Has the single-site Finals idea worked?

[Shadowtron]

I would want to know what kind of financial savings DCI has gained by having the event in one location for so long before I cast judgment on whether or not "it worked."

I agree with this. I don't think the savings would be too substantial though, vs the benefit of rotating.

[Jeff Ream]

Worked for who? DCI? Apparently it has. The fans? Unless you live in Indiana...probably not. It's a loaded question.

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It's worked for DCI because the stadium deal has costs set up in a way that if attendance is down, they don't have to pay as much, and with HQ in Indy, I'm sure they get a decent deal on the facility. if they were to say go to the Rose bowl again, fees to use the facility would be much higher.

For the fans...not so much. Nothing against Indy, but it's not a tourist mecca.With Open Class being held out of town, that limits the appeal for people wanting to go there, as opposed to say Madison in 02 where they had a huge crowd for OC finals. The enclosed stadium is a factor for a lot of fans, and the lack of being able to go to other exciting places has held other fans from going.

DCI knows this......that's a big reason why finals is finally online. Yeah the economy has hurt, but it's a lot better now than it was in 2008 and 2009.

[wilme861]

I love the idea of rotating between 4 venues like Indy, Atlanta, San Antonio and Denver or something. I do think that championships needs to stay in a dome though as it basically takes away the possibility of canceling the show or postponing due to weather. Yes the acoustics aren't as great as an outdoor show but that security of knowing the weather won't affect you is just too great.

[Michael Boo]

...With Open Class being held out of town, that limits the appeal for people wanting to go there, as opposed to say Madison in 02 where they had a huge crowd for OC finals...

I find this interesting because I've always used 2002 Open Class Finals as an example of how a spectacularly small audience looks practically invisible in a large stadium. I had heard the paying attendance that morning was in the hundreds.

The Open Class corps directors themselves decided they wanted to go to Michigan City because they love the town, love the stadium, and they're treated like kings. (I was at that meeting.)

I also got stopped this week at a Michigan City intersection for one of the police escorts given to every corps coming into and leaving the city...four motorcycle policemen and three police squads blocking traffic at the intersection and leading and following each corps to the stadium. Afterwards, they lead each corps to the Interstate.

The audience, towards the end of the show, substantially filled up Ames Field...one of the best small stadiums for drum corps. The audience was a hype for the members. Directors I've talked with said playing in the same stadium as the big corps isn't as big a deal if it looks like there's hardly anyone there.

[Liahona]

This is not a thread to compare acoustics of Indy and other locations.

I am simply talking about the idea to keep Finals in a central location instead of rotating yearly.

To quote "skywhopper" a year ago with the estimate for the last 10 years of attendance:

2003: 18,865 tix

2004: 22,047 tix

2005: 20,542 ATT

2006: 21,232 ATT

2007: 24,309 tix

2008: 20,534 ATT

2009: 17,865 ATT

2010: 15,900 ATT (estimated based on percentages given)

2011: 17,363 ATT

2012: 17,820 ATT

There is a nationwide appetite for DCI, but many fans will never attend championships. Are we limiting our market potential by keeping our premier event in one location? I remember it being a "can't miss" event for those who were waiting for it to come to their region.

I used to plan my vacations around finals....but since it's been in Indy I really haven't had any desire to go back there since 2008. I'll just wait til they pick a new venue in a few years and in the meantime go to Allentown regionals and few other shows in my area instead.

[PurpleKnights]

Having DCI Finals in Los Angeles in 2007 was tremendous for the Open Class corps (then Div II/III) on the west coast. I can think of several corps from California that competed that year that are now defunct. And of course it was the best-attended finals in decades. On the other hand, if finals were held in Florida that year it would have literally killed a few corps.

I appreciate the idea that Indianapolis is fairly central. And I appreciate the benefits of stability and predictability. But for the sake of fans and corps for whom Indianapolis is always going to be very far away, I'd propose a compromise: Denver and Indy in alternating years.

Or better yet, a different Midwestern city. It's unlikely I will ever attend finals in Indy as a fan.

[max.meigel]

I might be a little biased, living in Chicago, but I've been going to Finals with my dad every year since 2008. We've never cared about the city, really. The trip has always been about drum corps. Not having to worry about rescheduling an event due to weather is tremendously helpful, and that security makes it possible to plan this trip far in advance. Would I still go if it were somewhere else? Yeah, probably. And there might be some merit to some of the rotating systems proposed further up. But I think that the city itself is small consideration compared to getting to experience the shows.

[Jeremy.]

So excited for the random sites. Orrrr..... make it in California for several years and give the east coast fans a big middle finger like they're doing to the west coast now.

[Northern Thunder]

Worked for who? DCI? Apparently it has. The fans? Unless you live in Indiana...probably not. It's a loaded question.

I've been a proponent of rotating Finals locations among the regional sites.

Year 1: Indy

Year 2: Atlanta

Year 3: Philly/NJ area

Year 4: Minneapolis

Year 5: Texas or Cali

The new Minneapolis stadium would be finished by then.:smile:/>

[jwillis35]

According to your (Sky's) numbers, it doesn't appear as though it is worthwhile, but I don't think DCI's decision was based solely on ticket revenue from Indy. Other considerations were: consistency in securing a venue each year, consistency in performance venue for all corps in Indy, increased emphasis on regional revenue (total season revenue > finals only), as well as partnerships with the other arts organziations based in Indy.

When taken in the full scope of impacts it's probable that DCI would consider the Indy home a significant success, IMO.

Totally agree with this. The long-term relationship with Indy was the result of many factors, not just ticket selling. It's fairly central (with the exception of west coast corps), big enough city, plenty of housing for corps, plenty of schools, a location rich with drum-corps style band programs willing to help with facilities, great highway access into the city, a huge stadium that is easy to get into and where weather will never be a problem (although we all want the roof open for the good days), big airport, and on and on.

Indy was also the new home for DCI headquarters. It was cheaper and a better model for DCI to not move so much. It can be quite expensive and difficult on the organization when you're moving DCI Finals on a yearly basis.

I think what many want is to take the current model and move to another city once every 3 or 4 years. Maybe they have 2 titles in Indy, then go to Atlanta. Two more titles in Indy, then go to Denver. Two more in Indy, then go to Pasadena.