How do I quote chairs and tables for an event that runs three days?
Every line has a single quantity and a single unit price, so you have two options: price each piece for the whole event (40 chairs at the three-day rate), or make the quantity ‘pieces × days’. Either way, say which in the description, such as ‘Chair rental, 3 days’, and add delivery and setup as a line of its own.
Option one: a price per piece for the whole event
This is the clearest for the client. They want to know what a chair costs for the whole exhibition or wedding, not to do the multiplication themselves. Here is a rental company in Jeddah fitting out a three-day exhibition:
40 chairs × 45 (three-day rate) = 1,800.00.
4 tables × 350 = 1,400.00.
Delivery, setup and collection × 1 = 300.00.
Subtotal 3,500.00, tax at the rate the company entered (15%) 525.00, total 4,025.00 SAR.
Option two: pieces × days
This suits a business with a fixed daily rate that rents for varying periods. Put pieces multiplied by days in the quantity: 40 chairs for three days is 120, and at a daily rate of 15 the line again comes to 1,800.00. Write ‘Chair rental, 40 pieces × 3 days’ in the description so the client does not expect 120 chairs to arrive.
The trap: dividing a three-day price by 3
If a table costs 350 for the event and you turn that into a daily rate, the division gives 116.666… and you end up typing 116.67. A line of 12 table-days then comes to 1,400.04 instead of 1,400.00, and the total to 4,025.05 instead of 4,025.00. A small gap, but it confuses a client comparing against an earlier quote. The rule: if the daily rate is not a clean number, price by the event.
The steps in the tool
- Open the Quotation generator and give the quote a number that identifies the event, such as EXPO-JED-01.
- Add each item as its own line: chairs, tables, covers if any.
- Add a line for delivery, setup and collection with a quantity of 1.
- Set a validity date, since wedding and exhibition seasons get busy and today's price may not suit you in a month.
- In the notes, give the delivery and pick-up dates and who is responsible for damage or loss.
What if the event runs a day longer?
With option two, change the quantity from 120 to 160 and create the file again. With option one, change the piece price to the four-day rate. Either way, give the revised quote a new number so the two versions do not get mixed up. Once the event is over, create the invoice with the final figures in the Basic invoice generator.
Common questions
Should a refundable deposit on the chairs be a line on the quote?
Better not, because every line goes into the subtotal and is taxed. Mention it in the notes.
Can the quantity be half a day?
Yes, the quantity accepts decimals such as 1.5, though a separate half-day price is usually clearer for the client.
How many items can I add?
Up to 200 lines in a single quote.