Kamarag Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 I'm with you, brother. SCOTT STEWART FOR DCI DICTATOR !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If DCI was to bring in an all-powerful commissioner, it would be a much better idea to bring in a skilled salesman/businessperson with no ties to existing corps, past or present. Heck, I don't even care if they know jack squat about drum corps. Frankly, they shouldn't. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garfield Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 I'm sorry, but that's the biggest pile of 'weak' I've seen in a year. The DCI Hall of Fame? Are you friggin kidding me? Great men and women, all, but not a single one of them a person who can PICK UP THE FRIGGIN PHONE AND GET A DECISION MAKER WITH A TOP 100 BRAND ON THE LINETO FIGURE OUT HOW DCI CAN LAND A $200-250,000 A YEAR SPONSORSHIP DEAL FOR THE ACTIVITY. The problem is that they're all amateurs. In the root sense of that word. They "love" what they do, but none of them do it in the way a business person would do it. Not a single person connected with DCI knows the decision makers in corporate America, and no one seems to be willing to swallow their pride and pony up the kind of money it would take to hire someone who does. Until you fix that, you're dead in the water. I haven't seen any evidence, from anyone on this thread, that "corporate America" is at all interested in drum corps. In fact, the only reference that I've had to a corporate billionaire who IS part of corporate America made the contention that the only way forward is to wait for DCI to implode, then step in and pick it up for pennies on the dollar. Is THAT what we want for corporate leadership? WHO? Who else, that you can name by person or company or industry is interested in saving DCI? Name them!! for God's sake! All we hear is that we need the person who can find that corporate leader, but we have no evidence what-so-ever that that corporate titan actually exists. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garfield Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 If DCI was to bring in an all-powerful commissioner, it would be a much better idea to bring in a skilled salesman/businessperson with no ties to existing corps, past or present. Heck, I don't even care if they know jack squat about drum corps. Frankly, they shouldn't. This is a shallow, monolithic view that will destroy drum corps as we all know it. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garfield Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 How is it weak? Here's my alternative plan... not 5 year... but 5 minute plan... "Hire really ####### great salesperson. Incent heavily." Whole plan. What's he going to sell? Sponsorship? Tickets? I don't know... but who the #### cares... as long as they are SELLING... not thinking about planning to possibly maybe do something ... someday. Close something. Anything. Increase revenues. The last thing DCI needs is another ####### committee. Name one great thing that any DCI committee has ever done? Committees aren't plans.... suggesting to form a committee is definitely not leadership... it is punting and making it look like actual work. Fine. You get Hop and Gibbs to buy into that plan and it has a chance to work. You keep focusing on the failings of Roman, but who you really need to convince is Hop and Gibbs. I guarantee you that Roman won't stand in your way because he gets so little from DCI now. But Hop and Gibbs, they won't let a nickel flow through their fingers because their success won't allow money to be spent on anything other than their corps. Show me where they buy into your plan to "incent heavily" someone other than themselves and I'll buy in. But that's your problem - they won't allow it because it's not THEIR plan, and not THEIR guy. Solve that problem. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garfield Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 I'm sorry, but that's the biggest pile of 'weak' I've seen in a year. The DCI Hall of Fame? Are you friggin kidding me? Great men and women, all, but not a single one of them a person who can PICK UP THE FRIGGIN PHONE AND GET A DECISION MAKER WITH A TOP 100 BRAND ON THE LINETO FIGURE OUT HOW DCI CAN LAND A $200-250,000 A YEAR SPONSORSHIP DEAL FOR THE ACTIVITY. The problem is that they're all amateurs. In the root sense of that word. They "love" what they do, but none of them do it in the way a business person would do it. Not a single person connected with DCI knows the decision makers in corporate America, and no one seems to be willing to swallow their pride and pony up the kind of money it would take to hire someone who does. Until you fix that, you're dead in the water. All right, fine. Try this one: "There were 5850 positions available in the 39 corps that participated in the 2009 DCI World Championships of which 4300 were filled. By 2011, an Open Class branding and promotion strategy will be developed and deployed to increase the average membership from 65 to 100 per corps by 2014" Let me guess, you see no value in this because it "muddies the brand" and you can't, therefore, justify spending a single dollar on the Open Class corps. Am I right? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slingerland Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 (edited) All right, fine. Try this one: "There were 5850 positions available in the 39 corps that participated in the 2009 DCI World Championships of which 4300 were filled. By 2011, an Open Class branding and promotion strategy will be developed and deployed to increase the average membership from 65 to 100 per corps by 2014" Let me guess, you see no value in this because it "muddies the brand" and you can't, therefore, justify spending a single dollar on the Open Class corps. Am I right? Out of curiosity, the thing that has kept DCI from going with that noble effort to fill the ranks of the Open Class corps was....a bunch of directors who no longer had seats on their Board? I never mistake words for deeds, and good intentions don't mean jacksquat unless there's been actual blood or treasure risked in the pursuit of those intentions. What were the actual results of that drive (or are the Illusory 7 somehow to blame for no one else carrying through on it?) Look, these are all nice people. Even a few directors I think are kinda d-ckish at times are, at heart, not bad people. But go back to something I noted a few weeks ago; the problem with drum corps is that it's driven by people who love the activity, but aren't in the position to make hard cold decisions regarding paths to growth. I got curious to see who was the head of US Gymnastics, since they've done a great job of growing their activity at all levels. Since Steve joined USA Gymnastics in 1999, he has overseen the strategic planning and marketing of the organization's national and international events, the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, and the World Gymnastics Championships. As president and CEO, he also oversees the organization's finances, membership division, sports programs, public/media relations and marketing. Penny works closely with the Board of Directors and its chairman for the strategic direction of the organization.Penny's professional experience includes vice president of Bob Walsh Enterprises, a private sports marketing company in Seattle, and managing director of USA Cycling. He also worked for Turner Broadcasting System (TBS) on its premier international multi-sport event, the Goodwill Games, and for the Seattle Mariners in community affairs and public relations. A background in marketing and events management, and work in the broadcasting world. Nothing that mentions he ever did gymnastics himself, so I imagine it's safe to say that he was hired for his experience in sports/events/broadcasting, not his love for gymnastics. And yet, his success in growing the activity's profile with major sponsors has afforded his organization the means to invest more in grass roots growth and professionalization. If folks get away from the idea that drum corps becomes more visible and marketable, that those at the grass roots will pay the price, it seems to me there's a fair amount of room for agreement on a path forward. Edited March 19, 2013 by Slingerland 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 (edited) DCI needs to be a for profit dictatorship. I'm with you, brother. SCOTT STEWART FOR DCI DICTATOR !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If DCI was to bring in an all-powerful commissioner, it would be a much better idea to bring in a skilled salesman/businessperson with no ties to existing corps, past or present. Heck, I don't even care if they know jack squat about drum corps. Frankly, they shouldn't. Unless we are discussing a small sole-proprietorship where there is one owner and a few employees doing things on a very small scale any talk of an All-Powerful DCI Dictator should be flat No!!!! The CEO of any major corporation, while needing way more buck-stops-here teeth than the current Executive Director of DCI has, a CEO also needs to be held accountable to either a Board, or Stock Holders, or Both. Contrary to what Bill Cook said, there is no such thing as a 'Benevolent Dictator'. Why? Because the axiom "absolute power corrupts absolutely" is a fact. Edited March 19, 2013 by Stu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 Jeff: You are 'assuming' that the D-Ray, along with Hopkins, Gibbs, really care about adhering to the Rule of Law if it does not benefit them. I can't believe they were dumb enough to not see this and try to re-write it and get it passed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 If DCI was to bring in an all-powerful commissioner, it would be a much better idea to bring in a skilled salesman/businessperson with no ties to existing corps, past or present. Heck, I don't even care if they know jack squat about drum corps. Frankly, they shouldn't. I can't disagree. the problem is getting the bylaws changed to make it happen. I guarantee some directors want no part of that. Cano you imagine...Hop on one of his long philosophical speeches at the meetings in Indy, going on and on and on, and the commish saying "yeah ok George, sit down" actually it's pay per view worthy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 I can't disagree. the problem is getting the bylaws changed to make it happen. I guarantee some directors want no part of that. Cano you imagine...Hop on one of his long philosophical speeches at the meetings in Indy, going on and on and on, and the commish saying "yeah ok George, sit down" actually it's pay per view worthy You are, of course, 'assuming' that Hop is not the All Powerful Dictator Commish!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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