Pricing Strategy — Maison Pan Strategy

Executive Summary

Advisory session benchmark€150–€300/hr for specialist creative consultants

6-week package benchmark€3,000–€4,500 (effective rate €250–€375/hr)

Project work benchmark10–20% of total project budget (industry standard)

Key principleNever discount — reduce scope instead

Industry Benchmarks

Hourly / Session Rates

Level	Rate	Context
Entry-level creative consultant	€75 – €150/hr	Building portfolio, limited track record
Mid-tier specialist	€150 – €300/hr	Established niche expertise — Marie is here
Premium / luxury advisory	€300 – €500+/hr	Top-tier hospitality and luxury brand experience

Sources: Function Point, Consulting Success, EventPlanning.com

Package Programs

Comparable	Format	Price	Notes
Harbinger Consultancy — Creative Placemaking Course	3 × 2hr live sessions	$425–$525	Group webinar format, not 1:1
Harbinger + 1:1 Coaching	3 sessions + private call	$495–$595	This is the entry-level package equivalent
Brand Journey Partner — Hotel workshops	Multi-day on-site	Custom	"VP-level guidance at a fraction of the cost"
Heather Bullard — Creative consulting	1:1 sessions + workshops	Custom	Sold-out workshops internationally

Project-Based Fees

Service Type	Fee Model	Benchmark
Event planning / management	% of event budget	10–20% (15% most common)^[1]
Art consulting / procurement	Commission on art value	5–20% (sliding scale)^[2]
Hospitality art markup	Markup on art procurement	100%+ above artist cost^[3]
Brand activation at festivals	Fixed project fee	$15K–$150K per event^[4]

Retainer Benchmarks

Type	Monthly Range	Notes
Operational advisory (SME level)	€2,000 – €6,000/mo	Basic ongoing access and guidance
Growth / strategic advisory	€6,000 – €15,000/mo	Active strategic direction
Specialized niche advisory	€5,000 – €20,000/mo	Deep domain expertise — residency management fits here

Sources: NMS Consulting, Consulting Success

Recommended Pricing for Marie

Positioning principle: Marie is not a generic event planner or art consultant. She is a practitioner-founder with multi-city operational experience in a niche with essentially zero competition. Price accordingly — mid-to-premium specialist, not entry-level.

Tier	Recommended Price	Justification
Discovery Call	Free (30 min max)	Industry standard. Screening only — no strategy. See call script.
Advisory Package (6 weeks)	€3,000 – €4,500	6 × 60-min sessions = 6 hrs live + ~6 hrs prep/Blueprint writing. Effective rate: €250–€375/hr. Aligned with mid-tier specialist benchmark.
Pop-Up / Event Residency	€10,000 – €20,000	15% of a typical €70K–€130K event budget (see project benchmark). Or flat fee based on scope. Includes concept, artist sourcing, programming design, launch oversight.
Long-Term Partnership	€4,000 – €6,000/mo	Ongoing creative direction + artist management. Below the ceiling for specialized niche (€20K/mo) but above operational SME (€2K/mo). See retainer benchmarks.
Day Rate (on-site)	€1,000 + travel	~8 hours at €125/hr. Deliberately lower than hourly to incentivize on-site work (higher impact, better for portfolio building).
Workshop / Masterclass	€2,000 – €3,000	Half-day to full-day. Comparable to premium creative workshop pricing.

Pricing Rules

1. Never discount. If a client pushes on price, reduce scope — don't reduce rate. "I can do 4 sessions instead of 6 at €2,000" preserves your per-hour value. See objection handling.

2. Always quote a range. A range signals flexibility without committing to the floor. The final price depends on scope, not negotiation.

3. Anchor high. When presenting the three-tier structure, always present Partnership first. It makes the Pop-Up look reasonable and the Advisory look like a no-brainer.

4. Charge from interaction two. The first call is free. Everything after that is paid. No "just one more question" calls. No free follow-ups. The paid discovery step is the conversion point.

The most common mistake: Giving away strategy for free. If Marie finds herself answering "how should I structure the residency?" or "which artists should I approach?" on a free call, she's giving away Tier 1 content. The line is simple: what and why are free (in content marketing, talks, social). How, specifically, for you is paid. Full breakdown on the Playbook page.

Revenue Scenarios (Year 1)

Conservative projections assuming Marie is ramping up alongside continuing to run Maison Pan.

Scenario	Mix	Annual Revenue
Conservative	4 × advisory + 1 × pop-up	€22,000 – €38,000
Moderate	6 × advisory + 2 × pop-up + 2 × workshop	€53,000 – €89,000
Optimistic	6 × advisory + 2 × pop-up + 1 × retainer (6 mo) + 3 × workshop	€83,000 – €137,000

Key insight: One long-term partnership retainer (€4K–€6K/mo for 6 months) is worth €24K–€36K — more than the combined advisory revenue in the conservative scenario. The strategic goal should be converting pop-up clients into retainers.

Sources

EventPlanning.com, "How to Charge a Fee for Your Event Planning Service"
Fine Art Brokers, "Our Fee Structure"
Hospitality art procurement markup benchmarks — industry standard (KBAA, Artelier, ArtLink)
Ticket Fairy, "Case Study: Arts Residency Micro-Festivals"
NMS Consulting, "Consulting Fees and Pricing in 2026"
Consulting Success, "Consulting Retainer"
The Harbinger Consultancy, creative placemaking training pricing
Function Point, "Are You Charging Enough at Your Creative Agency?"