like any other event, occasional dietary requests.
- You can find menus for some of our locations by scrolling down to the bottom of the page.
Minimums and Deposits:
Venue F&B not to exceed 40 guests plated meals.
We don't make deposits. However, we keep a Credit Card on file, and the hotel/venue is welcome to hold pre-authorization or Direct Pay.
Amount of Performances
2-4 shows a month, depending on demand. This can increase substantially from December through February.
Show Attendance:
Ranges between 40 and 90 approx, with an average of 79 guests per show.
A critical time for Hotel/Venue Availability:
- November, December, and February are our busiest months. We host four times as many shows as usual during these months, including public and private events.
Bar Revenues:
Bar revenues are typically between $700 and $900 per show. Depending on logistics, we can increase revenue by setting up a bar outside the room 45 minutes before check-in. If your venue takes credit cards at the bar, this will likely increase your revenue by 20-30%.
Private Shows:
Our team can schedule private events to accommodate our client's specific date, time, and size needs. We will confirm venue availability and book it accordingly. If the requested venue is unavailable, we will strive to find an alternative date that best suits our clients.
The Public Show Contract terms must apply to all future private shows. Should the client want upgrades, we will refer them to the hotel for F&B.
Should the client want an upgraded menu, we will shift the F&B to the hotel/venue to contract that portion separately rather than try to be an intermediary. We ask that no changes to the "flow" of the show change, that the hotel only negotiates the F&B, and that communications and coordination remain primarily with Dinner Detective Producers outside of F&B.
Room Size:
Ideally, 1400 - 1800 square feet, but there is some flexibility, but we always want to limit a public show to at most 80-90 Guests.
Ticket Sale Availability:
We must be able to sell tickets until the day before the show. Let's discuss this matter in-depth.
Current Locations:
We have several locations across the United States, including San Diego, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Kansas City, Houston, Louisville, Lexington, Charlotte, Raleigh, and Greensboro. We are also excited to announce that we will be opening new locations in Huntsville, AL and Wilmington, NC soon.
Required Concessions & Functions for Contract
Contract Length:
- To ensure smooth operations and prioritize marketing and ticket sales, we require a minimum 12-month booking for our venues. Managing show dates across 14 cities can be challenging, so having all contracts in place is crucial to simplify the process.
- Flexibility: We strive to establish a mutually beneficial relationship with our venues. We are open to relocating to a different area or rescheduling the event with sufficient notice to accommodate the venue's booking of other important events such as conventions, weddings, or citywide events.
Guarantee/Ordering Timeline:
- To maximize ticket sales The Dinner Detective will send its initial guarantee that the banquet needs three (3) business days before the event. The Dinner Detective will guarantee banquet needs and approve all banquet orders by 5 pm one (1) day before the event. The final guarantee is provided no later than noon on the event day. If an event is sold out and finalized, this will be noted.
Sales Taxes:
- In several states, it is necessary that The Dinner Detective directly remit the sales tax for an event's meal and entertainment aspects. To prevent double taxation, we can furnish you with a Sales Tax License or resale certificate tailored to your state (depending on your state's requirements). With this, you can exempt the sales tax that the venue would have charged, and we will remit the sales tax directly to the state.
Cast Meals:
For every show, there are nine Cast Members in total, with four of them performing onstage and four working backstage. Due to the unique nature of the performance, four performers must also sit among the guests during dinner. Therefore, we require identical meals for these performers that are complimentary. The remaining four actors will need four complimentary entrees, which can be either the same as the guests' meals or the chef's recommended choice.
Storage:
We will have a small shed where we keep our supplies on-site - Click Here for dimensions and some of our auxiliary/overflow boxes. We do our best to keep this to a minimum.
Greenroom:
This is a staging area for our cast to be behind the scenes, keep personal belongings, and be off-stage after being "killed."
Cast Parking:
Nine complimentary parking passes (if applicable)
Bartender Fee:
Waived
Auditions & Site Visits:
The venue will provide one (1) complimentary guest room and meeting space for The Dinner Detective to hold auditions. To be held annually; dates decided upon input from the hotel and Dinner Detective.
Attachments:
Contract Examples:
Most contracts are nearly identical outside some individual company requirements, primarily for their purposes rather than ours.
Guarantee/Order form:
Includes meal counts and shows schedule.
Venue Contacts:
Feel free to reach out to any of these venues to learn about the positive outcomes of partnering with us.
*We will send you an email with the proposed show dates for your city.
Menu Examples:
Menus -
-The next step is to start working on a proposed contract and discuss any necessary details. -
Please let me know if any specific areas need focus or if you have questions.
-Looking forward to hearing back soon!