January 2010 In Review

Happy New Year, January is always a slow month event wise but very busy as far as bookings, inquiries and proposals.  We have been very busy putting together proposals for events around the world including Hong Kong and England. 

We have also spent January meeting committees here in the Northeast who have been busy preparing their events.  Some of the most popular entertainment this year so far have been circuses, western entertainment, actions sports, animal shows and magic acts who carry their own stages.  Its going to be another big year for local events and "stay-cation" venues!

We visited the Maine Association of Fairs Convention on January 29 & 30th.  We saw most of the fairs from the great state of Maine including Houlton, Northern Maine Fair, Oxford County, Windsor, Union, Fryeburg, and Bangor to name just a few of the wonderful fairs in Maine.  We spent a lot of time on the trade show floor on Friday and Saturday.  Geoff Carleton of the Maximum Velocity stunt team spent much of the weekend with us, Geoff's show features BMX bikes, in-line skaters, and skate boarders.  They were recently featured on Extreme Home Make Over.

We also spent some time in the hospitality suite of Central Maine Pyrotechnics hosted by Steve and Carol Marsden and their crew.  Always a wonderful time!  Central Maine Pyrotechnics produces some of the best fireworks shows in New England, with a professional staff and outstanding prices. 

Somehow the Maine Fair Convention always seems to take place the coldest weekend of the year and this year was no exception.  We left on Thursday evening and hit 50 mile per hour winds, white out snow squalls, and black ice along the way, our 3 hour trip turned into 5 1/2 hours.  Fun, fun, fun.  We are so looking forward to heading back to Maine during fair season when its 75 degrees and sunny (of course it will be!).

Since its a little quiet right now event wise I thought this month would be a good time to bring you a few tips to help you bring the best possible event to your patrons this year:

1) Buy entertainment for your patrons not for your committee.  Look at whose coming (or who you want to come) what are their ages, do they have children, how old are the children?  You want to entertain your patrons so that they stay longer and patronize your vendors you also want to attract people to your event.  Ask the good folks who come year after year what they want to see and ask those who haven't been coming what kind of entertainment would bring them to your event.

2) Ask us what is rout-able to your event!  Acts who are traveling through your area are going to be more affordable than an act who is going to have to travel hundreds or thousands of miles to make the event.

3) Have a budget in mind or at least a price you would like to stay below.  Acts can range in price from a few hundred dollars per day to several thousand dollars depending on what they do and what they bring with them.  To get what you want and not to be disappointed by what you can't afford please have a budget in mind when asking for a proposal. 

Here are a few ideas to entertain through the ages:

Children 7 &; under:   The Bravo Brothers, Debbie O'Carroll's Magic, Dan Grady's Marionettes, Dragon Scales and Fairy Tales, The Imagination Movers and the Backyard Circus.

Children 8 and up:  Horses, Horses, Horses, Kachunga and the Alligator, Maximum Velocity, Bwana Jim's Wildlife Show, The Lucky Show. 

Teens:  Maximum Velocity, Winn's Thrill Shows, the Skyriders and of course the music act of the moment!

Families:  The Flying Wallendas, the Flying Pages, Nergers Tigers, Johnny Peers and the Muttville Comix, Magically Medieval, Mutts Gone Nuts, the Magic of Lance Gifford & Co. and the Anastasini Circus.

Seniors:  Chuckwagon Mac Tales of the Old West, Darren presents the Music of Elvis, and the Neil Diamond Tribute.

Let us know who you want to entertain we'd be happy to make a suggestion!  Make the best of February we will be through it before you know it!