The Pilgrim Lounge

[cookie]

Tickets for this Saturday night featuring Motown/Soul band 'SOULED OUT' are selling slowly and after a meeting with the Chairman we are wondering what we have to do to get a few people in the club on a saturday night!

Has anyone got any suggestions, we can't keep spending £300 plus on a band every weekend and £100+ on advertising etc for only 50 people to turn up week in week out. We have to start supporting these events or it will go back to the way it was.

Perhaps some supporters may be interested in becoming an agent and taking some posters and tickets to sell to your friends or workmates with the proviso that for every 10 you sell you can have 2 free tickets. Or if there is a local shop that would advertise and sell tickets on a commission basis?

We are quite willing to listen to any constructive criticism, but please come out and support these events otherwise there won't be any events ....or even a club to support!

[Crazy Neil]

Have you thought about calling local radio Cookie and getting an advert on there....

I have copied and pasted the ad onto facebook to see if anyone interested...

[father Ted]

 Maybe don't have have entertainment on match- days  ..try Thursday  ?
  Or try the bingo ..and compete with the U knowhos ..

[Pilgrims67]

It must be frustrating when spending so much time arranging.

To be honest it may be a number of reasons

are you trying to do too much? Every Saturday night is a big ask
is it the current economic climate?
As suggested having it on matchdays maybe too much for many paying for a night out having paid to goto the game
perhaps something once a month may be better

there is probably no golden bullet. Perhaps these things need time to establish.

Do the good people of Boston know the club is much better a place to go than the dark seedy den it used to be?

As a bloke with two young children and a third on the way I would love to be able to go out on a Saturday night but that is a once a year treat! however is there away the club can create events that suit the family, ie on a Sunday afternoon? I can't think of what that might be but just trying to add some thoughts or views.

[Shodfried]

Have you thought that going out on a Saturday night might be a thing of the past?

Social habits change, its now cheaper to have a few friends round, get in a takeaway and a case of beer and a bottle of wine from ASDA than go out. Most people are purse tightening these days, we go out 3 or 4 times a YEAR at best these days, we find drinking in Boston to be a pain with mouthy kids and shady characters in the pubs, and out of town, well someone has to drive.

And you know full well how many of the regular support on matchdays support club activities, its like you say, a hard core of 50 or 60 who will turn up regardless. Perhaps you should face facts and accept most fans just want to support a winning team, not go to disco's or dances or to see a comic. Sorry if thats a bit harsh but thats the way I see it.

I don't use the BUFC SC for a variety of reasons but I wish you well with it. I just think going out to see an act is very old hat or something you do on holiday.

[Bostonshire]

Agree with some of the above comments i myself only go out 2 to 3 times a year due to cost, but as a memeber of a family that like to go out for a few and see a bit of live entertainment i know most go for the cost factor, local pubs in this area have some verry good bands on and dont cost to enter wich makes it more viable if your only going for a hour or 2.

I to wish the club well thou

[Johnny Pilgrim]

.....Chris............the Pilgrim Lounge is,as most supporters know,an excellent venue-clean,refurbished and somewhere where you wouldnt mind taking your wife/partner/girlfriend.....unfortunately I fear that the general public who arent regular supporters dont realise that....there is no easy answer apart from a public awareness campaigne.......perhaps Ive missed it but have you done one of those big  advertising features in the Target?/Standard .....I think you need to get the message out to the public......perhaps aswell some internal photos and more emphasis about the venue on the BUFC website would help.....a few leaflets pushed through letterboxes may also help....whatever...I wish you well with the promotion of the venue-it deserves to be successful......

[Shoddys Lane]

There is a full page advert in the Target this week.

[cookie]

Thanks for the suggestions so far, and everyone is right in some way or another. Regarding advertising, we have advertised every week in The Standard and The Target, and this week we had a full page in The Target at a cost of £500! (albeit most of the advert was for the Fireworks Night on Thursday November 5th) I have stood at the turnstiles for quite a lot of games handing leaflets out, the scholars have delivered door to door, the only thing we cannot afford is radio advertising, that is extortionate!
When we started booking acts at the start of the season it was felt that we needed something every week to let people know there would be entertainment every week without fail, so I am committed to them. Acts are expensive so you have to try and make a little back on the door because to pay it solely out of the bar takings would be hard work. The bands seem to charge more for a social club than a pub, I don't know why because from now on I won't be paying over a certain amount knowing that they appear cheaper at pubs!

I thought the Queen of Spades advert in this weeks Target was a cheap shot, asking why should you spend £10 to see a band when they were free there. What Colin doesn't realise is that Mick Small had the event sold out in a week, it also includes a very good comedian and a bar snack ....and it is in a superb venue!
....and last but not least Mick has put it on aas a fundraiser for BUFC.

Once again thanks for the comments ...in fact keep them oming!

...and don't forget there is a cracking band on tomorrow night in The Pilgrim Lounge!

[Old Pilgrim]

There is a full page advert in the Target this week.

Haven't had a Target delivered for ages! So much for their "distribution to all houses in the area" At least least people buy the Standard to read it, not throw away

[Poros]

At least you have some beer to sell in the bar Cookie, not like the Queen the other day!!

[Shodfried]

Get Mick Small on board then Cookie, because its almost 100% down to him that his Townend Disco's sell out........ he does what others are scared to do, gets up off his arse, gets out and about and sells an event. Me and Mick might not be bosom buddies but I take my hat off to him for things like that, a few more selfless people like him on board would make a hell of a difference, not freeloaders who do feck all but want a share of the credit and a free ride......

 

[cookie]

Yes, once again thanks for your ideas. We are actually building a seperate website as we speak, but the twitter thing is also a good idea.

Regarding Mick, I don't like putting more work on to the same people all the time, it's like sponsorship, it is so difficult to attract new people so you end up having to ask the same people time and time again ....but I agree with what you are saying, he does do hell of a job when he puts those one off do's on!

Someone popped in this afternoon and said the reason why they do not come out on a Saturday night is because they love X Factor so much! .....and I think that applies to a lot of people who would rather stay in on a Saturday night.

One idea put to me was why not have a United Players night, where 5 or 6 of the players sit up on stage and answer a few questions from supporters, maybe on a Saturday night 7pm to 8.30pm, it gives the chance of the supporters mixing with players. So I will ask the question ....and let you know how I get on!

.....and by the way, tomorrow nights tickets have gone really well since I started begging people to come! It looks like we should have a good night.
Once again thankyou for your support it is very much appreciated.

[Shodfried]

Yep I agree 100% with you, it does always come back to the same few faces Chris.

However there is obviously a number of people who have a large disposable income, the trick is to target them. The disco/buffet/comedian/act formula obviously works so perhaps its an avenue to explore and expand on perhaps a monthly basis.

Don't ask me about the other 3 weeks though.

BTW, are there still darts/pool/dominoes/quiz teams run from the Club?

And a quiz night?

[Pilgrims67]

The players idea is a good one

I remember 10 years ago walking into a a pub in sutton in ashfield and they where doing a q&a session with two old pros. John Robertson and Paul Hart. Look at the latter now! the pub was rammed it was for a local Sunday football club fund raiser.
A great evening. I know we do the sportsman dinner but that isn't always within the financial reaches of many