Baby, It’s Cold Outside…So Let’s Discuss SUMMER!

All this chilly winter weather has us dreaming of sunny SUMMER days. Yes, we said the “S” word…mere days before (or, if you are super lucky, during) your winter break! And it’s not just pool floats, ice cream and sunny beaches we are thinking about…although ahhhhhh, that sounds amazing! But, we’re also planning for our summer recreational dance camps!

Many of you recently completed a short survey for us about your summer recreational programs, and we can’t thank you enough for taking time to share your thoughts with us! (The survey is still open and, if you haven’t already, we would still LOVE for you to participate. Just click here!)

We want to share some of our key findings from this eye-opening survey, some of which we were surprised by! So, here they are: Our TOP THREE findings plus some advice and a fun announcement!

SIDE NOTE: If you are in the Confetti Circle, you received THREE ADDITIONAL bonus findings, rounding off our TOP SIX. Not IN the Circle yet? Sign up today, it’s quick, easy and FREE, plus you get free bonus content and a FREE Social Media Tips download. Click here to be IN the Confetti Circle!

OK, back to our findings:

#3: More than 30% of respondents plan to build their summer recreational programs from scratch this year, either to keep things fresh and competitive, or because this is the first year they will be offering a summer camp. Many of us can attest to the amount of work it takes to do this, and it’s not a little! Even among those respondents who already have summer programs in place from previous years, nearly 95% are still planning to change it up from their standard.

#2: An overwhelming majority  of respondents – 81% – indicated their biggest angst about summer recreational programs is enrollment. It’s tough to get commitments during summer when competing with so many other summer activities. While that’s not surprising, you have lots of options of how you can better approach summer recreational dance programs to tackle the enrollment challenge head on. Keep reading!

#1:  Over 50% of respondents indicated they do not begin promoting summer camps until April or even LATER (27% until MAY or later!). Say what!? This was our most surprising result! What are you waiting for!?As dance studios, we are competing with so many other extracurricular activity camps over the summer, so it is very important that you announce your dates as early as possible.

Based on all that we learned from this survey (and some inklings we had before the survey, which were confirmed), we’re on a rescue mission for your summer recreational dance programs! We want to help dance studios build a successful summer recreational dance program and, of course, #makesummerdancecampfun!

So…we are super excited to announce our next series of new products: CAMP CONFETTI!

Camp Confetti will launch in early 2017 and provide dance studios with fun + affordable summer dance camp plans in a quick and easy download, including themes, dance activities, dance games related to the theme, combos (with video tutorials), crafts, music suggestions and more! Each theme will be sold separately, and we will offer both preschool and elementary camps. We will even include an option just for boys! Last but not least, you also shared with us your challenges in promoting camps. So, each Camp Confetti theme comes with promotional text and images to assist you in advertising your summer programs on your registration materials, website and social media!

Stay tuned to our blog, and join the Confetti Circle to be the first to hear when CAMP CONFETTI is officially launched and ready for purchase.

In the meantime, here is our advice to you:

• Don’t wait until April, May or (gasp!) JUNE to begin promoting your summer camps! Many of the activities your summer programs compete with will announce their schedule in January or February. Make one of your top goals for 2017 to announce dates and themes for your summer camps no later than March 1! Announcing early will make a huge difference in your enrollment.
• Does your studio offer invitation-only preschool and elementary classes during your regular dance season? If not, you should! Not only does this class format help you spotlight some of your most talented tiny dancers and prospect for company members, it can also give your summer enrollment a big boost! Here’s how: we recommend offering this invitation only class at no additional charge above standard tuition with the one stipulation that members are required to register for and attend at least one week of your summer camp offerings. They can choose from any of the themes/dates you offer, but having those commitments early on gives your summer enrollment an immediate boost!
• Don’t panic about the details for your summer camps. CAMP CONFETTI will do all the hard work! Even though it is not a full curriculum, we will do all the thinking and planning to make your summer dance camp FUN!

We hope you have a very enjoyable break with lots of down time! But, if you are like us, you have some last minute shopping to do, so don’t forget about our Jingle-Worthy Gifting Guide for the Dance World!

Cheers to you and yours for Happy Holidays!

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