Corps Travel and Expansion

[BOSMarcher]

Scranton drew anywhere from 4500 to 6000. the Legion gave away a ton of tickets too.

Rochester I believe had an 8000 year in the last run.

love to know the figures on Annapolis last year

I doubt there were 8,000. I looked up the capacity of the stadium and it is 13,768. Even if half of the stadium was full (which would include half of the end zone side), that would still only be 6,884. I was at finals that year and there were plenty of seats in the upper deck around me, so I know we did not hit that mark. Plus, the finals crowd is always padded with groups that don't make it into the final performance. My guess is the that 5,000 paid is pretty close. It would be great to be 8,000, but my guess is that number was probably an estimate you overheard.

My only point behind arguing this is for us to realize that it is not necessary to draw an 8,000 member crowd to host Championships. It would certainly be nice, but my guess is that a crowd at about half that size of paid admission is not as detrimental as some might say.

Still, to redirect a bit... a regional hosted in the Cincinnati area would be good start towards expanding DCA's footprint outside the northeast. With good advertising and a solid line-up, I think it could be successful. Even if none of the northeast corps show up, I think you could have a solid line between Central and Southern corps.

[Jeff Ream]

I doubt there were 8,000. I looked up the capacity of the stadium and it is 13,768. Even if half of the stadium was full (which would include half of the end zone side), that would still only be 6,884. I was at finals that year and there were plenty of seats in the upper deck around me, so I know we did not hit that mark. Plus, the finals crowd is always padded with groups that don't make it into the final performance. My guess is the that 5,000 paid is pretty close. It would be great to be 8,000, but my guess is that number was probably an estimate you overheard.

My only point behind arguing this is for us to realize that it is not necessary to draw an 8,000 member crowd to host Championships. It would certainly be nice, but my guess is that a crowd at about half that size of paid admission is not as detrimental as some might say.

Still, to redirect a bit... a regional hosted in the Cincinnati area would be good start towards expanding DCA's footprint outside the northeast. With good advertising and a solid line-up, I think it could be successful. Even if none of the northeast corps show up, I think you could have a solid line between Central and Southern corps.

I believe a DCA official put the 8k number out there. Some of those boxes were packed, and yeah some freebies or friends etc may have gotten in, but I know I wasin a box with 20 other people that all paid, and the first year or two, the crowd was down to the end zones in both decks and even around the curve

[donincardona]

I believe a DCA official put the 8k number out there. Some of those boxes were packed, and yeah some freebies or friends etc may have gotten in, but I know I wasin a box with 20 other people that all paid, and the first year or two, the crowd was down to the end zones in both decks and even around the curve

DCA doesn't put out attendance number. jeff you know that. and if you were told something off the cuff and they see this you will never get another number.

[Fred Windish]

Just to keep this discussion going a little longer, I'd like to mention that PITTSBURGH came within minutes of hosting the DCA Championship. Not exactly Ohio, but plenty close. The local group there made a strong pitch, one that included assistance from USAir. Really don't remember the year, but late eighties, I think. The event was to be held at the old Pitt Stadium. I was part of the evaluation team. The situation looked good, DCA's management was interested, and enough votes from the corps to make it happen were in place prior to the upcoming vote to be held later at Newark.

In a shocking development, and still unexplained (to me, anyway) the potential local sponsoring group failed to show up for the actual presentation to all corps, and final vote. No bid proposal was discussed. Yet, it was all pretty much 'in the bag' for Pittsburgh. Within minutes, the event was awarded to, if I recall correctly, Rochester.

I know there are Steel City Ambassador people, and others who might have knowledge of what actually went down that year. maybe someone will step forward to explain. After all, the 'Statute of Limitations' has passed!

Edited July 8, 2014 by Fred Windish

[ajlisko]

>>

Just to keep this discussion going a little longer, I'd like to mention that PITTSBURGH came within minutes of hosting the DCA Championship. Not exactly Ohio, but plenty close. The local group there made a strong pitch, one that included assistance from USAir. Really don't remember the year, but late eighties, I think. The event was to be held at the old Pitt Stadium. I was part of the evaluation team. The situation looked good, DCA's management was interested, and enough votes from the corps to make it happen were in place prior to the upcoming vote to be held later at Newark.

In a shocking development, and still unexplained (to me, anyway) the potential local sponsoring group failed to show up for the actual presentation to all corps, and final vote. No bid proposal was discussed. Yet, it was all pretty much 'in the bag' for Pittsburgh. Within minutes, the event was awarded to, if I recall correctly, Rochester.

I know there are Steel City Ambassador people, and others who might have knowledge of what actually went down that year. maybe someone will step forward to explain. After all, the 'Statute of Limitations' has passed!

<<

Interesting ... hadn't heard that one ... I do recall a very strong bid from a Boston group coming in during the Rochester years that just missed winning ... and my daughter was involved with the bid that was being put together by Hartford CT (at the new UCONN football stadium) ... had the support of the Governor but failed to get approval from MSG which ran the stadium operations ... were you involved in any of those Fred?

:-)

[Fred Windish]

Yes, I was involved in the Hartford effort. I went there and met with tourism officials twice. The time to make that happen was probably right, as the stadium was just open and was looking for multi-use to justify all the expense. Unfortunately, the 'push' for that bid was not united, a little inconsistent maybe, with too many spokespeople working it. Seemed like an excellent choice, but never got very far.

[Florida Sun]

Not to change the topic here ,but what size crowd does the Southern Regional get ?

[Fred Windish]

I can't help with any information on the Southern Regional. I've been removed for several years now. Let's just say, actual audience size is often not what it appears to be. It's pretty much smaller than you would think.

Continuing with my nostalgia trip, I can report personal efforts for both Franklin Field and Veteran's Stadium in Philadelphia as championship hosts. Several meetings down there. Franklin Field was crushed by the athletic department, even though Ivy League football doesn't begin until the third week in September! DCA did eventually get in there one year, but I was not involved. Veteran's Stadium was cost prohibitive and so union-controlled it would have been tough to see a profit. In both cases, the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau was helping the effort to make it happen.

I'd like to say, in this, DCA's Golden Anniversary, there is no better choice than Rochester. The entire group there has been a savior for DCA throughout the years. Lots a talent on the ground, and a region that takes all of this seriously.

Edited July 8, 2014 by Fred Windish

[DCC]

Having been around awhile, I have wondered sometimes if the corps themselves could do more to fill the seats, not only at Championships, but at all of the shows throughout the season. I think it could be a win-win, if approached the right way.

Most corps are much younger than back when I marched, and the scene at the shows is much more "family oriented". (nuff said). What if the corps and the show sponsors (who are usually a corps anyway) worked out a split on any tickets presold by the corps, say 25% to the corps and 75% to the sponsor. Then the corps would have an incentive to bring a bus load of parents, friends, alumni, etc to all of the shows. Sell 50 tickets to a show, and the corps gets about $200, along with 50 cheering fans at an "away show".

The corps could subsidize their own travel expenses a bit by either filling their own bus, or pricing out a Bus & Show ticket package that had a little bit of profit for the corps built in. The show sponsor gets a bigger audience that buys more food, programs, 50/50 tickets, etc. Bigger crowds tend to attract even more people year after year. Bigger crowds mean more revenue to pay to the corps. Everyone wins.

Just expecting the sponsor to find 3000 locals to come to the shows is unrealistic. This is a niche activity where family and alumni make up most of the audience. Why not encourage them to come along and see what their family members are up to every weekend in the summer?

[HBD]

Just to keep this discussion going a little longer, I'd like to mention that PITTSBURGH came within minutes of hosting the DCA Championship. Not exactly Ohio, but plenty close. The local group there made a strong pitch, one that included assistance from USAir. Really don't remember the year, but late eighties, I think. The event was to be held at the old Pitt Stadium. I was part of the evaluation team. The situation looked good, DCA's management was interested, and enough votes from the corps to make it happen were in place prior to the upcoming vote to be held later at Newark.

In a shocking development, and still unexplained (to me, anyway) the potential local sponsoring group failed to show up for the actual presentation to all corps, and final vote. No bid proposal was discussed. Yet, it was all pretty much 'in the bag' for Pittsburgh. Within minutes, the event was awarded to, if I recall correctly, Rochester.

I know there are Steel City Ambassador people, and others who might have knowledge of what actually went down that year. maybe someone will step forward to explain. After all, the 'Statute of Limitations' has passed!

I remember that day.

Jay