The Show at The Oaks in Philly- a Disaster!

[spacktrack]

Originally Posted by Hankphenom

Get the email address of every person that walks into every show you do. Get the email address of every person that buys an autograph from you, whether in person, by mail, by phone, by internet. Send several emails prior to every show you do to the entire list.

Agreed, that's probably one of the easiest ways to market the show. Spend some of the money that goes to billboards and newspaper ads and buy a few marquee door prizes that make people really want to volunteer their information. Hand out a door prize form to everyone when they buy their ticket. Most of the people will fill it out as they wait in line. Sure, not everyone will fill it out but at the end of the show, gather all the submitted entries and log them into a document to use going forward. Between Chantilly, Edison, and Oaks, there would probably be a pretty good list built. You can send e-mail reminders and/or mail postcards to the people on your list leading up to the show. Maybe include a coupon in the email/postcard for discounted admission so that 1) people are rewarded for their loyalty to the show and 2) you can gauge the effectiveness and repeat business coming back to the show.

Also, encourage the dealers to share some of the responsibility and promote to their customers via email or some other method. Ted and Dan did a good job informing the board, and I know there were people who only found out about the show from their posts.

Another thing that absolutely needs to be worked on is the CSA website. If your computer blocks flash, the hours of the Oaks show were nowhere to be found on the site. The dealer list was also not updated and at least seven dealers that I know personally were listed as exhibitors and not set up. Spending money on billboards and newspaper ads is all well and good, but if the website, which is the main portal to a lot of hobbyists, isn't updated, it can come across as a lack of enthusiasm about the show. I don't live in the PA area, so I'll never see any of the ads they run, but I do check the website, and it was pretty frustrating trying to get information.

I want the show to thrive as it's in a good area and strong shows are always needed. It won't be overnight, but there's a lot of potential if harnessed in the right way.