Q:TIP- If you build it they will come...and keep coming back

So how do you keep the kids coming back for more concerts? You've gotta bring in talent and lots of it. Last Q:TIP, we pointed out that booking local artists will save you money and helps boost concert attendance. In this blog post, we want to emphasize that if student programmers over-rely on this strategy and only book local, you will eventually run your concerts dry.

Here's the lesson for the day:

"If you bring in national touring artists and pair them up with locals, you'll see more consistent concert attendnace."

If you look at any venue in a city (capacity 100-300), this is how they set up the majority of their weekend shows. Unlike student programming organizations, they do not have student activity fees funding their concerts, so they have to be spot on in attendance in order to sell drinks and keep their doors open.

The local artists' role is to help promote the show and bring out their fan-base. The national artists' role is to bring out the "wow" factor that gets the girls screaming and the guys wishing they knew how to play the guitar. Create this kind of band line-up and you'll have students eventually trusting your capability to set up a good show.