Peel Paint Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 Heres an idea as far as who pays for it.... have dci offer some sort of rainout insurance to show organizers. They pay a certain amount extra in advance, and if it rains out, fans can get a discount up to the value of (or a certain % of the value of) their original ticket for any show that can have its tickets bought on DCI.org. DCI would probably have to handle their ticketing then, so they could validate ticket claims, but it could be a source of income for dci as well as a way for show sponsors to take care of their guests who often are a bit unhappy with getting nothing for their tiket. Yes, I agree that could be workable. It would raise the ticket prices probably a couple of bucks for everybody who went to a show where the promoters bought this. Most seasons, we only have a few rainouts. This season has gotten off to an unusually wet start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe mama Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 I'll try to explain but I'm afraid it will be a little long winded (sorry). I've run 30+ show over the last 20 years and unfortunately none of these ideas are very practical from a business standpoint. For starters, most shows lose money or break even. They contract with DCI and pay the required show fee. Then they hope that the stars align and allow them to turn a profit. This would entail a good-great lineup, great weather and a good venue with multiple reveune streams (parking, concessions, etc.) Keep in mind the fact that the non-DCI shows are sponsored primarily by the individual corps themselves, local band or civic programs. If bad weather threatens on show day, the sponsor automatically loses sales with far fewer walk-ups. This situation also virtually insures that the promoter will lose money on this years show as well as affect the next year or beyond. If he gives refunds or credits then it's out of his pocket thus reducing his potential profit even further. Just because a show uses DCI for it's ticket sales doesn't mean that it's DCI's money at risk and that a refund, discount or tix to someone else's show can be given. From an insurance standpoint, we've looked into that and it's not worth the cost. For starters, it has to rain a certain amount within a short and specific amount of time leading up to the event. On top of that, you have to pay a certfied meteorologist to validate the results and submit the forms to the insurance company. From there, if your claim gets paid, you only stand to collect a portion of your probable loses. We've even played around with borrowing tarps from a local pro team to cover the field in case rain started. Do you know how much one of those rolls weighs??? Unfortunately the bottom line for these solutions is not practicle from a financial standpoint for anyone involved, the promoter, DCI or the corps. As you're probably thinking well it's really the fan that's getting the shaft and that's true to an extent. But remember, the show promoter's team just spent the last 12 months planning this event and all of their efforts are for nothing? We have more time and money invested in this than anyone. UNfortunately, no one has control of the weather, only how they respond to it. The shows I run have a weather policy in place that we've used many times. In all those years, we've only had one instance where we didn't have marching performances or a standstill. Those of us who run shows realize that money's tight in today's weak economy. Having said that, it's important for fans everywhere to understand that live shows are the lifeblood and major economic engine for our activity. Go to every show you can, bring new fans with you and please have a little compassion when things are beyind everyone's control. See you at a show soon! Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexL Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 Very good post and thanks for the input as a show organizer. I think it boils back down to what was said earlier there. Anything the organizers can do to allow for some sort of indoor standstill would go a long way towards appeasing fans. If all corps played their show + their encore pieces it would be a full evening of drum corps for the fans. Understand that not all venues are going to allow this, but it should always be attempted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peel Paint Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 Yeah, that's a great post from joe mama, and I guess the insurance thing isn't workable either. The problem with insurance is always collecting on claims. They're happy to take your money. Actually getting the coverage you thought you'd paid for is often a different story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Boo Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 Where were you sitting in Madison, mike? High on the south 25-yard line. I didn't know I was going until after Naperville got rained out, and when I ran into a friend afterwards from Madison's board, he asked me to come up and offered me a ticket. I was quite thankful, especially as the show appeared to be close to being a sell out. Plus it was a great show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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