How To Add An AI Caricature Booth To Your Photo Booth Business
A photo booth company already has what an AI caricature booth needs to sell: the clients, the venues and the calendar. Here are the events that buy it, how to price it and the day.
Why It Fits A Photo Booth Company
Planners, venues and couples already book you for guest entertainment. A drawn portrait gives you a new reason to call them, not a new market to open.
It travels light. The arm and both bases fit in a small suitcase, the camera is the guest's own phone and one person sets it up in about ten minutes.
And it doesn't compete with your booth. Guests leave with a photo strip and a portrait drawn in pen, two keepsakes from the same vendor.
The US Events That Buy It
Any event where guests wait their turn and want something to take home is a fit. These are the ones photo booth companies already sell to:
- Weddings: a portrait of every guest on 4 × 6" paper, with the couple's names or the date in the margin.
- Sweet 16s, quinceañeras and bar and bat mitzvahs: guests choose from the styles you switch on, and the line becomes part of the party.
- Corporate events and holiday parties: the company logo is drawn into every portrait, so the keepsake takes the brand home.
- Trade shows and brand activations: the line at the booth is the point, and LeadFlow™ can capture a consented contact before each drawing.
- Venues: an add-on that wedding venues and event halls can offer to every client who books with them.
How To Price It Next To Your Photo Booth
Two US references frame the price. Booking data from around 118,000 photo booth rentals puts the typical event at about $681, with the middle half between $452 and $1,022.
Live caricaturists publish $125 to $150 an hour with a two hour minimum, so your clients are used to paying $250 to $300 for two hours of one artist.
Against those numbers, the robot draws far more guests:
| Format | Published price | Faces per hour |
|---|---|---|
| Live caricaturist, black and white | $125 to $150 an hour, 2 hour minimum | About 20 (around 3 min each) |
| Digital caricaturist, Florida | From $200 an hour, 2 hour minimum | Up to 10 in color |
| PictiaX® AI caricature booth | Your price | 50 to 60 per arm |
You can sell it as an add-on to your booth package or as its own booking. Whatever you charge, 100 guests cost you between $13.40 and $19.00 in PICTICOINS.
What Changes On The Day
Guests scan a QR code and take the photo with their own phone, so nobody lines up in front of the arm to be photographed.
You run the event from the PictiaX® portal on your phone, tablet or laptop: the styles, the queue and the gallery. Only PictiaX® Bridge is installed, on the computer by the arm.
If the venue Wi-Fi is weak you can tether to your phone, and if the network drops the queue is saved and pending portraits are retried.
What It Costs To Start
The complete PictiaX® system costs $3,500 before tax, with the arm, the software forever, 500 portraits, two bases and a three year warranty.
Shipping and import duties are extra. The full breakdown is in our guide to what an AI caricature robot costs in the US.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I add a caricature robot to my photo booth packages?
Yes. The clients and venues are the same, and the system runs next to your booth on a small table. You sell it as an add-on or as its own booking.
How much should I charge for a caricature booth?
You set it. As a reference, US caricaturists publish $125 to $150 an hour with a two hour minimum, and your cost with PictiaX® is from $0.12 a portrait.
How many guests can it draw at a wedding?
Around 60 seconds per portrait, so 50 to 60 guests an hour per arm. A 100 guest wedding takes about two hours with one arm.
Do I need a camera or a printer?
No. Guests take the photo with their own phone, and the robot draws the portrait in pen on paper.
