The pageant is over. The titleholders have been crowned. The scholarships have been awarded. After a week or two of pageant detox, your mind begins to wonder about next year's pageant, overflowing with questions like, "How can I get more contestants? How can I sell out the auditorium? How do I secure sponsors for next year?"
The answer to all of these questions lies within one simple solution: pageant appearances. Pageantry is based on one thing and one thing only: the young women. If you have the young women, you will have the money; you will get sponsors, and then by default, you will increase the attendance at your next pageant. Contestants bring the money, the success, and more young women.
Pageant appearances are the secret that will not only increase young women's skills in public events, but will also create for you the opportunity to achieve your business goals. Here are some tips to get you started:
Get Your Titleholders Appearances
Write down everyone you know who might be able to get your titleholder an appearance. Include the teacher you know who volunteers for the Red Cross, the manager who has a friend that works for a sports team, a car salesman at a local dealership, and every politician in your state. Next to each name, write why they should have your miss or teen appear at their business or function. Will she help sales? Increase attendance? Add professionalism or status to the event? Start calling the people on your list and be confident, yet friendly.
Capitalize on Your Titleholders' Appearances
After your titleholder is booked for her event, your sole purpose in life should be to make their function an absolute success. If they want more people to attend, call everyone you know and ask them to attend. If they need more sales, creatively connect them with other businesses that might be able to help increase their bottom line. After the event, your titleholder should send them a thank you card letting them know how much she appreciated letting her participate. Be sure to record the contact information of every person who booked your miss for an appearance. This way, in the years to follow, you can not only rebook those appearances but also ask for referrals.
Use Appearances to Get More Girls to Compete
During the appearance, you as the director should be taking hundreds of photos. Take pictures of your titleholder sampling their product, signing autographs, and talking to the guests. Throughout the event you should upload one or two of the best and most interest pictures onto Twitter with silly camptions like, "Miss ___ gets pie in her face." Twitter is like a radio broadcast, so your text needs to be witty and catchy for it to stand out among the other distractions. After the event, upload the rest of the photos onto Facebook, Pinterest, and ThePageantPlanet.com to really maximize your exposure. Getting your pictures on as many websites as possible is crucial to your success.
Appearances are where you make your money, increase your attendance, and find more young women, but most directors will not discover this because there is no immediate money associated with an appearance. However, appearances are where the treasure of success is buried. Your title holder is a powerful and willing spokesmodel that can promote your pageant.
Read more tips on increasing your numbers in the August/September issue of fourpoints!
Source: Steven Roddy Photo: April M. Foster