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This is an online masters class for professionals in fairs, festival, theme parks, marketing & special events.
Click on topics of interest to learn more. Download PDF files to share with your staff. Watch the video extracts from our convention power point presentations. You will find links at the bottom of the page to industry-related websites. If you have specific questions, comments or requests, just contact us. We are happy to help.
Let's start with the basics.
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A Basic Entertainment Overview
There are only 4 ways to present acts!
All entertainment falls into one of four categories.
Strolling
This is among the most flexible forms of entertainment. Unfortunately, it is also the least understood and most inappropriately used. Strolling Acts make virtually no demands on your facility, have a great visual impact and the ability to deliver personalized performances to specific groups of people. They also lend themselves well to the promotion of sponsor participation. They are very affordable yet often overlooked as a powerful resource for an event's entertainment lineup.Found Space
Although often confused with Strolling Entertainment, Found Space Acts have specific requirements which put them into a separate category. Their equipment and manner of presentation are designed to make few demands on your facility beyond a location for themselves and their audience… a simple patch of grass away from the busy midway, a shady tree, a picnic area or open space. One especially nice feature of Found Space entertainment is that they are able to change show locations as the day goes by, thereby maximizing their impact on the audience.Stage
Nearly every event has a stage, rents a stage, or provides something that serves as a stage. That is the main thing you provide for stage acts. Stage acts present the widest range of entertainment types & costs, covering everything from community acts to famous headliners. Staff involvement, technical requirements, costs and liability will vary depending on the type of stage act you present. Keep in mind that some Found Space and Self Contained acts can adapt their performances for use on your stages, which can expand your range of entertainment choices.Self Contained
Self Contained acts offer a more formal style of entertainment with the performance and audience areas clearly defined. In general, they require the event to provide only three elements; location, electrical power & seating. Once in place, self contained acts become a major entertainment asset. This type of act is often referred to as a destination point show. They can be building blocks for your venue, like food booths & commercial displays, used to construct the overall shape of your event. -
A Basic Scheduling Overview
There are 5 kinds of time in show scheduling!
To schedule any event you must consider the 5 kinds of time.
Travel Time
Whether acts comes from overseas or the other side of the fair, it takes TIME for them to get to the performance location.Set Up Time
When the talent arrives it takes TIME to set up the show they are to perform.Take Down Time
When the performance ends, it takes TIME for equipment & talent to be cleared, making way for the next show.Break TIme
The TIME talent is not - performing - setting up - traveling - or taking down the show.Show Time
The actual TIME it takes to perform the show once the act is set up & ready.
Want to explore these topics in more depth? Invest some time with these video presentations.
The Secrets of the Entertainment Universe - Revealed!
Part 1 - Classification System for Acts (6:39)
Part 2 - Classification System for Attractions (4:21)
Part 3 - The 5 Kinds of Time (7:38)
Part 1 - Classification System for Acts (6:39)
Part 2 - Classification System for Attractions (4:21)
Part 3 - The 5 Kinds of Time (7:38)
To view the videos in full screen, click the icon in the lower right corner of the player controls after you press play.
ACTS
TIME
ATTRACTIONS
Looking for a featured speaker at your convention or trade show? Below are programs Theater-16 has produced as power point presentations, panel discussions, round tables and management development programs. Here is a synopsis of each topic.
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Management Guide to Acts and Attractions
A comprehensive guide for all experience levels.
A basic comprehensive overview of entertainment in the fair, festival and theme park industries. The information and insights for this program come from 30 years of experience with theme parks such as Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm and Six Flags; fairs and festivals across the US and Canada; corporate trade shows for Levi-Strauss, Western Union and Mattel Toys.
This program gives everyone a working definition for all types of entertainment, and shows ways to maximize the value of each. The course is comprehensive covering every aspect of the topic. You can see a pdf outline of the course contents, and we have included a glossary of terms used in the course of instruction.
The presentation fits most comfortably into a 90 minute format, but can be summarized for shorter workshops. -
Soundscaping Your Event
Think of it as landscaping the air!
This may be a concept that you have never considered, but with the change in demographics, (read as an aging population) it has become even more important. Everyone understands the idea of landscaping your event grounds...extend that concept to the sounds of your event. Taking control of elements such as sound levels, speaker placement, background levels and dynamic variations can improve the overall quality of your event. Learn how to evaluate these factors and more with this innovative presentation. 45 minute presentation and discussion. Download our pdf of an article on the concept of soundscaping.
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New Ideas in Sponsorship
Sponsors may be closer than you think!
Sponsorships, what they are and how to get them, is always a popular topic. Our goal is to open your eyes to new revenue sources through cooperative relations with your grounds entertainment. By shifting your perspective about what a sponsorship means and what the real benefits are, you can expand your resources while involving more members of your community. This presentation is designed for a guided, working discussion group, with an emphasis on cases specific to you and your concerns.
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Grounds Evaluation
Look at your facility with new eyes.
This is an active walkabout program, so bring a lunch. Spend time on your grounds to see what it suggests to you. Find new opportunities for use and solve longstanding problems. This workshop can be conducted during the run of an event, or during the interim. Prior to this program you should assemble maps, pictures and information that would be helpful to see the event in action. Bring a camera, tape measure and good shoes.
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Themed Entertainment
Creative ways to support your theme.
Special areas of the grounds, marketing events and promotions are often designed around a particular theme. Many elements go into capturing the "look" of a theme, but one of the most valuable assets often goes overlooked; grounds acts. Entertainment can provide the elements that create the imagination needed to make a theme become a reality. There is a world of affordable possibilities that remain to be discovered and this program helps us explore them together. Download our pdf of a one minute presentation "Thoughts on what a fair really is."
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Successful Craft Centers
Participation, creativity and family fun.
Always a favorite family experience, the free craft center is an activity any fair can afford to provide. Whether provided by an outside company, your staff or community volunteers, a craft center is a great value added attraction for your event. WIth proper preparation the right crafts and a few simple guidelines, your craft center is sure to be a success. A great way to involve sponsors and volunteers. Our hands on workshop will show you how your guests can make memories at the fair. Download our pdf on creating a successful craft center.
Download Library - Management & Staff Resource Portable Document Files
Files that expand on the issues discussed above, and present new materials of interest.
Creating Successful Craft Centers
These are the notes from a handout at the Western Fair Association Convention & Trade Show.
http://www.theater-16.com/
One Minute Thought on Fairs
This is from a management conference project "30 Great Thoughts in 30 Minutes". Inspirational insights into the industry.
http://www.theater-16.com/
Soundscaping Your Fair
These are notes from a Washington Fairs Association presentation on sound design & volume control at your event.
http://www.theater-16.com/
Sponsorships for Grounds Acts
These are notes from an Oregon Fairs Association round table discussion on sponsoring grounds entertainment.
http://www.theater-16.com/
Course Guide Table of Contents
This table of contents serves as the course outline for our convention presentation of A Management Guide to Grounds Acts and Attractions.
http://www.theater-16.com/
Course Guide Glossary
This is the glossary of terms used in our convention presentation of A Management Guide to Grounds Acts and Attractions.
http://www.theater-16.com/