If there are going to be any unpleasant surprises when it comes to the details of your dance studio’s end-of-year recital, trust us: you want to be able to deal with these snafus well in advance of the big event. A few months prior to your recital, you want to make sure to confirm details regarding your recital venue, costumes, and any extras you plan to offer. At least a month before the curtain call, you’ll also want to make sure you have some other aspects organized and in place.
Step 4: Plan and Print the Programs
Well, you don’t really need to print your programs quite yet, but you do want to make sure that your programs are ready for printing in plenty of time; this is not something that you want to leave until the last minute. By including advertiser pages in your programs, these handouts can boost your recital revenue significantly; of course, such additions will mean extra work and require extra lead time.
No later than a month prior to your recital date, you’ll want to finalize the program details and the number of programs you will need to print. (If you have Jackrabbit Dance software, you can use the Recital module in order to easily generate the information you need in order to create professional-looking programs quickly.) Make sure you have researched and chosen a printer who does quality work, while offering the best price possible. Be sure to check that the printer you choose will be able to work with the type of file you plan to submit, and have it delivered to them in plenty of time.
Here are some facets of your recital programs that you will want to make sure to address:
A. Clearly communicate with your advertisers so their expectations are aligned with your presentation.
B. Be sure to have any advertising fees paid well before your program is printed; you might even be able to simplify this process by asking your printer of choice to donate the program printing in exchange for advertising in your recital program.
C. Confirm details with students who will be performing, ensuring the information you plan to print is as accurate as possible.
D. Before actually designing your program’s layout, make sure you have collected and confirmed all the information you plan to include. (With the Recital module in Jackrabbit Dance, you can easily check student names and class details.)
E. If you want to include an attention-getting program cover, consider hiring a professional designer for the job; your dance family may even include a talented artist who will be willing to volunteer their time for this task, freeing you up for the tasks for which you’re best suited.
F. Leave time for plenty of proofing! First, proof read a hard copy yourself, then ask someone else to proof it again. Using the Jackrabbit Dance Recital module, you can also export a draft of the document and send it to your dancers’ parents for an added review. Then be sure to proof it again before finalizing the file and sending it to the printer.
Continue reading with Part 3.
From the Jackrabbit Dance blog:
• After the Competitions: How to Store Your Dance Costumes for the Summer
• Winning Dance Competition Themes for Studios
• Lessons Learned from Dance Competitions
JackrabbitDance
JackrabbitDance.com is the leading dance studio software for more than a decade. More than 11,000 studios use Jackrabbit because the system saves them so much time, keeps them organized and simplifies communication with their customers. The beauty of Jackrabbit is the ability to grow and scale your business without outgrowing your software.
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