The budget
What a live activation actually costs.
There is no flat sticker price because no two activations are shaped the same. Here is exactly what moves the number so you can build a realistic line item before you even call us.
Anchor numbers
A place to start.
Local Orange County, Los Angeles, and San Diego events carry no travel fee. Las Vegas and nationwide programs add travel and, on bigger runs, freight for equipment.
What moves the number
Six things that shape your quote.
Station count
One hero DTF press for an intimate pop-up costs far less than a wall of stations feeding a festival lounge. More lines means more operators and more equipment.
Hours on site
Staffing is billed by the hour and includes setup and teardown, not just the live window. A two-hour VIP moment prices differently than an all-day expo.
Guest volume
The number of finished pieces you want to hand out drives blank quantities and how many operators keep the line moving.
Products
Bella+Canvas tees, premium hoodies, Richardson 112 caps, tote bags, and tumblers all carry different blank costs and prep.
Artwork
A clean one-color logo is quick. Multiple campaign designs, patches, or digitized embroidery files add prep time.
Travel & venue
Distance, load-in rules, and convention-center labor requirements can all change the logistics line.
How we build your quote
Send four things — the date, the city, an expected guest count, and the products you picture guests walking away with — and we turn that into a real range rather than a guess. A complete quote spells out the station lineup, operator hours including setup and teardown, blank costs, artwork prep, and any travel or freight.
Questions
Common questions
Why is there no fixed price list?
A live activation is a service, not a product on a shelf. The cost depends on how many stations run, how long they run, how many finished pieces you want handed out, which garments you choose, and where the event is. We quote from your actual run of show so you are not paying for a generic package that does not fit.
What does a local activation typically start at?
A single staffed station at a local Orange County, Los Angeles, or San Diego event commonly starts around $5,000 once you factor in operators, equipment, blanks, and artwork prep. Larger multi-station activations scale up from there.
How does travel work?
Events inside Orange County, Los Angeles, and San Diego carry no travel fee. A flat $900 travel fee applies outside that zone, and Las Vegas or national programs may add freight for equipment depending on the setup.
Start a build
Tell us the campaign once.
Share the brand, the moment you are activating around, guest count, city, and the date. Merch Troop will come back with the right made-in-the-moment station, crew, and product plan for your run of show.