Event photography - how do I handle payment/retainer?

I've been doing wedding photography for a little while now. Clients pay the retainer (30%) and the rest near the wedding date. Does it work the same way for event photography? I can only assume so. What is the professional norm for event photography concerning payment?

In case this is relevant to answering the question, I am doing a 4 hour event for $550.

Handle it however you like. For me I do a retainer of $500, full payment 30 days prior on the majority of my bookings.

1000WordsPhotography wrote in post #16827333
Handle it however you like. For me I do a retainer of $500, full payment 30 days prior on the majority of my bookings.

...yeah, there isn't a correct answer or even an industry standard one, you will find that photographers even handle different customers differently. Corporates down under tend to pay on the 20th of every month. For social customers I normally require full pre-payment. You need to know your market and set your payment strategy accordingly.