Bay Area National Dance Week ( Visions for a Successful Event )

About BANDW | FAQ | Committees & Funders

Visions for Successful Events
These tips come from the experiences of past event presenters who know first hand what works and what doesn't.

1. PROMOTE Your Own Event!

You will be listed in the Event Guide if you register by the deadline, but it really boosts numbers if you do additional publicity, like distributing an event flier.
Ride the coattails of BANDW’s blanket publicity by tying your event to the greater NDW events.
Use the BANDW logo, available upon request via email.
Send out press releases, making sure to cc the above email address (so we don’t send out conflicting publicity).
Supply BANDW with photos to use in the Event Guide.
Buy a display ad in the Event Guide to make yourself more visible.
Post an NDW sign (available upon request via email) on the day of your event.

2. Make the most of offering a FREE Event.

Make sure you highlight “FREE EVENT” in all of your publicity materials.
Encourage your personal community to bring along someone new to the dance world.
Invite local government figures to your event - remind them that you’re “out there” and thriving!
Promote future shows, ongoing/new classes, and studio activities.
Set out a sign-in sheet for newcomers to sign. This will help you build your mailing list and give you a way of contacting them in the future. It also helps you to keep track of the source of increases in your audience/student population and helps you to complete your NDW event evaluation.

3. Offer a series of shorter “ Sample Classes” throughout the day, showcasing teachers and artists at your studio.
Example: Half-hour classes back-to-back with 10-minute crossover time to allow for teacher-student dialogue.

Sample classes are less intimidating to the general public who may want to try out a new movement form.
Sample classes do not conflict with teacher’s regular income and ongoing students’ priorities.
Shorter classes allow the general public to attend more classes in a day, allowing for more exposure to various genres.

4. Organize a Free Performance Salon highlighting local artists and/or artists associated with your studio.

Offering a showcase of different artists will bring in a larger and more diverse audience.
Bringing your community together for a single show allows for new connections to be made within the groups performing and within the audience.

5. Open Rehearsals or Lecture/Demonstrations

Hold Q & A sessions, steering the event to engage with the public versus running your regular rehearsal under the eye of an ‘invisible audience’.

6. Hold a Drawing at Your Event.

Have people throw their mailing info/business card into a hat, to later draw from and give away prizes. This also helps you grow your mailing list!
Gather donations from your local merchants to use as prizes -- cafes, delis, record stores, etc. Don’t forget to leave fliers at their stores and give them credit at the drawing.
Give away tickets to future shows, class cards, artwork from local artists, etc.

7. "The more the merrier."

The more artists involved in the event-the more people will attend the event.

About BANDW | FAQ | Committees & Funders

A calendar of hundreds of National Dance Week events taking place in the Bay Area, all free and open to the public, will be posted in March!