So many people say to me, "I imagine you love having all this time off in the summer when the season is over." I usually smile and say a simple "yes". But I thought I'd tell you what is really going on in the Paramount offices, once the official Paramount Theater Season winds down. All during April in May we are finalizing contracts for the upcoming season, trying to nail down every date, time, and negotiating every price, discount, and on sale date with each artist.
May through July is the time that all the marketing gets planned and created. This time is heavily dedicated to producing the season brochure, collecting, photos, writing show descriptions, conference call with marketing directors and agents, trying to find out as much as we can about each show.This is also the time that we produce and put together the season video. In mid-June and July we have a mass marketing campaign with complete season press kits which announce the new season. Marketing also lines up any radio promotions and sponsorships at this time. Our media partners want recognition in our season brochure and all artwork so all of the negotiations take place over the summer, as well as negotiations for next seasons rates. Each show has a separate marketing plan and the summer is when it gets done . Over 80% of the shows we produce are in partnership with the national tour and they must approve each every ad we place down to the newspaper or in terms of radio advertising the station and time that it plays.
Sponsorship and development works on selling sponsorships and negotiating contracts for each show, and starts planning the fund-raising plans for next season and planning the season kick off party as well as a throwing "thank you party" for last year's Premier Society Donors.
In June,while planning for next season the timing is right for budgeting, as it is the end of our phiscal season, so production works on the budgets and estimates for each show estimating costs on getting bids on catering, hotel rooms, flights, accommodations, and ground transportation as well as sound, lighting, and equipment rental estimates. Hotel rooms are booked, and airline reservations made.
In the meanwhile the theater is rented out almost every single weekend to national dance competitions, so the tech crew and production people, while advancing contracts for next season and estimating budgets, are simultaneously working on these rentals with 1000's of children coming in every Friday through Sunday throughout the summer. We also have event rentals so the theater is busy with wedding season, parties, meetings, and events.
The Box Office is setting up shows and seat map configurations on -line through ticketmaster, putting seats with sight-line problems on hold based on the drawings we get, and sound plots, Then in June they start selling subscritpion tickets and working on seating subscribers. Come July and August the box office kicks in, and we are busy with the season being "On Sale" to the public and new subscribersThe rest of staffis busy finalizing budgets, covering the phones, and planning the season kick-off party in August.
So in answer to the question... Actually... the summer isn't so "slow."
Once August comes, we can breath a sigh of relief... because we can get to doing what we do best, and present great theater! Don't miss Blues on the Fox, this weekend, it is a free event produced by the city of Aurora with Free Blues artists playing outside in front of the theatre all weekend!
Hoping you all have a great summer!
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