I should add - in our experience, most of the time friends and family members of the band offer to pay and the issue does not even come up.  Occasionally, a band member will tell us someone is coming they would like admitted free. In those cases we do not charge even if they offer. Mac McKeever From: Mac Mckeever <macmck(a)ymail.com> To: "organizers(a)lists.sharedweight.net" <organizers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> Sent: Wednesday, June 8, 2016 8:59 AM Subject: Fw: [Organizers] spectator - charge or not? We are pretty lenient about this.  The fact these people have some interest in finding out who we are and what we do is like free publicity. The musicians play for us at far below what they get in other venues - so we try to accommodate friends and family.  If someone just happens to like the music and comes just to listen - we do charge them - explaining we need to be able to pay the band. Always encourage someone to come in and see what we do - we might even coax them into one dance to give them a small sample.  We work hard to get the word out - so we try not to discourage anyone who shows interest.  In this case we usually have one or more dancers who will sit with them at times to explain everything and help them understand the difference in the watching experience vs the participation experience. Yes - let parents in - we will even create a special group rate if they bring a lot of students (especially if they contact us in advance). Basically - if we are not turning people away due to overcrowding, it costs us nothing to make these exceptions and they all have potential long term benefits. Mac McKeever ----- Forwarded Message ----- From: Jane Ewing via Organizers <organizers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> To: organizers(a)lists.sharedweight.net Sent: Wednesday, June 8, 2016 8:41 AM Subject: [Organizers] spectator - charge or not? I would  like to know how many groups out there charge for a "spectator" to attend a dance. Also, what is the a difference between -   A. The cousin of a fiddler coming in to listen    B.  Someone that wants to see "what it is all about" and might consider dancing in the future     C.  Parents that bring students in to dance. Jane Ewing Grant, AL _______________________________________________ Organizers mailing list Organizers(a)lists.sharedweight.net http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/organizers-sharedweight.net