Hi Organizers!
I'll start things off. My dance in Manchester, NH is having problems
with falling attendance. A lot of this was due to my inability to spend
time promoting the dance. I have since recruited one of my regular
dancers to help and she's doing a great job of spreading fliers around
and getting notices in newspapers.
We have 3 colleges in the greater Manchester area. One idea that I had
was to change the admission price from $7 for 12 and up to $8 for adults
and $5 for students. I put the question to my dancers in the form of a
survey question in the book I keep on the welcome table. I was surprised
when 2 people (out of 10 or 12) said that they would not be willing to
pay the new price. Because the format was anonymous, I don't know who
said no, but I'd be very curious to know.
What are people's experiences with having a student rate? Any luck in
attracting students? Did it help the adult attendance, too?
I should also note that the increase is also intended to help me cover
increased hall costs and be able to offer a better guarantee to
musicians. I'm not planning on making this change until September.
Thanks for your input!
Chris Weiler
Mill City Contra Dance
Manchester, NH
http://www.nhdances.org/millcity/
