First mermaid gig! HELP!

[The_MermaidBrianna]

I have my first ever mermaid gig on the 10th of september, and i feel super unprepared! My mertender wont be home until october, so i have my mom who is willing to help me in any way that i need. She cant carry me, so i was thinking about getting a wagon and she can pull me to the pool and i can hop out or something. Haven't figured that part out yet. Anyways, i have a whole bunch of questions. Should I accept the payment before the party or afterwards? I can only accept cash and check, am i going to need a reciept to give my client after they pay me? The gig is a company pool party, so there will be adults and children there, what kind of things should i do to entertain everyone? Most of the event will be in the pool. I will take any advice i can get!

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[TheSaltySiren]

Hey there! Congrats on your first mermaid gig! There are a bunch of threads on here that can help with what you need, but here is my advice and tips :)

Bring a yoga mat to help you slide in the pool, will prevent damage to your tail. Always accept payment before hand, or at least a deposit and a receipt is up to you.
As for entertainment, Do some tail flicks, flips and stuff in the water. Bubbles kisses are fun to. Maybe read a story to the kids, tell tales of your adventures. If you have some dive toys get the kids to throw them in the pool for you to dive and retrieve.

Just remember to have fun :)

[The_MermaidBrianna]

Hey there! Congrats on your first mermaid gig! There are a bunch of threads on here that can help with what you need, but here is my advice and tips :)

Bring a yoga mat to help you slide in the pool, will prevent damage to your tail. Always accept payment before hand, or at least a deposit and a receipt is up to you.
As for entertainment, Do some tail flicks, flips and stuff in the water. Bubbles kisses are fun to. Maybe read a story to the kids, tell tales of your adventures. If you have some dive toys get the kids to throw them in the pool for you to dive and retrieve.

Just remember to have fun :)
Ohhhh dive toys, i love that idea! Im not sure how many kids will be there, and what age, so i hope they all love mermaids! Thanks for the advice! :)

[Mermaid Arabella]

Tip on dive toys: dive for all of them at once, or you might be pelted by the ones you left on the surface. Even if you need to make multiple dives, make sure you either keep the others in your hands, or hand them off to someone (a merwrangler ideally) to hold until you're done.

ETA: This isn't from gig experience, this is from growing up with a pool experience. Kids can be jerks. Better safe than sorry.

[The_MermaidBrianna]

Oh man, ive already been hit and tugged at by kids, so i understand it! Haha Thank you! I will make sure they dive for them all at once, and i will make something up like that they are super rare mermaid rings, so please dont throw them at eachother or me. Haha

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[Winged Mermaid]

You can buy dollies at Home Depot or Lowes (like this one (http://www.lowes.com/pd/Rubbermaid-Commercial-Products-Resin-Dolly/3826355)). I use them to have my mertender push me to the pool's edge from the changing area, to cut down on any back or slipping injuries. They're a lot more heavy duty than wagons and have a flat top so they're easier to get on/off IMO. I also use mine to cart stuff into and out of the gig, and around wherever- very handy!

You can accept payment before or after. But here's the thing, if you accept after, they might give you a tip! Not all folks do, but I've had some pretty generous tips before. But if you are doubtful, take it beforehand. You don't need a receipt for them, but if you want to make one that would be fine :)

How long is your gig? If it's only an hour, even two hours, most people are perfectly happy just swimming and interacting with you. Kids ask LOTS of questions, so be prepared for that! Other than that you could give mermaid rides to small kids (if you're comfortable with that), teach them how to blow bubble kisses (easy), or teach bubble rings (a good challenge for teens). If you have enough room you could have a race (some teens like this, they would like to think they could out swim a mermaid!). You can also google "pool games" for lots of ideas on fun pool games to play! But sometimes the kids aren't into playing organized games.

[The_MermaidBrianna]

You can buy dollies at Home Depot or Lowes (like this one (http://www.lowes.com/pd/Rubbermaid-Commercial-Products-Resin-Dolly/3826355)). I use them to have my mertender push me to the pool's edge from the changing area, to cut down on any back or slipping injuries. They're a lot more heavy duty than wagons and have a flat top so they're easier to get on/off IMO. I also use mine to cart stuff into and out of the gig, and around wherever- very handy!

You can accept payment before or after. But here's the thing, if you accept after, they might give you a tip! Not all folks do, but I've had some pretty generous tips before. But if you are doubtful, take it beforehand. You don't need a receipt for them, but if you want to make one that would be fine :)

How long is your gig? If it's only an hour, even two hours, most people are perfectly happy just swimming and interacting with you. Kids ask LOTS of questions, so be prepared for that! Other than that you could give mermaid rides to small kids (if you're comfortable with that), teach them how to blow bubble kisses (easy), or teach bubble rings (a good challenge for teens). If you have enough room you could have a race (some teens like this, they would like to think they could out swim a mermaid!). You can also google "pool games" for lots of ideas on fun pool games to play! But sometimes the kids aren't into playing organized games.
Ohhh thank you so much! This really helps me out a lot! Ive been all over the internet looking for a wagon, but a dolley is genius!! And yeah, she said she would like me there for 2 to 3 hours, so not a super long time. What kind of things could i do to kind of entertain the adults? Im not sure how many kids will be there, but its a company pool party. Races are a great idea! I never even thought of that! Ive been watching a lot of Mermaid Raina's vlogs, so ive been getting a few extra tips. I want to make sure im 100% prepared for this gig! And we decided to take payment at the end. So everything seems to ne going perfectly so far. Thanks for your tips!

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