En929 Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 (edited) I just think that DCI has become too big for what it should be for. I think the role of DCI should mostly be just scheduling events, initializing a few general rules that corps will have to go by, initialize the judging panels, and video tape the finals. That should be about it! Edited February 4, 2013 by En929 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danielray Posted February 4, 2013 Author Share Posted February 4, 2013 Daniel: It seems that every two weeks, you come up with why something has to be totally changed...i.e.: marching shoes. I thought this was the month when you were going to redesign the trays that Lucas Oil Stadium nachos are sold. As for the corps having the option of buying back the activity in the event the investors don't meet certain conditions, if those investors screw things up that bad, there may not be anything left of the activity worth buying back, much less the money among the various corps to do so. Buyback clause would trigger at a watermark, not when the well is dry. :) Also, I do dig drum corps... and things are pretty good... but I think there are a lot of things that can be a hell of a lot better. The way DCI is currently from a business standpoint... it's like a corps that stopped cleaning in June... and just said "good enough". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danielray Posted February 4, 2013 Author Share Posted February 4, 2013 Here's one question potential, profit seeking investors might ask of DCI. Why do you hold your marquee events in stadia where the percentage of use vs. total capacity is so low? If, for example, Lucas Oil Stadium has a capacity of say, 75,000, and finals draws 20,000, that's about 26% of capacity. Why would an investor or investment group put serious money in a venture that at best could draw 30-35% of the total number of seats where they hold a major contest? Last year I went to Met Life to see the TOC show there. The week before, I ran into acquaintance who happens to be a supervisor of ushers there. When I mentioned the show, he smirked and said the number of people expected was so low he'd have to work as a regular usher. DCI isn't football, I get that, but anyone serious about ROI would want to know why this happens at so many shows. Of course, the solution would be to create shows that appeals to a wider expanse of seats, but that has only happened once that I remember. Just asking. LOS seats 62,000 in the football configuration. One who side is completely unusable, reducing it to about 40,000. The endzone sides are equally unusable, bringing it down further to about 28,000. Cut out the space from endzone to 20 on each side and you're down to probably about 22,000 or so. I actually think seats from the 20's wrapping around to the endzone sides should be free. Anyone who wants to show up, with emphasis on local families bringing kids. This should be for all major shows... fill the place up... get people there... who cares if the seats aren't great if it is free for them? These people will likely end up buying something else anyway... and it gets people there that are just simply curious or thought it would be something cool to take their kids to. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danielray Posted February 4, 2013 Author Share Posted February 4, 2013 I just think that DCI has become too big for what it should be for. I think the role of DCI should mostly be just scheduling events, initializing the rules that corps will be judged by, initialize the judging panels, and video tape the finals. That should be about it! I think exactly the opposite... DCI can become much, much bigger. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark r Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 LOS seats 62,000 in the football configuration. One who side is completely unusable, reducing it to about 40,000. The endzone sides are equally unusable, bringing it down further to about 28,000. Cut out the space from endzone to 20 on each side and you're down to probably about 22,000 or so. I actually think seats from the 20's wrapping around to the endzone sides should be free. Anyone who wants to show up, with emphasis on local families bringing kids. This should be for all major shows... fill the place up... get people there... who cares if the seats aren't great if it is free for them? These people will likely end up buying something else anyway... and it gets people there that are just simply curious or thought it would be something cool to take their kids to. I think you're right on the free seats, but my original premise remains. Why is one side totally unusable? Because the programs currently being created aren't "readable" from the back side. Why is that? Does it have to be? I think the answer is no, and it's up to the creative people in the activity to put a readable program on the field. It has happened before. Carolina Crown did a chessboard show some years ago that actually was understandable from the sides and from the back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danielray Posted February 4, 2013 Author Share Posted February 4, 2013 Believe me, such bundling has been thought of before by potential investors. You are not the only one that has looked at DCI to see if it might be bundled with something else that is a good match for its current portfolio. The fact is that DCI is a unique enterprise and there is nothing out there that it can be bundled with that will attract saavy investors interested in advancing venture capital in hopes of turning a good profit down the road. You need a product that is under marketed and that investors believe has GREAT potential to bring in lots and lots of new customers if marketed correctly. DCI may or may not be the best at marketing Drum Corps ,but don't kid yourself that there are hundreds of thousands or millions of people out there clamoring for this activity if only " the product " was marketed better. If that was the case, investors would have contacted DCI by now to buy "the product"and market the product to the public itself, either as a standalone or as a piggy back to what they currently have. First, DCI is very undermarketed and definitely performing under potential (will take cash infusion to reach potential.... but definitely under). Next point, it is not about reaching more.... but deeper engagement. Third point, no one comes chasing something like DCI, no matter how great the deal it might be. It is the sort of thing you shop. Final question... couldn't it be possible that DCI could be of considerable value to a specific investor if they were able to use this to compliment/add value other investments and to be something they could add immediate value to DCI through their other relationships? Again, I do not see a potential ideal buyer for DCI as anyone connected with marching music or even music at all... but there is a fit out there that is pretty interesting, but not a match you'd ever really make on the surface. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danielray Posted February 4, 2013 Author Share Posted February 4, 2013 (edited) I think you're right on the free seats, but my original premise remains. Why is one side totally unusable? Because the programs currently being created aren't "readable" from the back side. Why is that? Does it have to be? I think the answer is no, and it's up to the creative people in the activity to put a readable program on the field. It has happened before. Carolina Crown did a chessboard show some years ago that actually was understandable from the sides and from the back. Short answer is that drum corps isn't filling the house as it is and a lot of shows are at high school stadiums that generally have only one side. I would LOVE to see drum corps playing to full houses and both sides of the field. I do believe this is possible down the road, but it would really take a bit of a risk and a complete change in mentality. For example... What if shows were ONLY in large stadiums and ONLY in areas where you could fill them up? If you lowered tickets to $5 - $35 and focused on bringing busloads in... fill the place up... it could change things. You could then design all shows to play to the whole stadium. Add to this tailgating parties and more of a fan-centric experience... and I think it is possible. Look at the super bowl coverage with Niner Noise. Look at how they engage with the crowd. Why doesn't drum corps do more of this in the pre-show hype? With a much more complete fan experience, and much more accessible prices, you could definitely engage more fans. Edited February 4, 2013 by danielray Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Boo Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 Short answer is that drum corps isn't filling the house as it is and a lot of shows are at high school stadiums that generally have only one side. I would LOVE to see drum corps playing to full houses and both sides of the field. ... If we're trying to keep costs contained, wouldn't playing to both sides of the field require GE judges to also be on what we now know as the back side? If it wouldn't be important enough to be judged from the side it's being directed towards, then what would be the validity of directing the show to people across the back? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danielray Posted February 4, 2013 Author Share Posted February 4, 2013 I thought this was the month when you were going to redesign the trays that Lucas Oil Stadium nachos are sold. Actually, redesigning the nachos, not the trays. How to Make Mathematically Perfect Nachos Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danielray Posted February 4, 2013 Author Share Posted February 4, 2013 If we're trying to keep costs contained, wouldn't playing to both sides of the field require GE judges to also be on what we now know as the back side? If it wouldn't be important enough to be judged from the side it's being directed towards, then what would be the validity of directing the show to people across the back? Already doubled up on GE judges. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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