Being a newbie…

I’m sitting here, getting ready to pack for NTA in Kansas City (followed almost immediately by OMCA in Ottawa). And I’m a newbie! Yippee!

I know that I turned some heads at ABA this past year with a star on my badge. Everyone on the east coast seems to know me already. I’ve been doing shows from Pennsylvania to Tennessee for over 10 years now, but I’ve never been able to do the “big shows” before ABA in Grapevine this past February. That’s not a criticism in any way…if anything, it’s a credit to my former employer for wisdom.

As I mentioned below in my post about ABA, it can cost upwards of $3,000 to $4,000 to do one of these shows. While they are very much well worth it, it takes quite a bite out of a group marketing budget. My former employer decided against spending the money, and I fully agreed. And I took quite a bit of heat from my friends about it.

It all comes down to simple ROI, which we teach about as part of the Group Sales Seminar…Return On Investment. At the Choo Choo Barn, our retail admission was $5.50, and our group rate was $4.50. We implemented tiered pricing, so Operator rates were even less than that. Do the math…even at $4.50 per person on a coach, if coaches average 45 people per visit, that means we bring in roughly $202.50 per bus. Which means we would have to sell at least 20 buses just to cover the cost of attending a “big show”. Profitability starts well after that point…

I have no doubt we could have sold that many buses, but when you consider the simple fact that it can take a couple of years to really get “up to speed” at a show, and maybe I would have to sell 40 buses, or 50. Again, I know it could happen, but there are no guarantees. And that’s where careful assessment of ROI must come into play.

It’s a discussion I had earlier this year with my “Daddy” (second family), Jim Morrison from the National Christmas Center (if you have not visited the Christmas Center, stop reading right now, and drive to Paradise to see simply the MOST amazing museum of Christmas you will ever see! It is truly a hidden gem here in Lancaster County, and should be part of every group itinerary!). Jim has wanted to go to ABA for years, but we did the math, and wondered about selling enough coaches to cover sending a couple of people (which works out to about $6,000 for two people to attend). This year, he hit on the perfect plan, and is going to run with it at ABA in Virginia Beach in February. I won’t give away his “master plan”, but it is complete genius, and is going to pay off for him! After the show is over, with his permission, maybe I’ll share his secret.

There’s nothing wrong with being a newbie…we all have to start somewhere, and even someone with 10+ years of experience can be a newbie once (or twice). If you’re going to Kansas City or Ottawa, please look me up! I’ll be there with my star, rookie, or first-timer insignia worn proudly! It’s my last time as a newbie…I’m already signed up to “give back” at ABA next year, working in the Orientation Center. And that’s what it’s all about…

This entry was posted on October 29, 2007 at 9:58 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.

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