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Project 2021: Reimagining tour


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5 hours ago, IllianaLancerContra said:

I am not necessarily suggesting new major stadium / regionals, just a bit of variety in the routes to get there.  The core issue (pun unintended but noted) is that there might not be enough Corps these days for DCI to put together 3-5 strings (routes) of shows between say, San Antonio & Atlanta.  Was easier when there were ~40 members of what is now World Class - 1- 3 finalists & 4 others could easily be split between 4 or so routes.

I would imagine DCI has studied the market enough to know where they get the most eyes...it's why you often see Open Class in the so called secondary markets. It's why they do a week in Texas in July for all intents and purposes. If they got more corps, I could see opening up another branch of the tour. But for now, what they have works, and it's making them money

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38 minutes ago, IllianaLancerContra said:

In the olden days, there were new show sites each year (& some were lost a well).  DC World used to have a full-page (usually back cover) of DCM schedule where DCM also advertised they were always looking for new show sites.

It is unfortunate that for many people the only time they get to see Drum Corps is either travelling 7+ hrs to a show (each way), or watching it in a movie theater 

In general, the paradigm needs to shift from 'No, tour cannot change because...'  to 'Yes, tour can change if...'

 

...if more corps are in World Class. the cost of running a show makes no sense if you only have 3-4 corps.

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The original proposal is to have a new touring schedule for the year 2021 which includes the West Coast. The objections do need to be taken seriously, especially the issues involving costs. The objection that the current system is working is valid in some ways but does not make as much sense in others. Some shows are profitable but at some shows the revenues are down and some show sponsors have decided to call it a day.

For me, the “This is what works, don’t change it” can be practical, but refusing to change it may be a huge missed opportunity. A West Coast regional right off the bat may be too ambitious, but planting the seeds to see if they grow makes sense. Calculated risks can be worthwhile. 

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I suppose the current tour schedule works for many people.  I flew to Indy from my home in California this year to attend Finals for the first time since Finals were in Pasadena.  I am happy that DCI got a great deal to rent Lucas Oil Stadium, but that place is awful.   First, the parking situation is horrible, as the corps busses/trucks use all of the parking lot space that would normally be available for fans to park in.  If you choose, to take public transit, well good luck, you will be on a bus, as they have no subway or light rail.  If you choose to take Uber I hope you can find one available.  I wanted to just go from my hotel to dinner, but I was 40 minutes late for my reservation because my Uber driver got lost.  I would advise you rent a car.  It will cost you at least 25 dollars, and good luck finding it when you want to leave, because you have parked in a field where there are NO lights.  Thank goodness my rental had a powerful battery in it's key, otherwise I might not have been able to locate my car until sunrise!  DCI could also careless about the handicapped or seniors.  Why else would you only be able to enter LOS at one side of the stadium?  My 80 year old mom had to walk around 1/2 of LOS so she could enter at the one area available.  Also. since they only had this one area to enter, there were people jammed together at the entrance, because it is also the same area that they put the souvie booths.  It literally took us more than an hour to get to our seats once we got into the stadium.  We arrived 45 minutes early!   By the time we sat down the Crossmen were about to start their show.  I paid for the best seats available, and I was happy sitting around the 20 yard line very high up.  The stadium itself does not have a lot of great seats for a drum corps show.  The acoustics were what I expected, but nothing is better than drum corps in an open air venue IMHO.  I did enjoy the show once we were finally seated, but getting to our seats was way more difficult than it should have been.  I also cannot understand why they did not have ALL the elevators working for the show.  I think the people in charge of LOS think because the stadium is only partially filled that they can cut corners.  The people in charge of Lucas Oil Stadium and DCI need to keep people with disabilities and seniors in mind going forward, because it should not be such a hassle just to get to your seat to enjoy the shows.  I am glad that we were there to witness SCV win their first title in years!  Also, I must give my love to BAC.   They keep getting better every year, and in 2018 they had my favorite World Class production!

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On 11/8/2018 at 10:00 PM, IllianaLancerContra said:

In the olden days, there were new show sites each year (& some were lost a well).  DC World used to have a full-page (usually back cover) of DCM schedule where DCM also advertised they were always looking for new show sites.

It is unfortunate that for many people the only time they get to see Drum Corps is either travelling 7+ hrs to a show (each way), or watching it in a movie theater 

In general, the paradigm needs to shift from 'No, tour cannot change because...'  to 'Yes, tour can change if...'

 

Overall financial criteria dictates DCI site selection and corps tour selection.  It used to be corps could choose tours but it is likely very different now.  Tours are presented at winter meetings where sites are committed, yet some not truly finalized.  Can tour routes change with venue changes, yes.  But not annually forcall.  Successful shows won't go away.  Some corps add shows one year and drop them another year.  Some shows have asks for certain corps to be in them and one or more can refuse the invite.  But it all happens well in advance of each season.  And as much as you may believe what you were told, souvie sales don't determine show selection.

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On 11/8/2018 at 7:22 PM, LabMaster said:

I doubt corps would not go somewhere based on t shirt sales.  If there are insufficient souvie sales (which are popularity and yearly success driven) there are probably low ticket sales too.  

You must not be aware that this is exactly the reason WC corps stopped going to Canada.

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2 hours ago, cixelsyd said:

You must not be aware that this is exactly the reason WC corps stopped going to Canada.

It is?  I guess I am unaware; and I would believe many people are unaware that the lack of souvie sales is exactly what ended corps going to Canada.  So what about corps that had been going to Canada that never did rely on souvie sales?  Why do they no longer go to Canada?  If a show sponsor really wanted a corps to be at their show to maybe draw more attendees. they could offer an added bonus or incentive to the corps.  Souvie sales do not dictate show participation.  If that were true wouldn't the high souvie sales corps only go to show where they could sell their goods?  does that make any sense?

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1 hour ago, LabMaster said:

It is?  I guess I am unaware; and I would believe many people are unaware that the lack of souvie sales is exactly what ended corps going to Canada.  

It is no secret.  Several corps related their stories about the increasing hassles trying (sometimes unsuccessfully) to get their souvenir operation in/out of Canada, and the decreased profit (or loss) incurred after paying Canadian duties on sales.  The last DCI Canada regional was in 1991, and over the rest of the 1990s, WC corps decided one by one that it was no longer worth incurring such losses.  Eventually, remaining Canadian show sponsors could no longer find WC corps willing to attend their events anymore.

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So what about corps that had been going to Canada that never did rely on souvie sales?  Why do they no longer go to Canada?  

They kept going for several years until tightening security concerns post-9/11, and the loss of Canadian corps as show hosts, eroded the grassroots Canadian contests.

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If a show sponsor really wanted a corps to be at their show to maybe draw more attendees. they could offer an added bonus or incentive to the corps.  

Not enough to make up for merchandise sales.

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Souvie sales do not dictate show participation.  If that were true wouldn't the high souvie sales corps only go to show where they could sell their goods?  does that make any sense?

This is only what I have heard from corps personnel.  Never said it makes sense.

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3 hours ago, cixelsyd said:

You must not be aware that this is exactly the reason WC corps stopped going to Canada.

DCI stopped having shows in Canada because it's become much harder to travel between the US and Canada than it once was. The single biggest change is that before 9/11, passports were not required to travel between the US and Canada. Now, they are, and making sure all 200-ish members, staff, and volunteers that might be on the road with a WC corps have passports is extremely difficult. And that's not even getting into the challenges of hauling all the corps' other stuff- a semi and a box truck full of the corps' actual performance equipment that will take a while for the border guards to inspect, a semi full of food, which is always something that gets extra scrutiny at border crossings to ensure compliance with agriculture and health laws, and most significantly, the merchandise that the corps plans to sell on the other side of the border. And that's just crossing the border itself- once on the other side, it's a lot harder to find schools willing to host drum corps rehearsals and stadiums with American football markings in Canada than the US. On top of all that, there's the simple fact that it's more expensive for corps to go so far north and that the marching arts just aren't as popular in Canada as in the US.

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8 hours ago, cixelsyd said:

You must not be aware that this is exactly the reason WC corps stopped going to Canada.

well, that's an entirely different issue because of customs, which would be even more severe now

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