Write cancellation terms before booking
A cancelled project can leave reserved time, supplier charges, and unfinished work unpaid. Clear terms help both sides understand what happens when plans change.
The cost of a disappearing booking
An event host books a photographer months ahead and cancels the week before. The photographer turned away another job and paid an assistant deposit. Without agreed cancellation terms, both sides may remember the booking differently.
Match terms to commitments
Third-party costs need a rule
The appropriate structure depends on how much work and cost accumulate at each stage. A booking deposit may cover reservation, while a later fee may reflect committed production or completed preparation. Identify third-party costs separately and state whether the client must approve them in advance. A postponement is not the same as cancellation if a new date can be accommodated, but moving the project may still create cost. The agreement should describe notice, refund or credit treatment, ownership of work completed so far, and the timing of final payment. Fair, specific terms are easier to explain than a large fee with no rationale.
Plan for postponement too
Create a short cancellation schedule that mirrors the real work timeline. Discuss it before the client signs, and retain written notice of any change in dates or scope.
Map commitment dates
Take a typical booking and mark when you commit outside suppliers, begin preparation, and block the production date. Write the cost you could not recover at each point.
Make the schedule understandable
Enforceability and consumer-protection rules differ. Have important terms reviewed for the location and type of client you serve.
