Giving the audience a vote

[240 is Back]

Would this put a lot more butts in seats or fans buying the PPV?

At the local level, if every hometown competitor knew that 10% of the final score came from audience ballot, he would be on the street the week before selling tickets.

At the national level, you'd have the same thing plus street teams.

At the pro level, BBers would have their own little 'Soul Patrol' groupee groups moving tickets, and they'd be encouraging fans in mags to get out to shows.

Now from the fans' perspective, if they knew their PPV purchase or presence at the show gave them one vote, they'd be more likely to buy. 

This morning for example- Mike Arvilla is a celebrity on a huge message board.  And as he's doing prejudging right now, I'm guessing he probably has less than 10 or 15people in the seats for him.  It's early. Now if each of those ppl had a vote which helped to influence his chances of reaching the finals, I am sure Mike would have 25 or 30 people in those seats to giv ehim that edge.

Just kick in 10% of the vote to the guy who does the most to keep the event alive... sort of the 'home court' advantage you see in other sports. Just a thought.   I'm sick today and cold medicine is kicking in.

[Vince G, CSN MFT]

That's stupid.  The hometown bodybuilder would have overall advantage over the rest.


That's why there are judges

[jameswdmb]

if bodybuilding ever wanted to grow its fan base it would be a great idea.Judges are to egotistical to let this happen..they would never let fans have a foothold in their domain.they have their own opinion of what a great body is and they dont think that the fans opinion is valid.....i have almost come to the conclusion that bodybuilding likes just having its own little community. They still like to consider themselves outcasts and "just misunderstood freaks". maybe they think growing the sport, and the business, would be selling out to the public. Its unfortunate. The sport could really use a very successful person from another sport like the nfl or heavyweight boxing for instance, or an actor who already has name recognition to get into the sport and actually be good enough to be competitive with big name pros. that might draw in some fans unfamiliar with the sport. It is not likely this will happen unless this person is already made his riches and is doing it just for the love of bodybuilding.

[240 is Back]

That's stupid.  The hometown bodybuilder would have overall advantage over the rest.

That's why there are judges

Right.  And we all know that if the judge happens to own the gym where one of the guys trains, the dude is going to get a 'hometown advantage'.  It happens already. 

Think about TV shows that let the fans get involved in the outcome.  Big Brother, American Idol, even the Apprentice did it this time I think.

It's easy to say 'that's stupid', but it's hard to come up with better ways to put butts in seats.   Hometown advantage helps in every other sport- so why not BBing?  First, you wouldn't have prick ringers who travel 300 miles to scalp every trophy they can collect.  BBing would have more of a community feel to it. And there is no denying that you would sell more tickets.  Plus it would be a start to make BBing more mainstream- BBers would be more succesful when they left their comfy shell and talked to people about the contest, inviting them out, etc.  Also, the cheering sections would be way more interesting at shows.

[Vince G, CSN MFT]

Judges are sitting right up close to the competitors so they can see all the details.  The audience cannot make a well informed decision from a distance.



If you want to put more bodies in the audience, then you have to advertise properly.  TV, Radio, & paper.  Also pass out flyers in the gym and have mini-contests available

[240 is Back]

Judges are sitting right up close to the competitors so they can see all the details.  The audience cannot make a well informed decision from a distance.

1) The audience vote is going to be emotionally skewed, and that is fine.  Hell, make it only count 5%... but if one guy brings 500 people with him to a show, he is doing way more for the growth of the sport than the guy who looks a tad better and came alone.  Michael Jordan got way more calls cause hw was the face of BBall and grew the sport worldwide.  Ahnold won in 1980 cause he was a star who had put BBing on the map.  At least make this hometown edge a little more mathematical.

If you want to put more bodies in the audience, then you have to advertise properly.  TV, Radio, & paper.  Also pass out flyers in the gym and have mini-contests available

You can pass out all the flyers that you want- but in this world, consumers see thousands of ads and web addresses every day and rarely stop.  You can put it on TV- but you are going to lose serious money on the show then.  But this puts the resource expence on the ATHLETE!  This is the smart way to go, as it's the only way to grow the sport-  make BBers more accessible, visible, and comfotable with fans. 

If local Bbers were going door to door, selling tickets to 'come on out and support this healthy sport of self-improvement, and maybe even root for me!' many more tickets would sell.  Hell, in person, even a top local guy looks unreal in person.  Many ppl are going to be inspired and come out of curiosity. 

Put the athletes to work to grow their own sport.  Shouldn't be up to 2 skinny promoters  cooked on caffeine taping up posters at gyms.  Should be the BBers trying to grow the BBing sport- and reaping some benefits for their efforts.

[Vince G, CSN MFT]

1) The audience vote is going to be emotionally skewed, and that is fine.  Hell, make it only count 5%... but if one guy brings 500 people with him to a show, he is doing way more for the growth of the sport than the guy who looks a tad better and came alone.  Michael Jordan got way more calls cause hw was the face of BBall and grew the sport worldwide.  Ahnold won in 1980 cause he was a star who had put BBing on the map.  At least make this hometown edge a little more mathematical.
You can pass out all the flyers that you want- but in this world, consumers see thousands of ads and web addresses every day and rarely stop.  You can put it on TV- but you are going to lose serious money on the show then.  But this puts the resource expence on the ATHLETE!  This is the smart way to go, as it's the only way to grow the sport-  make BBers more accessible, visible, and comfotable with fans. 

If local Bbers were going door to door, selling tickets to 'come on out and support this healthy sport of self-improvement, and maybe even root for me!' many more tickets would sell.  Hell, in person, even a top local guy looks unreal in person.  Many ppl are going to be inspired and come out of curiosity. 

Put the athletes to work to grow their own sport.  Shouldn't be up to 2 skinny promoters  cooked on caffeine taping up posters at gyms.  Should be the BBers trying to grow the BBing sport- and reaping some benefits for their efforts.

No, its not fine to have an emotionally charged audience to vote.  And it still doesn't sell tickets



Local shows have to be advertised locally.  Most regular people are curious as to see a bodybuilding show because they are not used to it and if they don't have to travel a great distance then they do.  That's the same way I run my business, sell locally first and then advertise worldwide.

[240 is Back]

Local shows have to be advertised locally.  Most regular people are curious as to see a bodybuilding show because they are not used to it and if they don't have to travel a great distance then they do. 

Mass media marketing for a niche sport is not cost-effective.  You can talk about 'local tv and lots of ads!' but that isn't cheap and isn't sustainable.  Putting on an ad for 50k ppl to see, hoping to sell 500 tickets? Why would you waste all your $ (and then some) on tv time on children, housewives, and elderly, when you're going to sell way more tickets by having athletes actually walking up to doors and ppl in college aprtments, locla gyms, etc- the correct demo.

Grassroots is free and it works better.   Chances are, ppl are too lazy or introverted to do it, and the old sluggish way will continue.  But a little forward thinking - rewarding those guys who grow the sport - would get more butts in seats.  That cannot be denied.

[Vince G, CSN MFT]

You got everything figured out don't you?

You've never competed in a show and you've never ran a show but you sure can offer a ton of advice about both. 


What sounds good on paper doesn't apply in the real world

[Crusher]

240, you are arguing with a total idiot 

[GoneAway]

Sounds good to a point. What happens when there are "enough" butts in the seats? Stop the vote or keep going? This is where it turns more into a popularity contest than a sport. I still think BBing is a sport where the "best" physique wins, and usually does. With 10% vote by the crowd, you have some true fans who vote for the best, and the others who vote for the "sexiest" or the "most friendly" and this is where it spins out of wack. But, you probably don't care about the contest since your plan is only to get butts in seats.

What happens if a normally 18th BBer gets upped to 14th due to his insistent peddling and putting butts in seats? 4 guys still robbed. That's where you have to make it like 5% or less, to where it makes almost no difference. In the higher placings it would make all the difference, since they're so close usually. Lower placings, probably not, depending on the % and how many "friends" the BBer made. I get the idea, and I'm all for getting BBing out there, but this idea has a long way to go.

The fans could participate in another way. By getting mic time and telling the crowd/BBers/promoters their thoughts on the show. Or, they could be given prizes and hold mini-contests of sorts. Like arm-wrestling or something. Or have a "half-time" cheerleading routing if there are gaps inbetween parts of the contest. Things like that, where it's enjoyable but doesn't take any seriousness away from the scoring.

[240 is Back]

good points man.

my ideas might be in left field... but out of some ridiculous ideas, some good ones always emerge. 

[Sljck-NjnjaRjder]

If I knew I had an opportunity to sway the final results for Olympic Pairs Ice Dancing....



I STILL WOULDNT GO!  I just dont like ice dancing that much for me to all of a sudden to show up bc I care so much that i get a chance to sway the judges decisions. 

People will only come to things that they enjoy watching and being a part of.  We all know it is a very underground sport and not many people can relate to the efforts competitive bodybuilders go through to prepare.

My .02

[240 is Back]

Get a life,
My monies on Kamali,
and I would punch you in the throat first opportunity I ever get
Bye

All along, you've been King Kamali with a troll account.  We shuold have seen this a mile away.

[Palpatine Q]

240, you are arguing with a total idiot 

So's Vince.

[Palpatine Q]

1

If local Bbers were going door to door, selling tickets to 'come on out and support this healthy sport of self-improvement, and maybe even root for me!' many more tickets would sell.  Hell, in person, even a top local guy looks unreal in person.  Many ppl are going to be inspired and come out of curiosity. 

HAHAHAHAHA!! DOOR TO DOOR!!??!!  At least give them some Kirby vacuums to sell not it's not a total waste of time. You really think If some meathead started knocking on doors selling tickets saying " Hi I'm Tony,vote for me" is going to inspire people to shell out $125 ON THE SPOT to go to a bbing contest? Maybe in 240land but not here on Earth.

[danielson]

HAHAHAHAHA!! DOOR TO DOOR!!??!!  At least give them some Kirby vacuums to sell not it's not a total waste of time. You really think If some meathead started knocking on doors selling tickets saying " Hi I'm Tony,vote for me" is going to inspire people to shell out $125 ON THE SPOT to go to a bbing contest? Maybe in 240land but not here on Earth.

I was thinking the same thing, people would be inspired to lock their doors, not go see a show.

[Vince G, CSN MFT]

Letting the audience vote doesn't sell more tickets because they are already there!!!!  You can't sell tickets after the show already starts....



All the audience wants to see is a great show and have fun.  The Shannon Metreod show I attended last year had a great crowd because they advertised locally very heavy, got the word out, and provided great service.  They were serving champagne, beer, and some pretty good food.


That's how it works 240 and the show venue will be bigger and better next year because everyone had a great time

[240 is Back]

What is it with the small minded thinking... ?

Well, I'm trying to kick around solutions and you don't like mine.  Fair enough.  Let's hear a better one. 

[danielson]

What is it with the small minded thinking... ?

Well, I'm trying to kick around solutions and you don't like mine.  Fair enough.  Let's hear a better one. 

Vinnie Mac tried to expand bb, the interest just wasn't there. It will always be a small market. Well, I guess he tried football too, so scratch that.

[onlyme]

You want to sell out every show.  get rid of the judges completely and have the audience vote 100%.  You can bet every competitor will get every person they know to come watch.  Plus can you imgaine how loud it would be in the place.  It would be like going to a military show.  They are so loud.  The Marines yelling for thier guys the Army for theirs, it is a madhouse in those shows.

[Vince G, CSN MFT]

What is it with the small minded thinking... ?

Well, I'm trying to kick around solutions and you don't like mine.  Fair enough.  Let's hear a better one. 

Your ideas are based on inexperience with competitive bodybuilding.  In order to truly understand why people come to a bodybuilding show, you have to understand the general basics.  For example, the audience comes for the entertainment to see some great physiques and to have fun.  They could care less if they had to vote.


The main event is of course the night show where all the action happens.  The music is pumping to everyone doing a 90 second routine.  Basically a series of mini-shows.  That's what makes a show a best or a bust.  Some people don't dedicate much time in a night routine while others like me spend weeks practicing.  It makes a big difference come time.  So there's no problem with a great show as usually most events are already exciting



The key to selling tickets is....advertising.  When you are able to get the general public to show interest in the events then you'll make money.  Inviting the media is also a great step as most local media outlets will report the show and will make for good come next time

[Tre]

You can have an audience vote and offer separate prizes for that, but the audience voting should never factor into the 'official' results.

We first started doing this at Diana the Valkyrie (www.TheValkyrie.com) several years ago and the idea then spread to other companies as well offering cash prizes in categories voted on by the fans in attendance.  At the Jan Tana, we let the fans vote on their favorites and then awarded a $1000 cash prize to the winner.  As fate would have it, in this rare instance, the audience vote actually coincided with the judges' decision. 

[BayGBM]

Direct audience voting is not a good idea in body building for obvious reasons.  What would be welcome is an opportunity for people in the audience (say, 10-20) to qualify to participate in voting. 

Once qualified, these people would sit close to the stage, perhaps right behind the judges with their own score sheets. And their votes should count, as Tre suggested, for separate prizes/awards.

[Palpatine Q]

You want to sell out every show.  get rid of the judges completely and have the audience vote 100%.  You can bet every competitor will get every person they know to come watch.  Plus can you imgaine how loud it would be in the place.  It would be like going to a military show.  They are so loud.  The Marines yelling for thier guys the Army for theirs, it is a madhouse in those shows.

So you want to give BBing the judging criteria of a wet T shirt contest.