In light of these times where the integrity of a contest have recently come into question, I would like to provide some ideas for anyone considering throwing a contest and for people looking to enter one to ensure maximum satisfaction and minimal displeasure.

CONTEST PROMOTERS

1. If you are throwing a contest under $300 make sure that on the night of the contest, your contest money is constantly shown throughout the evening (preferably from the DJ booth) to potential participants. This helps to secure their interest and trust in the contest.

2. If you are throwing a contest where thousands of dollars come into play you need to first get sponsorship of a corporation i.e. radio station, retail company, non-profit organization, etc. It helps to always have the financial backing of a company that can write out a certified check so that the money can allocated as the prize money. Multiple advertisers are always a good thing to have as well. Do not depend on ticket sales alone. This seldom works because you can never be assured of a set amount and anything can go wrong where you need to pull money out for something else.

3. You absolutely must have the support of your community. Do not depend on out of towners to bring in your numbers. You want to have anywhere from 300-500 of your city’s people for a contest promising thousands. Create ticket prices accordingly. If a venue cost $3,000 to rent, your ticket prices must be enough to gain you and or your organization a substantial profit that will cover all expenses incurred.

4. Come up with a creative contest theme. Make it appealing so that people will want to support you. Why is your contest so special?

5. Don’t be so quick to charge a registration fee for contestants. Many contest participants spend a lot of money on outfits, gas getting to the venue, lodging, etc. The fee may turn off potential participants who more than likely may not understand the rationale behind it.

6. Build your steppin community. If you have people that won’t pay $5 for steppin’ class what makes you think they will pay $25 for a ticket to a contest?

CONTEST PARTICIPANTS

1. If you are entering a contest under $300, find out where the money is that will be distributed to the winners. Request to see some proof that the money is there before you commit to entering. Go directly up to the person that is sponsoring the contest if you need to.

2. If the contest is offering thousands and it’s out-of-town, get on the phone and ask to speak to the contest coordinator and have them provide you with a list of their sponsors. This information should already be on the flyer but just in case, ask! The sponsors should be reputable, meaning that they are listed on the internet, have web pages, have phone numbers to verify their existence, etc. If it doesn’t sound right, it probably isn’t.

3. Find out if the city in which the contest is taking place is one in which steppers have established a relationship there. For example, if a contest promoter whom you’ve never heard of is throwing a steppin’ contest in Hawaii promising thousands what is the likelihood of it being a huge turn out? It costs thousands to get there, hundreds for lodging, etc. There has to be credible and realistic connections.

4. Take a verbal poll of people who you think might be entering the contest but have nonsteppers ask the question. You may or may not get the truth with this one but it helps to take a tally so you can have an indication of participation … especially if it is an out-of-town contest!

5. Contact established figures in the steppin’ community and ask for their opinions (i.e. Lana Reid, Sarah Teagle, Cynthia Bean, & Pete Frazier). Remember it’s not what you know but who you know sometimes! T. Pratt has been known to be a very good resource person as well.

6. If the flyer advertising the contest says that certain steppers or DJs are going to be in the house, call and make sure that it is the truth! Many promoters will “heavy hitter name drop” and once you arrive at the event you wind up being disappointed because those people aren’t there.

We hope this information helps promoters and participants with their planning and execution of contests the next time one rolls around. Don’t let the dog eat your homework on this one!

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