A guest artist arrives on Monday
A guest artist you admire is coming for a week. She has been taking bookings for your city through her own Instagram. Some clients paid her a deposit directly. Others were told to contact your studio, which took deposits by bank transfer. On Monday morning she sends your front desk a list of her clients from her notes app. Two of them are not on your list, one of yours is not on hers, and one station is double-booked with a resident artist because nobody blocked it out.
At the end of the week you sit down to work out what she owes the studio under your agreement and what the studio owes her. Nobody is quite sure which deposits went where.
Two businesses sharing one week
A guest spot is a short partnership. The guest brings clients and style; you bring a station, a front desk and local reach. The admin for that partnership is usually improvised.
- Bookings are made through the guest's own channels and not entered into the studio diary until the week begins.
- Deposits are taken by the guest, by the studio, or both.
- Stations and times are not blocked in the diary, so they clash with residents.
- Consent forms and your studio's procedures are explained to the guest on the day.
- The settlement at the end is worked out from memory and messages.
Awkward week, awkward ending
Clients turn up who the front desk does not expect. Resident artists find their station taken. Deposit questions are answered by guessing, which risks paying out the wrong amount or asking a client for money they have already paid. The settlement conversation, which should be friendly, becomes an argument about which transfer was for what. Guests who have a messy week are less likely to come back.
How we build guest spot booking
- When a guest spot is agreed, it is set up in the studio system with dates, station and your agreement terms, such as the studio's share or chair fee.
- The guest gets a booking link for their spot, with your studio's enquiry form, to share on their Instagram. Clients book and pay deposits through it.
- Bookings go straight into the studio diary against the guest and their station, so clashes are impossible.
- Clients receive your studio's consent form and pre-session messages, so they arrive prepared.
- If the guest has already taken deposits themselves, they are entered once and marked as held by the guest.
- At the end of the week, a settlement statement shows each session, payments, deposits held by whom and the amounts due each way under your agreement.
| Item | Before | With guest spot booking |
|---|---|---|
| Client list | Guest's notes app | Studio diary, visible to the desk |
| Station | Assumed free | Blocked for the week |
| Deposits | Paid to guest or studio | One route, with any exceptions recorded |
| Settlement | Worked out from messages | Statement generated from records |
The split or chair fee is whatever you and your guest agree. The statement applies it; it does not suggest one.
A guest week that runs itself
The front desk knows who is coming and when. Residents keep their stations. Clients arrive with forms done. At the end of the week, the guest and the studio look at the same statement and settle in a few minutes. You can see how each guest spot went, which helps decide who to invite back.
Are guest spots messy at your studio?
- Guest artists send their client list on the first morning.
- Deposits are paid to the guest, the studio or both.
- Stations clash with resident artists.
- Settlement is worked out from messages.
- Clients of guests arrive without having done your paperwork.