Make The Air Show Connections You Need
It doesn’t happen overnight
If you skipped‘What Organizers Need’ perhaps you should reconsider your career as a performer.In order for any Air Show Organizers to feel comfortable with the acts they hire, there must be an element of trust between both parties. Organizers are not going to hire you if they don't know you. In fact some Organizers will not hire any act until they have seen them perform on, at least, 3 separate occasions. Why is that? Think about it.
- Do you get an outside, second opinion of the businesses you interact with?
- Do you shop around to find value for your money?
- Do you get references for people you do business with?
Air Show Organizers need to know who they are dealing with. As a performer, you hold a lot of their success in your hands, and they want to know that you can deliver. Although achieving the required exposure to prove your ability to them can be a challenge, there are other ways of developing the connections you need to succeed.
Before you have any meaningful dialogue about business it is vital to develop that relationship to the point of trust. Nothing could be more awkward than...
“Hi, my name is Joanne. Are you interested in hiring me for your show?”
In this instance some very important steps have been skipped in the relationship building process. This approach makes the organizer feel uncomfortable. He or She may not be ready to have that conversation with you. It puts them in a position to be evasive, impolite or indifferent, primarily because they don't know how to respond without rejecting you outright. Below are a few simple but effective tips for easing into the conversation. The key is patience. It doesn't happen overnight!
Don't go to bed when the Bar is full
ICAS lasts for 4 days, with plenty of time spent off the Trade Show Floor. It is extremely important that you develop those relationships over drinks or dinner. Tell your ridiculous stories about peeing in a bottle while flying over “Nowheresville, USA”. This makes people laugh and will often put them at ease with you. In a year's time they may have forgotten your name, but they will not have forgotten your story.
If, over dinner, you never get to the point of asking them to hire you...which is likely... don't worry. You are building that relationship for years to come. Part of the relationship has to come out of your “genuine” concern for their success. This means you may be spending an entire conversation talking about their needs for their Air Show, and not talking about your act. If the general conversation is directed towards the organizer and what their needs are, it may present an opening for you to offer some assistance in your capacity as a performer. You may also direct them towards someone, you feel, may be of interest or assistance to them. Either way you are ‘Golden’.
Don't discount the Aviation Dog
This is a brief, but very important point. That Dog Show in the booth beside you? His brother-in-law's cousin has a sister that is married to an organizer at Miramar, CA. There are six degrees of separation my friend. You don't know “who” you know. So be nice!
Always remember to follow-up
Send an e-mail wishing them a Merry Christmas, and thanking them for joining you for dinner. Follow-up again in a few months, and offer assistance by providing your services for their Show. This allows for a softer delivery of “Do you want to hire me?”, and it also gives them some time to figure out what type of acts they require to maintain a “well balanced” show.