Show sponsor obligations

[rifdarkside]

Just curious here...

there's a particular show that I've attended the past couple of years that I just don't get.

There isn't a large concentration of shows in my neck of the woods, yet at this show, there seems to be a max of 100-200 people, tops, in the stands (and these aren't temporary bleachers - big single deck stadium) many of those are participants that have already gone on.

I have no idea how this show can continue year after year, as I'm sure the stadium rental and performance fees (if there are any) cost way more than was recouped through ticket sales.

So I guess my question, and the topic I suppose for discussion, is:

When a sponsor decides to host a show, what obligation do they have to make sure that it is a successful one? I suppose that one would have to define what is accepted as being a success - the fact that a show was hosted, or that it broke even, or that it provided an outlet for members of the community to experience the pageantry that is drum corps. I suppose that if the goal was to provide an outlet for the corps to be judged, then this would be considered a success. But I gotta tell ya', it's tough to be in the stands without a crowd.

[G-horns]

Just curious here...

there's a particular show that I've attended the past couple of years that I just don't get.

There isn't a large concentration of shows in my neck of the woods, yet at this show, there seems to be a max of 100-200 people, tops, in the stands (and these aren't temporary bleachers - big single deck stadium) many of those are participants that have already gone on.

I have no idea how this show can continue year after year, as I'm sure the stadium rental and performance fees (if there are any) cost way more than was recouped through ticket sales.

So I guess my question, and the topic I suppose for discussion, is:

When a sponsor decides to host a show, what obligation do they have to make sure that it is a successful one? I suppose that one would have to define what is accepted as being a success - the fact that a show was hosted, or that it broke even, or that it provided an outlet for members of the community to experience the pageantry that is drum corps. I suppose that if the goal was to provide an outlet for the corps to be judged, then this would be considered a success. But I gotta tell ya', it's tough to be in the stands without a crowd.

The ad book can generate enough to pay all the bills and make a profit. Also, the sponsor may be running the show in conjunction with a big raffle. Some states require that the raffle drawing occur at a formal public event. The fact that there are few paying spectators is moot in either case.

[Fran Haring]

Some sponsors are better than others at putting "butts in seats."

Some examples, off the top of my head: The Caballeros' Grand Prix show has always drawn a good-sized crowd, as did the shows run by the Five Star Brass folks at Hershey, and the DCA show in Cumberland, MD, run by Bob Andrews and his crew. The Buccaneers' Big Sounds in Motion show also brings in the paying customers.

However.....there are some show sponsors that quite frankly don't seem to do a very good job at promoting their shows, for whatever reason.

Fran

[CVRoc]

Some shows have been around longer than others.

[Senagod]

The ad book can generate enough to pay all the bills and make a profit. Also, the sponsor may be running the show in conjunction with a big raffle. Some states require that the raffle drawing occur at a formal public event. The fact that there are few paying spectators is moot in either case.

Very true. There's an indoor guard show in my area where their ad book alone made the show profitable. The first year they held the show, there was about a foot of snow due to arrive that evening. They moved the show to the morning, and while a bunch of units pulled out because of the time change and the impending weather, they still held the show just to get the ad book out there.

[Mistress Kelli]

Maybe they're getting the stadium for free or cheap. Who knows.

[ErieSopMike]

Some sponsors are better than others at putting "butts in seats."

Some examples, off the top of my head: The Caballeros' Grand Prix show has always drawn a good-sized crowd, as did the shows run by the Five Star Brass folks at Hershey, and the DCA show in Cumberland, MD, run by Bob Andrews and his crew. The Buccaneers' Big Sounds in Motion show also brings in the paying customers.

However.....there are some show sponsors that quite frankly don't seem to do a very good job at promoting their shows, for whatever reason.

Fran

I'm from the Reading area and growing up, you would always see ads in the paper about the Reading show for about a month or 2 in advance. Not to mention, the Bucs had other appearances at county events (Berks Football All-Star Game), and that got the word out too. It's all about how much PR you want to give a show. The ones that Fran mentioned above, they seem to be sellouts if not very close. The Reading shows, people are lined up around the block the day of the show to get last minute tickets.