The A.B.P.A. needs to move ahead.

[Terry]

I can only comment on the few festivals that I have been to.

The performance ones that were just for entertainment without any comps were far and away better attended.

Our Australia Day festival at Wireless hill gets a few hundred attend each year; while Boyup brook gets up to 2000 or so they reckon.

Our State Championship (performance) this this year attracted only a handful of people apart from club members, we're hoping this will improve in coming years.

Even the finals of the Golden Damper at Tamworth; last year at least were very poorly attended.

We like everyone else are struggling to get people to join the committee or even just to help out.

I also feel that the most likely group to become members of our clubs are retirees - there are too many other distractions for younger people with perhaps the odd exception.

Terry

[Peely]

Bill

I well and truly understand the income that a competition generates and the sources that it can come from. The question raised came down to costs to run a championship. As I have put them, those are very basic costs. A good committee would have systems in place to raise the income necessary to break even.

I think you may be being a bit generous on the number of performers in the yarnspinning competition. Most competitions that I have been in that include yarnspinning have fewer than ten performers. Even with many of the written competitions these days there would typically be fewer than 50 entries in a section (I am speaking from experience here, one of the ones I was involved in the running of never exceeded this figure). Prestige and higher prize money might bring in more written entries to some competitions, it isn't an easy thing to get the balance right on. Most competitions struggle to make the money required for the running of the competition from entry fees alone which is why they need those other sources of income (sponsorships, door, etc).

[william williams]

Thanks John I know some of those figures are wrong but I was going on the statement of the State competition's which are a lot different in numbers etc

thanks a lot the questions have now been answered


BILL WILLIAMS













Small towns like we have all over the country changes the scene quite dramatically

[Peely]

The figures I used were based on ones I had seen when I was helping organise a state competition. That particular competition ran on a budget of about $6000. Their prize money wasn't as much as in the example (there were only 3 sections instead of 4 in the men's and women's and only a single written section) and they manage to negotiate low fees for judging and compering.

A championships can be held for less than $10 000 but it is a very fine line between trying to attract enough competitors and keeping the prize money at a level that still looks attractive.

[David Campbell]

It's important to stress here that John is talking about State Championships. Maybe a minimum figure of $400 for the written competition judge is realistic at State Championships, but no organiser from any of the other competitions around the place has ever offered me as much as $400 for judging...not even close. Although maybe I just have a reputation for working cheap!

Cheers
David

[Glenny Palmer]

Hello David. When I ran my business I attended seminars on how to successfully conduct same. What always stayed in my mind was the presenter's warning about what to charge for what. He said it was an established fact that most small business operators charge less than they could, & indeed, should, if they wish to succeed. He then went on to explain how consumers will often view a cheaper price/fee as indicating a lower level of quality/service. I found this to be true many times, & with the Arts particularly so. EG. I used to do free presentations to a nursing home each year. When I was unable to do so one year they took great umbrage. I then started charging them a mere $50, solely to impress upon them a VALUE. They never growled again & I was the bees knees! Humans are funny animals, eh? ''All the world is queer except for me & thee....& I have my doubts about thee.''
(I don't like that word 'offered' too much David. )

[David Campbell]

I know what you're saying, Glenny. Trouble is, when organisers say they have limited funds and it's all they can afford I tend to believe them. Maybe it's time to rethink that.

David

[manfredvijars]

The last time North Pine hosted the Australian championships it cost a tad over $18,000. That was the COST. Yes, we raised funds and had sponsors but all that work was on top of running the championships. That was the cost for each year(x 2).

Written comps are much cheaper to run.

[manfredvijars]

David, don't sell yourself short. You determine what you're worth, you've earned your stripes and organisers need to budget appropriately.

[David Campbell]

Thanks, Manfred. Food for thought. It'll be interesting to see the response of organisers. Perhaps John's very informative cost-breakdown should be published in the magazine.

Cheers
David