[Organizers] 3 Things - Musicians

12 Dec 2009

Hey everyone,

I was thinking back to when I got started organizing my own dance series 
a few years ago. Mostly about how much I didn't know what I was doing. 
It worked out well and the series is still going, albeit without my 
involvement now.

So what I'd like to do is hear from people and find out what they know 
now that they wish they had known before they became involved with 
organizing dance events. Pick the top 3 things (or more if you want) and 
send them to the list. Afterwards, we should have a pretty good list of 
information for people who are interested in getting started.

Here are mine:

1. I would have liked to have a better understanding of how broad the 
responsibilities of the organizer are. You need to be skilled in 
negotiation (booking), finances and budgeting, marketing, risk 
management and people management. I'm sure that I missed some, so feel 
free to add yours.

2. I didn't realize how much work it was to put on a dance series, so I 
should have been more proactive about recruiting help. I burned out 
after a year an a half and handed the series off to other people. Now I 
serve on three committees that put on either monthly or weekly dances.

3. I had thought some about the purpose of my series (to give me more 
experience as a caller), but didn't think as much about how it fit into 
the community and the vision for how it could contribute. A well thought 
out vision would have guided me towards better success and away from 
second guessing myself.

Looking forward to hearing people's responses.

Chris Weiler
Goffstown, NH