After a fantastic weekend at Boogie by the Bay, we discuss what makes it such a great event, and what other events can learn from its example. From hiring top-notch staff to creating a relaxed atmosphere to keeping things running on time, Boogie sets the bar for a quality experience for everyone who attends – competitors, social dancers, and even the pros themselves. Later in the show, we’re joined by Co-Event Director Andy Bouman, who gives us a look at how he and the Boogie by the Bay Committee plan, organize, and run the event. Listen and learn about what it takes to produce a successful event that appeals to a wide variety of attendees.
footnotes
Boogie by the Bay
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This is a great super interesting podcast on WCS events – a view from without and within, with a fair-minded review of all that happens at Boogie and equally importantly, other events. I’m curious to know how this is received by other event promoters… Great open conversation with the event director of one of the stalwart, iconic events of our WCS community-at-large.
I’m curious now, though, how bad it gets with other events…. I’m aware that some other events often dont run on time or seem disorganized .. but has it been that bad? I guess with the great events I go to regularly – BbB, Capital, GNDC, The Open, are all generally well run nowadays (was not always the case). The smaller events can be good though – I can be forgiving if the FUN quotient is high. In the end, if it was a blast (whether Energy level, Hilarity, shenanigans, Level of Dancing) then I can be more forgiving.. I stopped going to events years ago when the inside of one hotel ballroom started to look the same as another..
I’ve been around long enough to remember poorly run events decades ago that did not ever run on time; delays that caused people to choose between missing flights or missing finals, unpaid pros or contest winners; judges, DJs and Contest staff taken for granted, and bounced checks. I hope that one whole, events have improved in Professionalism.
>> Also agree that the WCS event market is over saturated. As soon as there is a recession, some of these will go away, unless they can tap into the local market reliably to make a go of it. PLEASE do not start another event unless there is a real need for it from your local community, or a truly unique reason that makes your event different from others. (Unless you’re in a place I want to go to anyway, like Tahiti).
Thanks for the comments about the ballroom lighting at Boogie. I’ve provided lighting for the event for years, with the design evolving from a few parcans on light trees in 2004 to about 50 LED fixtures of various types this year. The goal is to provide a nice room ambiance both fully lit for comps and dimmed for late night. As Eric noted, the LEDs add almost no heat and use very little power compared to traditional stage lighting.