My chapter of DW sponsors a couple local HS trap teams, a good chunk of money goes to Bismarck.
Banquets are tough honestly, I've help put on one for 15+ years. Some good feedback in these posts.
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NOTICE! These forums are intended for CIVIL discussion around waterfowl hunting. If you've got an axe to grind or rant to make, do it in the MNFOWL's Misguided Children forum.
NOTICE! These forums are intended for CIVIL discussion around waterfowl hunting. If you've got an axe to grind or rant to make, do it in the MNFOWL's Misguided Children forum.
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maplelakeduckslayer
- Mergie Marauder
- Posts: 4792
- Joined: Wed Nov 27, 2013 5:14 am
Re: what do you want in your waterfowl banquet?
I don't attend because I hate people, hate traffic, hate the hassle. I deal with all 3 all week I don't want to deal with it in my free time
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maplelakeduckslayer
- Mergie Marauder
- Posts: 4792
- Joined: Wed Nov 27, 2013 5:14 am
Re: what do you want in your waterfowl banquet?
And that is a serious answer. I mail in funds to various groups
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big_fish_guy
- Coot Commander
- Posts: 29
- Joined: Mon Oct 13, 2014 10:06 am
Re: what do you want in your waterfowl banquet?
maplelakeduckslayer wrote:I don't attend because I hate people, hate traffic, hate the hassle. I deal with all 3 all week I don't want to deal with it in my free time
fair enough.
Re: what do you want in your waterfowl banquet?
C
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Amount of prizes I feel is a big draw period, everyone wants to walk away with something, so give them chances. It actually amazes me how many people want a cheaper ticket, but more quality prizes, that doesn't really go hand in hand. The higher the cost should mean the better the quality even though that may bring down quantity, if I happen to win I don't want to walk away with a junk pump. The one thing I don't want is a shitty meal, I'm spending money and usually quite a bit, I don't want sloppy joes. Cause is what it is, you should know where your money is going, that is why I do not go to whitetails unlimited banquets, what do they even do for us anyways?
I'm a big fan of the games at banquets, especially with the kids, keep it fun for them and they return.
D
F
G
E
A
B
Amount of prizes I feel is a big draw period, everyone wants to walk away with something, so give them chances. It actually amazes me how many people want a cheaper ticket, but more quality prizes, that doesn't really go hand in hand. The higher the cost should mean the better the quality even though that may bring down quantity, if I happen to win I don't want to walk away with a junk pump. The one thing I don't want is a shitty meal, I'm spending money and usually quite a bit, I don't want sloppy joes. Cause is what it is, you should know where your money is going, that is why I do not go to whitetails unlimited banquets, what do they even do for us anyways?
I'm a big fan of the games at banquets, especially with the kids, keep it fun for them and they return.
Call em in and take em out
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greatwhitehunter3!
- Mergie Marauder
- Posts: 1602
- Joined: Tue Nov 26, 2013 9:38 am
- Location: Southwest Minnesota
Re: what do you want in your waterfowl banquet?
I go to banquets for the prizes/raffles. I can donate to "the cause" any other day of the week.
Re: what do you want in your waterfowl banquet?
Lars30 wrote:I'm a big fan of the games at banquets, especially with the kids, keep it fun for them and they return.
A VERY good point. Depending of the size of the banquet, 2 to 4 "participation" games should be included. From a toss a shell into the hole of the wood duck box, the bean bag toss, etc. I dislike where guys can have an unfair advantage due to their sports experience - darts and golf putting.
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God, help me be the man that my dog thinks that I am.
God, help me be the man that my dog thinks that I am.
Re: what do you want in your waterfowl banquet?
I've done the committee thing for years, it can be a grind and there are many trade offs- quantity vs quality, decor vs hunting gear, kids (aka non-spenders) vs drunks with deep pockets, etc. I miss the days when an 870 express was the junk gun! Now it's mossturds, tristars, pistols, and zombie guns. Whatever it takes to make the attendees happy and spend. I do love the process of turning 20s into hundreds into thousands throughout the course of selling the first tickets to counting the last dollar at 2am when everyone has gone home on banquet night. I do it because I've seen the conservation work and shot more ducks because of it. Vested interest is the best motivator imo.
From what I've seen, there are two kinds of banquets: white collar/urban and blue collar/rural. The first will be on a weeknight, held in a hotel or other big space, and draw 250-500 people. The second will be a Saturday night in a packed bar with 100-200 people.
It all comes down to knowing your crowd. We've done hammerschlagen. Clay pigeon toss is always a winner. Hi-lo. Yahtzee. "Bottomless beer cup" would be killer but our venue doesn't serve drafts. Don't have a bunch of woman stuff if dudes aren't bringing dates. Ours is darn near half 50/50 male female.
Bottom line in my opinion is that people want guns. For me, it's going to take the same amount of effort to conduct a profitable banquet that actually helps the ducks as it would to run an unprofitable banquet that has great prizes we can't afford or attracts a bunch of nonspenders. I might not love every detail of the organization, the banquet, or the prize quality, but the crowd has fun and the ducks reap the benefits.
From what I've seen, there are two kinds of banquets: white collar/urban and blue collar/rural. The first will be on a weeknight, held in a hotel or other big space, and draw 250-500 people. The second will be a Saturday night in a packed bar with 100-200 people.
It all comes down to knowing your crowd. We've done hammerschlagen. Clay pigeon toss is always a winner. Hi-lo. Yahtzee. "Bottomless beer cup" would be killer but our venue doesn't serve drafts. Don't have a bunch of woman stuff if dudes aren't bringing dates. Ours is darn near half 50/50 male female.
Bottom line in my opinion is that people want guns. For me, it's going to take the same amount of effort to conduct a profitable banquet that actually helps the ducks as it would to run an unprofitable banquet that has great prizes we can't afford or attracts a bunch of nonspenders. I might not love every detail of the organization, the banquet, or the prize quality, but the crowd has fun and the ducks reap the benefits.
Re: what do you want in your waterfowl banquet?
^^^^^ good summary.
Keys in my experience: local business owners that care about a Redlin on the wall; blue collar guys that have a chance at a gun for $10; "aspirational" gun(s) that blue collar guys will drop a $20 on and white collar guys will drop multiple $20 on (no montefellteo's but high end auto "working gun" i.e. Benelli SBE IV or whatever they're up to, but it should be NEW to market. Even a Browning Maxus at launch) Good dudes in the crowd that will donate back a win for "high card" draw/2nd Chance.
There needs to be more than one "high roller" willing to bid things up on live or silent auction. This could be dates/spouses. I can't figure my own wife out, so that's all I can say there.
Kids don't care what they win under the age of 10. Fishing, hunting, iTunes gift card. A $15 spinning combo is HUGE!
A sponsor willing to contribute to prize cost OR buy/support automatic "gift" (i.e. the old Gander $10 gift card). For a profitable local business, donation is easier if their support can leverage at least 2:1. Show them how every $100 gets $200-$300 into the event.
Team shirts/hats for banquet committee are useless waste off functional funds, logically, with the exception that people are motivated by self gain and will get a lot of shit done if they get a hat & shirt for being part of the "Committee". Aways surprised me as I was a "do it for the ducks". See if a sponsor will throw in a "luck of the draw" Committee prize (call, 6 decoys, mask, etc)
"Do it for the ducks" is still the most BS phrase ever used. Give people a reason to do it for "me", do it for hunters, or don't forget a specific project, and they'll part with more cash. At one banquet, Paul Englund of Paul's Calls pulled more revenue than our entire call board. We made it up in bar split with the Legion, but f'n was that frustrating.
Never forget, 20% of waterfowlers shoot 80% of the birds. If you've got true, full season hunters as your core, you need to step up your game.
If your core is worker bees, lots of prizes.
If it's Chiropractors and CPAs you need "exclusive" things that give them a sense of winning. Guided trips, O/Us, etc
Last I remember the banquet donation from manufacturers became non-existent and Orgs charge the Committee for banquet packages. Retailers are tapped and can't drive more out of manufacturers other than the same old crap everyone already has.
To Quack's point, know who's coming.
The Banquet profit hay-day passed somewhere in the 90s. Unless you've got a core of Boomers to drop cash you're dealing with Gen X and Millennials.
GenX value is driven by experience seeing the last 40 years recreate old shit as new. They're jaded, frugal, and appreciate value:quality ratios.
Millennials are generally stupid and expect "there's an app for that". They can't wipe their ass with a corn stock. You'll get more money from this v group if each bisrd has a purpose, i.e. "for every $ on this board we can contribute.$3 to improve water quality and habitat in Our County, or, This board supports (Insert) activity
Change it up a bit: have a call maker on site so attendees can pick materials and shake his hand. Chapter gets 25% of sale.
10 years from now is a question, but regardless, "banquets" will become virtual. Lion's, VFW, American Legion... Will be shells of their current declining numbers.
Don't get me wrong, lots of generalizations there, but higher mobility and affluence are a fluid dynamic. You're competing with everything else they can send a dollar on.
Think about why you go to a hardware store vs home depot vs hiring someone to change your oil vs leasing a car vs the fact in 10 years no one will own a car, if they even drive it.
To wIn NOW: communicate shared "values": systemic clean water interests; original "local-vores"; connection to the past (hipsters/lumbersexuals); government needs private citizens involved; etc
Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if the highest grossing item on auction would be an old donated thermos like this: "The Original keep ice for 24 hours".....
Keys in my experience: local business owners that care about a Redlin on the wall; blue collar guys that have a chance at a gun for $10; "aspirational" gun(s) that blue collar guys will drop a $20 on and white collar guys will drop multiple $20 on (no montefellteo's but high end auto "working gun" i.e. Benelli SBE IV or whatever they're up to, but it should be NEW to market. Even a Browning Maxus at launch) Good dudes in the crowd that will donate back a win for "high card" draw/2nd Chance.
There needs to be more than one "high roller" willing to bid things up on live or silent auction. This could be dates/spouses. I can't figure my own wife out, so that's all I can say there.
Kids don't care what they win under the age of 10. Fishing, hunting, iTunes gift card. A $15 spinning combo is HUGE!
A sponsor willing to contribute to prize cost OR buy/support automatic "gift" (i.e. the old Gander $10 gift card). For a profitable local business, donation is easier if their support can leverage at least 2:1. Show them how every $100 gets $200-$300 into the event.
Team shirts/hats for banquet committee are useless waste off functional funds, logically, with the exception that people are motivated by self gain and will get a lot of shit done if they get a hat & shirt for being part of the "Committee". Aways surprised me as I was a "do it for the ducks". See if a sponsor will throw in a "luck of the draw" Committee prize (call, 6 decoys, mask, etc)
"Do it for the ducks" is still the most BS phrase ever used. Give people a reason to do it for "me", do it for hunters, or don't forget a specific project, and they'll part with more cash. At one banquet, Paul Englund of Paul's Calls pulled more revenue than our entire call board. We made it up in bar split with the Legion, but f'n was that frustrating.
Never forget, 20% of waterfowlers shoot 80% of the birds. If you've got true, full season hunters as your core, you need to step up your game.
If your core is worker bees, lots of prizes.
If it's Chiropractors and CPAs you need "exclusive" things that give them a sense of winning. Guided trips, O/Us, etc
Last I remember the banquet donation from manufacturers became non-existent and Orgs charge the Committee for banquet packages. Retailers are tapped and can't drive more out of manufacturers other than the same old crap everyone already has.
To Quack's point, know who's coming.
The Banquet profit hay-day passed somewhere in the 90s. Unless you've got a core of Boomers to drop cash you're dealing with Gen X and Millennials.
GenX value is driven by experience seeing the last 40 years recreate old shit as new. They're jaded, frugal, and appreciate value:quality ratios.
Millennials are generally stupid and expect "there's an app for that". They can't wipe their ass with a corn stock. You'll get more money from this v group if each bisrd has a purpose, i.e. "for every $ on this board we can contribute.$3 to improve water quality and habitat in Our County, or, This board supports (Insert) activity
Change it up a bit: have a call maker on site so attendees can pick materials and shake his hand. Chapter gets 25% of sale.
10 years from now is a question, but regardless, "banquets" will become virtual. Lion's, VFW, American Legion... Will be shells of their current declining numbers.
Don't get me wrong, lots of generalizations there, but higher mobility and affluence are a fluid dynamic. You're competing with everything else they can send a dollar on.
Think about why you go to a hardware store vs home depot vs hiring someone to change your oil vs leasing a car vs the fact in 10 years no one will own a car, if they even drive it.
To wIn NOW: communicate shared "values": systemic clean water interests; original "local-vores"; connection to the past (hipsters/lumbersexuals); government needs private citizens involved; etc
Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if the highest grossing item on auction would be an old donated thermos like this: "The Original keep ice for 24 hours".....
Re: what do you want in your waterfowl banquet?
Like a lot of things these days, banquets are dying. The last few I went to probably lost money.
I don't go to duck banquets any more. Two reasons. One I don't need cheap stuff. I buy nice chit and there isn't much nice chit to win at banquets. Two I don't support DU or DW anymore. I did support both for close to 20 years but don't see it as a good cause anymore. Too much wasted money.
My advice for a good banquet is to have good prizes. Good guns, quality decoys, etc. No experienced hunter wants a cheap gun. They don't want hot buy decoys. Get prizes that people actually want to drop some coin on to win. Cool games seem to draw people in as well as long as there is a good prize for it. The most successful game I saw at a banquet was purchasing a square in a pen with a duck in it. First square that gets chit on wins the prize. People went nuts over that game.
I don't go to duck banquets any more. Two reasons. One I don't need cheap stuff. I buy nice chit and there isn't much nice chit to win at banquets. Two I don't support DU or DW anymore. I did support both for close to 20 years but don't see it as a good cause anymore. Too much wasted money.
My advice for a good banquet is to have good prizes. Good guns, quality decoys, etc. No experienced hunter wants a cheap gun. They don't want hot buy decoys. Get prizes that people actually want to drop some coin on to win. Cool games seem to draw people in as well as long as there is a good prize for it. The most successful game I saw at a banquet was purchasing a square in a pen with a duck in it. First square that gets chit on wins the prize. People went nuts over that game.
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