4 Tips for Planning Your Trips to Dance Competitions
November 15, 2021With competition season upon us, there’s plenty to give some thought to – have your dancers perfected their routines? Do they need their costumes? Have you ever recruited some volunteers that may relieve backstage? However, don’t forget to give some thought to how your dancers will get to the venue in the first place.
Organizing a dance jaunt a contest can seem to be one big headache, but it doesn’t need to be. Follow the following pointers to urge you and your dancers to the competition without the strain.
1. Check Out the Venue Sooner
Prior to the competition, if possible, visit the venue to familiarize yourself with the simplest route to require to induce there. Also, take a glance at the available parking options. This way, you’ll have an improved idea of the most effective transportation method your dancers and their families should go get to the venue, whether that’s carpooling, taking a bus, or driving.
You’ll even be ready to give better instructions on directions and minimize surprises on the day of the competition.
If the venue is way enough away that your students and their families will stay in hotels, spend it slow researching the realm online and using Google Maps to spot the most effective lodging options within the vicinity so you and also the parents can plan the mandatory accommodation prior to time.
2. Organizing a Carpool
Carpooling to the competition could be a good way to streamline and simplify transportation. It’s also cost-effective, and is eco-friendly, as Dance Advantage identified. Confirm you allow enough time to prepare the carpool – a month before the competition should be ample time.
You can use a physical sign-up sheet within the studio, otherwise, you could use online sheets or create a non-public Facebook group for arranging the carpool. Just make sure to check the car history from sites to know more about the car.
VolunteerSpot recommended creating a permission slip for fogeys to sign that affirms that the oldsters are alright with you taking the scholars out of state, if applicable, which you have got their permission to induce the children medical treatment within the event of an emergency.
In the month leading up to the competition, hold a gathering with parents – or transfer an email – that outlines the main points of the carpool trip like when and where the car will leave from, the route you’ll take when the car will arrive, and other pertinent information. Also, confirm you’ve got all the parents’ contact info before heading out.
ALSO READ: 6 Ways to Be Well While Traveling As Dancers
3. Dance Trip by Bus
While carpooling in one or some vehicles is efficient and cost-effective thanks to getting to the competition venue, factors just like the distance to the event and enormous amounts of kit or luggage may make renting a bus a much better transportation option. Before booking a bus with a non-public company, confirm you are doing your due diligence and research.
Texas Meetings & Events magazine recommended that you simply book a bus early since you’ll be able to usually save cash by making reservations far sooner than time. You ought to even have a gathering with a representative from the company and ask them about the company’s amount of money, the experience of the drivers, and their emergency protocols.
Make sure you think about the itinerary for the day of the competition – should the dancers be dropped off at a delegated area near the hotel to satisfy up with their families first, or should the bus go on to the competition? Taking the time to work out the specifics of the trip will help the transportation go more smoothly.
4. Flying to the Competition
If the competition is several states away or on an opposite coast, it is sensible to fly to the venue. If you’ve got just some dancers traveling to the competition, it’s going to add up for every dancer to shop for a ticket individually to the identical flight, or for the studio to shop for a batch of tickets for the dancers all without delay then be reimbursed later.
However, if you’ve got an outsized group of dancers traveling, it’s going to be a far better idea to book the trip through an agent. U.S. News and World Report noted that agents can help large groups get discounts for flying together, so spend time gazing at your options.
Other considerations include coordinating transportation to the airport, deciding accommodation, and ensuring most are checked in on time, which is less complicated to try and do nowadays thanks to mobile apps. If you’re employing a broker, he can help lock down these details.
Also, don’t forget to contemplate luggage limitations. It will be helpful to grant dancers a checklist of what they ought to bring with them. Pay special consideration to costumes, which should ideally get in carry-on due to the danger that checked luggage might be lost.