Why are prices changing?
I'm sure you're aware that inflation has been affecting prices everywhere, yet we have not increased our rental rates since 2019. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Consumer Price Index has risen over 20% since our last price increase, which directly affects ours costs operating the MATCH facility.
Who is affected by the new prices?
Rental Fees
We are honoring the old rental fees for all events already on the calendar for the next year. So if you already have an event scheduled between now and June 2024, your quoted rental price will not change. All newly-scheduled events will be subject to the new prices. We will be charging the new rates for events that have already been scheduled after July 1, 2024, which should be enough time to make other plans if needed.
Ticket Fees
The new ticket fee will be applied to all tickets sold through the MATCH box office for events that start September 4 or later. Since the vast majority of renters pass these fees on to patrons, the increase should have minimal effect on most events. Our ticket fees remain far lower than other venues in Houston.
Technical Labor Charges
The new rate for technical labor will apply to all events starting September 4. Technical labor charges only cover our actual cost of hiring crew (payroll, taxes, insurance, etc.) for your event, and it's not realistic to pay crew less on some shows than on others. In fact doing so would make it extremely difficult to find qualified people willing to work the lower-paid events.
Other Changes
Event Hold Fee
The event hold fee will remain at $100 for most events, but we will now be charging $100 per week and per venue. So if you just want to reserve a night or a weekend, the hold fee will be the same as it has been. But for bigger events that span multiple weeks, or will take place in multiple spaces (Matchboxes and Gallery), the hold fee will be higher to reflect the larger impact these events have on scheduling.
Payment Schedule
We previously required a security deposit and final rent payment (for events not utilizing our box office) 7 days before the rental begins. We now will be moving this to 10 days to allow more time to follow up if the payment is missed for some reason.