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How to find hosts?
#1
This is something I still struggle with. I'm not sure what wording to use, or how best to inspire fans to become hosts. I think people are concerned about the space they have, or the challenge of being a host. What are the ways you use to best get people involved and excited about hosting?
Nate Maingard  :angel:
modern troubadour & indie-folk singer-songwriter
100% supported by patrons on Patreon
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#2
I struggle with this one too. After doing a few house concerts, I think I don't make enough of a point about promoting the idea to the audience.

My next idea is to make little handbills that have some info about me and also a big note about becoming a host. Basically, the handbill becomes my show outline and will help me remember to drive home this point.

At my last show, I did get 1 or 2 offers from people who were interested in hosting.

The other thing I do is pass around an email signup list that specifically asks for them to check a box if they want to become a concert host. Most people DO check that box.

There is a lot of uncertainty around becoming a host. From my limited experience, prospective hosts fear they don't know enough people and the party will be a bust (and an embarrassment from them). Shannon mentions in her book that hosts should join forces to overcome that fear. I think seeing a concert in action also helps. But maybe I'll start speaking to this point too, during the show.
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#3
This is a great question! So many people respond, "Oh, we don't have the room for that!" They may be big fans, or close friends, but the idea of a crowd in their living room or den just seems to scare them. Not sure how to crack that objection.
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#4
Have you tried pairing them with someone who has more room?

So far I've done a couple living room concerts and you can fit 20-30 people pretty easily if you use concert-style seating and have someone borrow chairs from their church or whatever.
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#5
I'm having a hard time finding hosts. House concerts in my small rural area are not a big thing, and people don't seem to grasp the concept. Or have a hard time getting past the house "party" idea. Anyone have similar challenges starting from scratch? Strategies on making the pitch??
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#6
Yes, I can't tell you how many times we say, "House Concert," and people hear, "House PARTY!" Different animal.
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#7
(25 Nov 2014, 04:50 PM)miketremblett Wrote: House concerts in my small rural area are not a big thing, and people don't seem to grasp the concept.

In many, in fact probably most, of the places we've done house concerts for the first time, house concerts are not only not a big thing, but are actually a totally foreign concept. So I totally get the "not grasping the concept" problem.

A couple of thoughts come to mind about how we addressed this problem early on:
1) I had to really paint the entire picture for people at first. In my "pitch," I had to explain exactly how it works and describe all the reasons why it's such a wonderful and cool experience that I wanted to co-create with them. I even described how it was a bit of a risk for me to perform my music in this way, and that I understood that it might be a wild and crazy idea for them to try, too. But we'd be doing this wild and crazy thing together, and wouldn't that be awesome. Wink

2) And then, this really cool thing happened .... momentum! I religiously documented every house concert we did on social media and talked about how incredible each show was -- complete with pictures of the set up, pictures of the show, videos from the performance -- so people who hadn't yet stepped forward to host could start to see the vision of what we were doing. I had a couple of brand-new hosts this past summer who have been watching from the sidelines for a couple years now, and slowly getting the idea that they could actually be a part of this thing they've been seeing unfold in their Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter feeds.

I hope that's somewhat helpful, Mike! Be encouraged. It may take some time to build people's awareness and understanding to the point of interest and engagement, but you build that every time you do a show, even one at a time.
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#8
Momentum... rarer than gold!

It's really encouraging to hear ways to build momentum. That's why I like the idea of this forum. We can all pick up good habits and benefit from our collective energy even while momentum is small.

For someone like me, I need a recipe to follow until it becomes instinct. An example... I *STILL* have not added people to my email list from nearly 3 weeks ago, or followed up in any way except to tell the host thank you. Why??? It's because, in my mind, the mission was "over" when I packed up. So I need tools to help alter my view. Followup on social media and email lists is critical, that means taking pictures along the way and realizing that the mission isn't over until all of the followup is done.
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#9
(26 Nov 2014, 05:38 AM)benallfree Wrote: For someone like me, I need a recipe to follow until it becomes instinct. An example... I *STILL* have not added people to my email list from nearly 3 weeks ago, or followed up in any way except to tell the host thank you. Why??? It's because, in my mind, the mission was "over" when I packed up. So I need tools to help alter my view. Followup on social media and email lists is critical, that means taking pictures along the way and realizing that the mission isn't over until all of the followup is done.

Your mission is never over. You're doing community engagement and relationship-building. And relationships take constant work. Smile
--
jamie hill
shannon's husband & partner in crime
co-inventor of the house concert model & co-author of the book
which is why i reply so often on here
i produce, mix, & master records
you can hear my work at  deptofenergymgmt.com/work
Tacoma, WA, USA
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#10
(26 Nov 2014, 01:50 AM)Shannon Curtis Wrote: In many, in fact probably most, of the places we've done house concerts for the first time, house concerts are not only not a big thing, but are actually a totally foreign concept. So I totally get the "not grasping the concept" problem.
Thanks Shannon! Here in our province there are a few venues that have gotten well known for doing house concerts, and have become harder to get booked into. It's become an exclusive thing to get to play there. I was lucky enough to get a show at one in October. But now peoples perception seems to be that house concerts are "only like that'. So I'm trying to break peoples misconception and turn them on to your model.
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