posted 07-14-2012 04:07 PM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by gliderpilotuk:
In order to avoid a few hundred potential attendees being teased along every couple of weeks, why not tell us how many tickets still NEED to be sold in order to secure Schmitt?

---

posted 07-15-2012 09:20 AM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by Tykeanaut:
...have unfortunately also suffered financially (hotel bookings) because of four cancellations.

---

posted 07-16-2012 04:23 PM               

The sad reality is some 360 serious fans are not enough to fill the 800 plus seats needed to make the event a success. "Hardcore" fans such as the members on this excellent site are in a minority.

As I said early in this thread, the event would stand or fall on ticket sales and not enough people have bought tickets.

When Ken spoke with Jack Schmitt last Friday a suggestion of a one day visit, for half the fee and expenses was rejected and understandably so when Dr. Schmitt can get that kind of money and more without the travel, hassle, jet-lag etc.

For what it's worth, he was genuinely very disappointed and was very much looking forward to coming. But he himself admitted the problem is the same in the U.S. People will pay good money for reality TV "stars" or sports celebrities but it is increasingly difficult to get folk interested in space.

He went on to say "It would have been a great honor for me to visit the United Kingdom, again. The Apollo program benefinted greatly from the contributions of many British engineers and managers, serveral of whom I counted as close friends."

Dr. Schmitt did say he would keep the dates free until the end of the month, and would honour his commitment IF Ken could raise the necessary money so it is not totally dead in the water.

To that end, Ken was talking with businesses as recently as today; businesses that expressed a desire to fund such an event, at least in part.

Ken still hopes, that if the funding is found, and the Friday night tickets are prepared to switch to Saturday, then a further 100 or so tickets would cover two thirds the fee and Dr Schmitt may... consider a one day "splash and dash"; not ideal, but better than no show at all in my opinion.

If past events are any indication, had the event been confirmed a further 100 tickets would in all probability be a sure bet; Ken sold 150 in less than a week when he announced Charlie Duke some years ago.

Furthermore, in anticipation of a possible cancellation Ken has been working on a back-up.. also for October 19 and 20. Charlie Duke and possibly another.

To add insult to injury, monies promised by the company building the new school to bring astronauts over for the opening is now no longer available.

I understand anecdotally that when Dr. Schmitt attended a similar function in Holland several years ago approximately 150 turned out which should perhaps have served as a warning.

But there are those on this site who confidently predicted Harrison Schmitt would be a sell out. Professor Brian Cox told me tickets would sell out "over night" once he had tweeted about it and he promised to tweet continually until all the tickets were sold.

Unfortunately, whether due to the pressures of work or other commitments Professor Cox was unable to tweet as often as promised but Ken I know is very grateful for his support none the less.

The Science Museum in London wanted Dr. Schmitt to come down and give a talk for them... but they had no money. The BBC wanted him to do an interview with Patrick Moore... but they had no money. Ken's site promoting the event had in excess of 2500 hits and as he will tell you himself, if everybody who said they would buy a ticket actually sent payment, the event would be on.

But there is only so much the guy can do. I am pretty tired of the whole affair and I was involved only in the periphery. Goodness knows how Ken feels right now.

So, to sum up. Dr. Schmitt as planned is off, but there is a slim hope it may progress over one day and not two. Failing that, Ken may have Charlie Duke and possibly a second astronaut but plans have yet to be confirmed. There is still quite a bit "in the air" for both possible scenarios so I will let everybody know more as and when I do.

In the mean time, might I suggest those who have sent cheques mail Ken and let him know if they would be prepared to keep those cheques "in the pot" to cover tickets to the alternate event. That may then allow Ken to plan the back-up safe in the knowledge that if he plumps for that option it will be a definite GO from the outset and not keep people hanging on until the last minute.

posted 07-17-2012 12:44 AM               

However, if I read your posting correctly, it does raise the question that if Charlie Duke plus possibly one other might be persuaded to fill the date, did not Schmitt price himself out of the market?

One has to assume that the astronauts fix their own fees, so what makes Schmitt more expensive than Duke? As I said a long time ago, Schmitt seemed to be placing a lot more restrictions on his attendance than Mitchell, who was very easy going and willing to accommodate any request for a signature.

posted 07-17-2012 01:51 AM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by james watt:
There aren't 900 people in this country who aren't prepared to pay £60 to meet Jack?

---

posted 07-17-2012 07:02 AM               

Dread to think how he must feel after trying for who knows how long to convince Jack to come over only to find hardly anyone bothered.

posted 07-17-2012 08:36 AM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by johnpslater:
It is sad when people in this country would rather meet so called celebrities who are foul mouthed thugs who kick hell out of each other whilst chasing a balloon round a football field or have won the X Factor than meet a moonwalker.

---

There are a great many footballers and celebrities who would take exception to this comment. The vast majority are very pleasant, decent people.

posted 07-17-2012 10:28 AM               

1. It has been said before, but online payment processing is a must. PayPal is good, but even better would be a credit card processing form on the event's website. There are plenty of small business services (including PayPal) that make this fairly easy to do.

   People have short attention spans and are forgetful. You need to be able to get their money when they are first exposed to the event, whether they learn about it through a tweet or other means. Writing a check and sending it via surface mail is just too much a hassle for many people. It makes it easy for them to procrastinate.

2. Advertise, advertise, advertise. I cannot say enough for advertising, and by that I don't mean message board posts or tweets. Offer the local radio stations a number of free tickets to give away during the morning drive shows. Offer the editorial staff at the local newspaper free seats in return for discounted print ads. Offer local businesses sponsorships if they can e-mail all their customers.

   As mentioned earlier, partner with other organizations that reach your target market. If the Science Museum was interested, offer to move the event to their auditorium in return for e-mails to their membership and banners in the museum (not to mention handling ticket sales through their box office). Offer British Interplanetary Society a discounted ticket rate that they can advertise to their members.

   Lastly, make the media your friend. This story wrote itself: local community leader works to bring astronaut to Pontefract on 40th anniversary of last moon landing. Give the reporter a chance to interview Schmitt by phone and you're all set. A well-placed newspaper story can spin-off to TV spots and wider coverage.

posted 07-17-2012 11:16 AM               

One can argue this point. This is rather pointless as only Ken knows the budget. What is plain though is the hard fact that £60 with 350+ takers did not raise enough to cover the costs.

posted 07-17-2012 11:23 AM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by moorouge:
However, it doesn't alter the fact that the fees involved were too much for what might be considered a reasonable price bearing in mind the likely attendances and the restrictions imposed.

---

posted 07-17-2012 02:39 PM               

I agree with Rob, especially with regard to credit cards. 30-40% increases in sales are the norm.

posted 07-17-2012 04:48 PM               

CSL - Dublin managed to get Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin to Dublin 2003 / 04. Whilst UK folk had to send hard cash thru the mail (Recorded mail) no shortage of takers.

National Concert Hall, Dublin, was full to the brim for both events (Armstrong a sell out) tickets ranging from 50 Euros - VIP packages 450 Euros. Could anything be learned from their business model?

They found 2500 folk interested in space as it has been put...

posted 07-17-2012 04:48 PM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by machbusterman:
Imagine one wanted to attend a rock concert but by the time you've sent in your cheque the seats have gone.

---

If you find out about an event too late it doesn't matter if you want to pay by card or whatever, all the seats will have gone. Do you think everyone uses credit cards? This is why so many people, especially the young are in debt, they are spending invisible money. With cheques sensible people know exactly what they're finances are!

In my opinion he gave everyone plenty of time to save up for Jack by not cashing cheques until he got all the fee, if they had paid by cards the money would have gone out of the bank or had to be paid to the credit card company within days, or however it works?

I cannot understand all the moaning, the only reason Jack isn't coming is because not enough people seem interested in meeting him it seems to me.

posted 07-17-2012 04:48 PM               

I think alternate electronic payment methods are something that Ken should consider in the future.

The idea of moving the event to London would make commercial sense but this event, as with all Ken's astronaut events was and is very much a parochial event.

One of the principal driving forces has been a desire for local youngsters to meet and engage with these legends and the move to the major conurbations would I fear impact on that engagement given the limited time available.

Let us not forget, the guys at Autographica do a great job in securing their astronaut guests and they should rightly be applauded for it. But I suspect the finances available to Dave and Jason from whatever source (business, sponsorship etc) are more significant than those at Ken's disposal.

Ken has put his own money in to ensure previous shows have gone off smoothly but there is a limit to what he can do.

posted 07-17-2012 05:07 PM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by james watt:
Cheques may be the only way he can operate?

---

The benefits of enabling online payments are well-established.

quote:

---

Do you think everyone uses credit cards?

---

quote:

---

...the only reason Jack isn't coming is because not enough people seem interested in meeting him it seems to me.

---

posted 07-17-2012 05:13 PM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by Rick Mulheirn:
One of the principal driving forces has been a desire for local youngsters to meet and engage with these legends...

---

quote:

---

He asked me at the outset if enough tickets would be sold; if it was too big an ask.

---

posted 07-18-2012 12:44 AM               

1. Product

Harrison Schmitt has a definite Unique Selling Point (USP) i.e. Apollo astronaut, moonwalker, lunar geologist etc. His Brand Recognition (BR) however is very low - his is not a household name as is Aldrin or Armstrong. Creative promotion is therefore key (Schmitt's autograph policy does not help in this regard).

2. Position

The target audience for a UK event resides not only in different regions of the UK but across Europe. A venue that is in a major population center, with good transportation/accomodation infrastucture, within 2 hours flight time of UK and European hubs can only increase the probability of success.

3. Price

The bottomline. It's what deters many from getting a Buzz autograph or purchasing flown artifacts. The price point in a severe UK and European recession is always going to be a major factor. It's not just the cost of the ticket but the ancillary costs e.g. travel (flights/rail/petrol), accomodation and meals. No matter how good the main attraction is, you have to ask is this price-competitive when another event with 3 moonwalkers is being held in the UK the previous week ?. It also doesn't help that Sterling is at a 2-year high against the Euro at the moment.

4. e-Payment

Electronic options are essential - we live in a digital, integrated , 24/7 culture that values ease-of-use and speed. Cheques are an anachronism. Most UK high street retail banks have stopped issuing chequebooks to account holders. If you want to get the widest possible demographic interested, you have to meet them on their terms and that means electronic.

5. Publicity

As Robert said, advertise and as creatively as possible. The Armstrong event in Dublin in 2003 succeeded (and attracted overseas attendees) in part because it was held in a major urban center and showcased by Ireland's No. 1 TV/Radio personality and the national broadcast network RTE. The regional BBC need to be involved.

6. Public

The public is fickle and their attention bandwidth is being continually saturated with competing demands. This year the UK has also seen a major emphasis on sports e.g. European Football Championships, Wimbledon, Olympics. A sizeable demographic in the UK weren't even alive for the moonlandings and therefore have no emotional connect to the event.

7. Psychology

It is the Apollo 17 40th Anniversary. You have to establish that emotional connect with people, educate them, and remind them why this is important and also why it is so rare and valuable an opportunity. That's where the media cheerleaders can really bang that drum for you and get the interest going. Perceived rarity and exclusivity can help offset reluctance because of price.

Doubt breeds doubt. People are going to be deterred from booking flights/hotels if there is fundamental uncertainty as to whether an event will proceed or not. Especially if previous events have been cancelled.

The UK is in recession, high street sales are down, discretionary spending is down, and to top it all the weather is miserable so its a difficult retail environment all round. Upbeat creative advertising is therefore even more important, as are strategic partnerships.

posted 07-18-2012 01:29 AM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by Robert Pearlman:
...how do you know everyone who would be interested in meeting Schmitt were even aware about the event?

---