Sponsor Guide
Here you will find pertinent information to successfully sponsor any of our
performing ensembles. All the Sponsor Information pages are important;
however we strongly suggest you view this page first. Here you will learn how and
when to advertise the concert, and create programs, ads, and tickets.
- Public Service Concerts
- Importance of the Sponsor
- Advertising the Concert
- Promotion Schedule
- There’s Still a Chance to Hear the Band
- Reserved Section
- Introducing the Band
- Correspondence and Feedback
- Thanks
In the near future, the Air Force Band of Liberty will perform in your community. We know you would like as many people as possible to enjoy this cultural event.
As sponsor, your job will be to obtain the best possible concert site, inform the citizens in your area of the band’s appearance, encourage them to attend, and maintain control of the free admission tickets.
There are many ways to do this and, undoubtedly, you have already thought of some of them. This guide is designed to bring your ideas and ours together. After all, our success will be your success.
Questions not answered by this guide should be directed to your Operations Representative, our Media Relations department (781) 377-7914 or, if these are unavailable, Director of Operations at (781) 377-2804.
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Our concerts are presented as a public service to the community and must be free of charge and open to the general public.
Your importance as the sponsor cannot be overemphasized. In addition to making arrangements for the performance site, programs, and tickets, the sponsor has a great responsibility in promoting the concert. Posters should be put up around town, and newspapers, radio, and TV stations should be contacted for their support. Follow-ups must be made to ensure proper support.
Please give copies of all local publicity (ads, programs, tickets, etc.) to your Operations Representative or a Media Relations staff member after the concert. Any follow-up publicity (including reviews) should be mailed to:
United States Air Force Band of LibertyMedia Relations
25 Chennault St
Hanscom AFB, MA 01731
781-377-7914
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The promotional materials you receive are designed to save you time and trouble. They are general in nature. We believe the best system is to supply you with the facts and let you adapt them to your local area.
Your local media is vital to the success of the concert. Our concerts have always been successful when all the local media assisted in the promotion.
Sunday supplements are widely read and a picture story just before the concert will provide an excellent opportunity for many to learn of the concert.
A full-page ad in your local newspaper(s) will not fail to attract attention. When concerts are sponsored by a newspaper, they usually provide this service. Other sponsors often secure the ad as a donation from the newspaper in return for recognition at the concert; or the sponsor may enlist the aid of local merchants or service clubs to sponsor the ads. We recommend you use at least one full-page ad to begin your newspaper campaign.
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Click Here for Sample Ad
Paid ads that name the donor are fine if they state that the ad was paid for as a community service, though it must not give the impression that the Air Force endorses their business.
TV and radio ads are also very effective. We have provided news releases for every group on the News Release Page, below is the link to the page:
Click Here for News Release
Please make copies of it and distribute it to all local TV and radio stations, to the attention of their community calendar announcements. Follow up on them. The ads should appear during prime viewing/listening times, and often enough that there will be an impact. Don’t forget your local cable service. Cable stations usually have a local access channel that specializes in community calendar advertisements.
The following is our concept of the ideal promotional program. We realize that your budget and local circumstances will determine the extent to which you follow our suggestions, but please remember: publicity is the most important aspect of making the concert a success, and a full house is a sure sign that we are beginning a successful evening.
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5 WEEKS BEFORE CONCERT
Disperse materials to newspaper, radio, and TV contacts. Get names and phone numbers of all contacts.
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4 WEEKS BEFORE CONCERT
Begin daily Public Service Announcements (PSAs) in all media. Include date, time, location, and how to obtain free tickets.
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3 WEEKS BEFORE CONCERT
Full page ad with photos and a ticket coupon, announcing that there will be a concert by the United States Air Force Band of Liberty in your community, giving the date and time, location, the fact that admission is free, and how tickets may be obtained. Get posters up around town.
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2 WEEKS BEFORE CONCERT
Two more announcements of the same, including photos and ticket coupon.
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7 DAYS BEFORE CONCERT
Run story on the band’s history (provided in your packet), and the biographies and photo(s) of band vocalist(s) and soloist(s) (if applicable). Run an ad on the entertainment page including a coupon for ticket requests.
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5 DAYS BEFORE CONCERT
A feature story on the band and an ad on the entertainment page including a coupon for ticket requests. The feature story can be written by a reporter on the newspaper staff from materials in the publicity packet. (Last day for requests by mail.)
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4 DAYS BEFORE CONCERT
Feature story on the band (group description from the packet may be used) and an ad on the entertainment page. Say it is too late for ticket requests mail. Give name, address, and phone number of ticket source where tickets may be picked up.
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3 DAYS BEFORE CONCERT
Story on local person who is a member of the band (if applicable - your includes a group personnel roster with everyone’s hometown printed next their names). Use a photo and run an ad on the entertainment page with information for picking up tickets in person.
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2 DAYS BEFORE CONCERT
Photos and biographies of Commander/Conductor Lieutenant Colonel Larry H. Lang. Run an ad on the entertainment page telling where tickets may be picked up.
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1 DAY BEFORE CONCERT
List the program. Stress again that this is a free-admission cultural event presented to your area by the United States Air Force, through the local sponsor. Give all details again. Run band photo with a large ad on the entertainment page. Indicate where tickets may be picked up.
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DAY OF CONCERT
General news story stressing that the concert is free. Run band photo. One final ad on the entertainment page. If all tickets have been distributed, run an ad containing the following:
There’s Still a Chance to Hear the Band
Although there are no tickets left for the free concert tonight at (auditorium), sponsored by (sponsor), music fans who did not get tickets may still be admitted by being at the auditorium at (15 minutes before show time). Any vacant seats left at that time will be open for use, with or without tickets.
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As you can see, there should be a heavy saturation of publicity for the concert. We have found that if this schedule is used, a full house is virtually guaranteed.
In the past, some concert sponsors who succeeded in distributing all available tickets several days before the concert became concerned about having to turn people away. During the last few days before the concert, they relaxed their efforts to attract people to the concert. The result was several hundred unoccupied seats at concert time. The public interest must be maintained up through the day of the concert to ensure every seat is filled.
Click Here for Sample Program (614 KB)
Please refer to the sample program. This sample is designed to give you an example of a layout. Feel free to be creative in designing your cover. However, please ensure the required information stated in the Printer’s Guide, (Program, Personnel Roster, Air Force Messages, Recruiter Toll Free Number, and Band Web Site) is included in the program. The Personnel Roster, and Concert Program will be sent to you 2-3 weeks prior to the concert.
Click Here for Sample Ticket
You will need to have tickets printed for your concert, unless it is an outdoor concert with unstructured seating such as a park. Printed tickets provide crowd control and give you an idea of how your promotion campaign is progressing.
Though the tickets are free, don’t hand them out on street corners or at the mall. Have the public make an effort to obtain tickets with the mail-in system and/or a ticket pick-up location. People who make the effort to get tickets are much more likely to show up for the concert than those who merely have a ticket handed to them.
Print and distribute 1/3 more tickets than the auditorium has seats. Even when free tickets are carefully distributed, only about 3/4 of the ticket holders actually attend the concert, so by overbooking we can be assured of a full house. Tickets should not have numbers printed sequentially on them, because someone with ticket #1200 might decide not to attend the concert if the hall only holds 1100 people.
The best way to distribute tickets is through a request-by-mail system (see Sample Ad). Limit orders to four tickets per request. (When tickets are free, people tend to ask for more than they need) If you wish to hand out tickets from a central point, please confine it to one or two locations. When tickets are available in too many locations, many will be picked up but not used. This is also true of giving tickets to large groups to be distributed to their membership. If you do give a block of 10 or more tickets to an organization, follow up on their distribution. As the concert draws near, call to determine whether some tickets will not be used and could be returned; these can be mailed to others who have requested tickets.
All write-in ticket requests should be answered either with tickets or a letter of regret stating that the supply has run out but they can still attend the concert if seats are available at concert time, or if the auditorium has a standing room only area.
Your ushers should honor tickets until fifteen minutes before the beginning of the concert. Then, space permitting, open up the seating to everyone, with or without tickets. Have this printed on your tickets in small print (this example is for a 7:00 concert):
Doors open at 6:00 p.m. Ticket holders should be seated by 6:45 p.m. All seats released to non-ticket holders 15 minutes prior to concert time.
Your tickets should name The United States Air Force Band of Liberty and include the date, time, and location. Other information pertaining to sponsors, etc. are at your discretion.
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In an effort to fully promote the Air Force to our taxpaying citizens, we ask that you include the following messages in your advertisements, concert programs, and tickets.
(Print on Tickets)
The United States Air Force provides America global power and reach anytime, anywhere!
(Print in advertisements and concert programs)
The Air Force is a values-based organization guided by our core values: Integrity, Service Before Self, and Excellence In All We Do. As an Expeditionary Aerospace Force, our people stand ready to deploy combat power around the globe at a moment’s notice to protect America’s interests.
(Print on concert program)
To contact your local recruiter, please call the Recruiting Service Toll Free Number: 1-800-423-USAF
Our intention is to keep the American public aware of the professionalism, excellence and superiority of their United States Air Force.
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Though seating is not reserved, you should provide ushers to take tickets and distribute programs. You can usually find volunteers for this from Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, school band students, Civil Air Patrol units, or ROTC and Junior ROTC units, and Air Force recruiters.
You may wish to reserve seating for dignitaries (Mayor, Congressmen, etc.) by taping off some seats in the best part of the auditorium. However, we recommend that you keep this section very small.
Since we have our own show opening, we need not be introduced by a local personality, but if one wishes to publicly thank the band for appearing, let us know before the concert begins and we can arrange it.
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We would like to hear from you regarding the Band of Liberty’s performance, and we are often asked where this correspondence should be directed. Please address your letters to the following office(s):
Charles L. Johnson II, Lieutenant General, USAFCommander, Electronic Systems Center
9 Eglin Street
Hanscom AFB, MA 01731
Larry H. Lang, Lieutenant Colonel, USAF
Commander, USAF Band of Liberty
25 Chennault Street
Hanscom AFB, MA 01731
Also, copies of any and all newspaper articles after the performance are greatly appreciated and would be very helpful to our publicity staff. Please send to:
United States Air Force Band of LibertyMedia Relations
25 Chennault Street
Hanscom AFB, MA 01731
781-377-7914
On behalf of the United States Air Force Band of Liberty, I would like to express our sincere thanks and appreciation for your efforts.
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Other Web Sites
For more information, please visit these Web sites:
The Official Web Site of The United States Air Force
The Official Web Site of Hanscom Air Force Base
Sponsoring a concert is a demanding task, and your efforts are greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for all your hard work. If you have any problems or questions, feel free to contact us. We hope this guide will help you to make the concert a rousing success. OUR SUCCESS IS YOUR SUCCESS!
