Crazy ideas

Jul 06, 2008 17:20

Some of these ideas are Hideout-specific, some are AIC-wide. Either way, this is just a brain dump of the stuff I've been thinking about and talking with some other folks about.  All comments are welcomed!

  • Banner outside Hideout for ALL shows, not just Ka-Baam
  • Table tent-like things for the coffeehouse with hideout/AIC website
    • Allow renters of downstairs space to add their own flyers to these as well
    • Mix-and-match of mainstage, friday night and maestro.  All improv flyers should link to websites for classes
  • Group ticket options if made in advance
  • Frequent-watcher discount card - see 10 improv shows, get a free t-shirt.  Same opportunity cost as a free ticket.
  • Experimental improv slot: Laboratory show, like blank show but a defined 2-week run
  • Complete deck upstairs, use for special shows, rental space, party location.  Is this even legal?
  • sponsor for every mainstage show
    • Ka-Baam: Austin Books
    • Cochise: Donut shop
    • GGG: Rock & Roll Rentals, Austin Karaoke
    • Start Trekkin': BookPeople, Austin Books, HobbyTown, role-playing stores
    • Shakespeare: Shakespeare's Pub
  • Custom-branded free/discount tickets per troupe - every troupe gets a certain allotment printed for free by the AIC.  The more that come back, the more get printed.  Used as a metric of marketing prowess.  Possibility - use as free drink ticket ($3) with $10 ticket purchase.  Makes our fans more happy, they still pay for seat, coffeehouse gets dough.  $4 comes out of troupe cut of door - 3 for drink, 1 for advertising budget.  Usable for any show with troupe playing (DB, TM, CM, mainstage? Maestro?)
  • Buildup of some kind of online community, specifically with reviews and audience comments
  • Ideas for troupe branding - IFE: give free custom-branded tickets out as prizes to be given away at Karaoke Apocalypse, Nat'l Karaoke League shows.  Give out at metal-type places.  Bird's Barbershop?  Free ticket with haircut?  Define target audience first, cross-promote second.
  • Sponsorship ideas for Cochise: I Luv Video/Vulcan Video, Ken's Donuts, Round Rock Donuts, Dunkin Donuts,
    • Free ticket to any actual police officer
  • Once Hideout logo created, have shirts available a la Coldtowne.
  • Stock AIC, Hideout, Coldtowne, and troupe merchandise at ALL venues.  Theater chooses which shirts/merch to display/feature.
  • At Hideout, have stock of displayed t-sirts available in the box.  Pimp shirts/merch in hosting.
  • AIC presence at all 'weird' Austin events, with free tickets.  Examples:
    • First Thursday
    • Eeyore's Birthday
    • Keep Austin Weird 5K
    • BatFest  (do a Bat!!!)
    • Spamarama
    • ACL
    • SxSW
  • Improv is a local business.  How do we get involved with the Keep Austin Weird folks?  Why isn't waffle fest on their list?
  • Second festival at the Hideout to complement Waffle Fest if OOB will no longer be at the venue.
    • Some form of Anniversary set of shows every year to highlight how the Hideout is the granddaddy of the current improv venues
  • Get OOB back at the Hideout in one form or another
  • Improv tickets as a de facto radio giveaway prize
  • Free tickets to anyone who works as a concierge or other person who can refer downtown visitors to the Hideout
  • New lights for the theater - our cheap-ass light board isn't even full.  We have capacity for new lights, is $ the only thing holding us back?
    • Ideally, I'd like a light with booth-selectable color gels
    • Motorized spotlight with booth controls
      • at least ability to highlight (not just wash) three or four regions of the stage independently
    • Disco-ball effect
    • LED lighting was mentioned at the AIC meeting - would Kacey be a good resource for this?
  • Fully-equipped sound computer with sorted, categorized music and sound effects
    • Improvisors well-trained on how to use sound in shows
  • Defined curricula at the various places that offer improv classes, central place to get info on all of these classes (sounded like Roy already did this on austinimprovclasses.com).
    • Get better pictures than the old rose pic.  Please.
  • Update current pictures in Hideout staircase.  Order them somehow by historic troupes up to the present day
  • Consolidate various troupe mailing lists to the AIC
  • Have public information on website, along with easy process, to donate money to the AIC and get a tax deduction.
  • Reach out to the UT market.  We have a marketing intern coming up with ideas for us - I suggest a roundtable-type meeting where she can share her ideas with anyone who wants to come and listen. 
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