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Redesign the Tour


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Another DCI strategic initiative worthy of discussion:

A.1. Review, maximize, and potentially redesign the tour model for financial growth, sustainability, and increased participation.  Create a task force to examine and advise the DCI Board of Directors by the second quarter of FY 2019 on recommendations for the Board's approval to implement new considerations of the Tour Model for the tour season of FY 2021 to increase revenues, contain costs, and elevate participation.

The deadlines for recommendations have passed.  In this case, implementation is set for a year later than the event management model revisions.  What do you suppose is happening?  What would you like/recommend?

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Does increase participation refer to more corps competing, more units (such as Soundsport and Drumline Battle) participating or a larger ticket gate at regionals and other DCI sponsored events during the summer?

There are some of us (notably a few if comments on DCP and other social sites are to be convincing) that the tour is stuck in a rut since the decision to fixate on Indianapolis and not rotate the championships as was done for the first few decades of DCI. Since fixating on Indianapolis and LOS with whatever positives some might ascribe, collateral damage to that decision has been the loss of a number of traditional drum corps sites particularly smaller sites and fewer contests each summer in traditionally drum corps regions.  Californians rightfully complain that the current model of tour with its fixation of Indianapolis deprives Pacific Coast fans from viewing corps in the later part of the summer when competing corps are more polished. As the costs of transportation, housing, and lifestyle in Indianapolis becomes more expensive and commercial-corporate convention budget account centered, many families can no longer afford ongoing participation in DCI either as marching members or returning audience members, if the comments on DCP, reddit, and other activity media are to be believed. Soon DCI will announce publicly the paid ticket purchases for the 2019 season just finished, and the rumors are that the numbers decreased compared to the number of purchasers in prior seasons. Transparency is an aspect DCI still struggles with; the gnosticism of some illuminati who present themselves as if "in the know" tempers any meaningful conclusions without public figures available to all, particularly those who donate either to DCI, to member corps, or to individual marching participants.

Re-addressing the tour, whether prompted by the diminishment of schools willing to house the corps, the costs of alternate housing, transportation, etc. or merely by the boredom factor of losing other DCI shows outside the Central States, is an aspect of the activity few will negate.

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i'd be interested to see what they come up with and how it's announced. I agree the current model seems to be written in concrete with Indy continuing to be the end game. since DCi gets incented and breaks on prices regardless of how many people show up at Indy, I don't see a reason why they'd move unless they got a super sweet deal.

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10 minutes ago, xandandl said:

Does increase participation refer to more corps competing, more units (such as Soundsport and Drumline Battle) participating or a larger ticket gate at regionals and other DCI sponsored events during the summer?

Not sure what "participation" refers to.  They already mentioned revenue earlier in the sentence... but "participation" could still refer to more unique spectators.

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I have heard discussions about the tour model for about two years now, and I know there are some who want to have fewer, but larger shows. Instead of smaller shows with four or five corps, there would be larger shows in better venues with eight to ten corps. The shows that were being discussed were midwestern shows that I have never attended so I know little about the audience size or profitability. The folks talking about the Midwest shows believed it would make sense financially and fit the health safety requirements set in place this past year. Whether this opens things up for a new tour model, I can’t say for certain without looking up distances or travel times, but it would make me wonder if changes are in the works.

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20 minutes ago, Tim K said:

I have heard discussions about the tour model for about two years now, and I know there are some who want to have fewer, but larger shows. Instead of smaller shows with four or five corps, there would be larger shows in better venues with eight to ten corps. The shows that were being discussed were midwestern shows that I have never attended so I know little about the audience size or profitability. The folks talking about the Midwest shows believed it would make sense financially and fit the health safety requirements set in place this past year. Whether this opens things up for a new tour model, I can’t say for certain without looking up distances or travel times, but it would make me wonder if changes are in the works.

this benefits Midwest fans. The rest of us would have to pay for transportation and housing/board. Since its start in '72, DCI has always struggled with the Midwest (Mafia) as they were often termed vs. the experiences of those on the coasts Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf. Madison Scouts for a few years proudly wore tee-shirts referring to themselves as Coastbusters.

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Finals out doors in Madison once every four years.

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31 minutes ago, xandandl said:

this benefits Midwest fans. The rest of us would have to pay for transportation and housing/board. Since its start in '72, DCI has always struggled with the Midwest (Mafia) as they were often termed vs. the experiences of those on the coasts Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf. Madison Scouts for a few years proudly wore tee-shirts referring to themselves as Coastbusters.

as we saw this summer, we need certain types of stadiums...preferably turf. in fact i'd guarantee they have to be turf now, and capable logistically of hosting 8-10 corps for profitability

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1 minute ago, Jeff Ream said:

as we saw this summer, we need certain types of stadiums...preferably turf. in fact i'd guarantee they have to be turf now, and capable logistically of hosting 8-10 corps for profitability

So few venues can handle 40-odd corps caravans, let alone finding housing and rehearsal space.

It's hard to make the math work, though.  Four shows per week of "four or five corps", on average, plus a bigger weekend show brings more revenue than a single show per week of 7 or 8 corps.

I'm sure DCI has all of these numbers, but many corps go hand-to-mouth show-by-show, so it doesn't seem to me to be an easy answer to just reduce the number, and increase the size, of the tour stops.

 

 

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4 hours ago, Jeff Ream said:

as we saw this summer, we need certain types of stadiums...preferably turf. in fact i'd guarantee they have to be turf now, and capable logistically of hosting 8-10 corps for profitability

Absolutely agree on both accounts. And 8 to 10 corps' should usually not cause a big problem.

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