Also Productions

When I sit down to watch So You Think You Can Dance the last thing that goes through my mind is what the dancers had to go through to learn the dances for that evening. I simply sit there and watch a great or sometimes not so great performance and then critique it as if I know what I am talking about. The last thing that crosses my mind is the amount of hours, sweat and tears that go into making a masterpiece for our enjoyment, not to mention the lack of sleep and demanding expectations.

In just about every season, a contestant has had to make trips to the ER or have medical attention on the show, even during the auditioning phase of Hollywood week. Whether it be for dehydration, sprained ankles or even broken toes, they are beating themselves up. These committed dancers are willingly subjecting themselves to injury for not only their careers, but also for the love of performing and entertainment. Not only are they getting injured in the process, but they are being paired up with another dancer, usually with a completely different background and have to learn SYTYCD routines they have never done, nonetheless ever heard of before. So as an audience, I think we should keep in mind the personal sacrifice they are going through and that they are pushing themselves farther than we could probably push ourselves when we watch their performances and start to evaluate their work.

Not only are they constantly working on their dances, they are hanging out with all the same people the entire time. Even for the best of friends, that would get old pretty quickly and would definitely test your patience and productivity.

Once the finale has aired you would think, “alright, it’s over”, but not for the dancers, they have to get a move on for the tour that starts almost back to back from the show. For several months, the top 10 dancers from the show are chauffeured around the country for a tour. Hmm, hotel rooms, cramped cars, constantly eating take-out and training and learning new dances to fill in for absentees, that’s a lot of work. When I think of all the behind the scenes that is involved for the contestants, I really am more appreciative of what they do and how they get by every day. And to think when they get kicked off the show they say, “This has been the best part of my life”. That is someone who really loves their job and what they do!

For a promoter starting out they have to work hard and on a budget to get an audience of a few hundred people to fill a venue. Flyers, word-of-mouth and social networks are just some of the tools promoters use to fill small venues or club nights. It is not easy building up a loyal following from scratch. Given the amount of effort it can take to fill even the smallest of venues promoters really need to capitalise on all their efforts and use the event itself to maximise the opportunity to encourage further audience contact.

With a little thought and small outlay online surveys can be used to provide the promoter with valuable feedback and the opportunity to engage in further contact with the audience. Using online Survey Software a promoter can now quickly and easily create an online survey.

With an online survey a promoter can find out exactly:-

• who attended;
• what persuaded them;
• what they thought of the event;
• would they expect to attend again;
• would they recommend future events to their friends.

A way to ensure a good response is to have a number of business sized cards that are marked clearly with words like “Feedback”, “Your opinion counts”, “Tell us what you thought”. Each card would have a web address pointing either directly to the survey or to a website where a link to the survey can be placed. The cards can be issued at the door with the tickets, or handed out among the audience and being the size of business cards they are small enough to be stuck in a pocket, purse or wallet. Small incentives such as a chance to win a free guest pass for a future event, a signed CD or T shirt would help towards improving the response rate.

Using the results from online surveys the promoter is able to:

• Obtain a profile of the audience
• Gauge the overall success of the event;
• Measure the effectiveness of different promotion;
• Receive feedback on the venue and facilities;
• Receive feedback on the act;
• Promote on a one on one basis;
• Build a targeted database for future events;
• Build a loyal audience;
• Link to merchandise and other promotions.

It takes considering effort to promote an event and only a little extra effort to use online surveys to encourage further contact and reap a number of short and long term benefits that contact will bring.

The following sample survey shows the feedback that could be used for a breaking band. Not only does it gather valuable feedback, but continues to promote the band, their recorded music and establishes the opportunity to encourage further contact.

Sample Feedback Survey

To view the summary results of the survey: Sample Survey Results