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When will Eastern corps travel (Mid)West?


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I tend to believe Jeff's championship attendance post is correct. I also believe, as our society, economy, and technology changes, in-person attendance totals will be rendered less important than they were in earlier years. A "smallish" Rochester stadium can still be the foundation of a profitable weekend for the corps.

with the Fan Network, DCA can grab people in to watch prelims and HOPEFULLY finals that have no desire to go to any venue finals are held. DCI made anywhere from $40 to $70 on every viewer that tuned into finals ( roughly 3500 and before the refunds with the service glitch). That was a minimum of $140,000 before expenses DCI got in extra revenue that night.

It's a very proven fact finals location can affect attendance. People in southern and eastern PA, NJ, CT etc will not travel to Rochester....and that's beforeburnout on the place set in. Many people in upstate NY did not travel to Annapolis. By using the Fan Network effectively, DCA can still get some income from those folks they were not getting before. We said it for years in the DCI forums....there are people who for whatever reason just arent going to finals....but they'd pay to watch online. DCI learned at least 3500 people paid to do so. It didn't affect live attendance as so many worried about....they had their best year in 8 years with the live gate.

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Well if I was resistant about the idea of going back to Rochester for 2 more years, if DCA awards that contract, going here would be a sure way to insure I skipped the next 4 years of DCA championships.

Does Racine even have the infrastructure to support such an endeavor? Hotels, rehearsal facilities etc?

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Does Racine even have the infrastructure to support such an endeavor? Hotels, rehearsal facilities etc?

Half an hour north, you have Milwaukee. Half an hour south, the Illinois border - with Kenosha in between. There are a LOT of facilities in that area, and a healthy drum corps history with groups such as Pioneer, Madison, Racine Scouts, the Kilts... and that's all within 70 miles or so. Extend a bit farther and you're in the home turf of Phantom and the Cavaliers.

Short answer, yes. Bit longer answer: the Kilties' DCA show each year pretty much sells out, even though the fans are only seeing the same **** corps they've seen the previous few years. Add additional draws to that, and you'll improve attendance and reputation. It won't happen soon, but it will happen.

And I'll say that while "building the circuit" is an admirable goal, it takes a LOT less money for an Eastern-area corps to travel once to the midwest than it does to start, build, and maintain an excellent DCA corps in the midwest. And that's only one dimension of doing so - membership and such is another beast altogether.

In the end, though, it seems this argument is going in circles. Midwest (and other region!) corps are tired of feeling like they're footing the bill for expanding DCA's presence outside the east coast, and East-coast corps are tired of hearing they should spend money they don't have for an altruistic (and likely fiscally unsound) endeavor. Until we can change one or the other of those, this issue will just go around and around and around...

Edited by Matt Billock
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Does Racine even have the infrastructure to support such an endeavor? Hotels, rehearsal facilities etc?

Jeff, Racine itself has a few Good hotels,but Milwaukee is 15 mins away. And there are plenty of surrounding cities with hotels.

There are quite a few area high school in the area(a couple with Kiltie alum as band directors) for rehearsal sites.

The thing with Horlick is that it is listed as seating 5000. I'm taking that as being both sides of the field. So that might not be big enough.

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I foresee the thread diverting to the argument of which of the Great Lakes is actually greater? Michigan or Ontario. One is superior!:tongue:

Wow! 2 plusses already for a dumb joke. Now that's Erie, ha, ha.

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Wow! 2 plusses already for a dumb joke. Now that's Erie, ha, ha.

And I will give you another +1 for that one too. I like corny jokes. :worthy:

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If all the non northeastern corps decided to boycot DCA for one year what would you have? The time is coming to move DCA Championships outside the northeast to grow the all-age corps .

And what would they have?

:ph34r:

IMHO - MBI, Kilties, Govies and Chops(provisionally optimistic) would have somewhere between 25 & 40K extra in the bank that they could use to let everyone watch Prelims on the Fan Network, while "giving the opportunity" to those other corps from the core area that normally wouldn't make Finals - to make finals and maybe have more fun.

Brass would probably have 'just another August' like they've had for years..maybe doing some additional fund-raising, gee And CV and Sun Devils can try and schedule more parades to add to their coffers.

I possibly see that since I understand there is a hotel room minimum at Championships - it might become more costly for those corps coming. Might have to pony up more money for their rooms, and at that point - the show would probably be the shortest (or not) finals in history. They might actually go back to having all of those "extra" awards to stretch the time frame out till midnight or 1:00am...

I have other questions about that type of scenario, but I'm not going to allow myself to stoop to asking them - many folks will already know the questions and answers I'd be asking.. :devil:

Pat

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Wow! 2 plusses already for a dumb joke. Now that's Erie, ha, ha.

:ph34r:

I added one also - just because I'm only 3 and a half hours from that 3rd one..Erie or not..

That's pretty funny DT-1..only thems of us who live near 'dem Lakes can appreciate the punch line..

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And I will give you another +1 for that one too. I like corny jokes. :worthy:

[/quote

I think Huron to something!]

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[/quote

I think Huron to something!

:ph34r:

Or Huron something :tongue:

Running and hiding now...

Pat

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