Because of my newly acquired free time, I am hawking a ton of ads for BOC's summer production of Carmen. Ad sales have always been one of the toughest things we've had to do, for the simple reason that no one likes to do it. Walking into an establishment, making a fast new friend, and convincing them that what we have to offer is just what they have always been looking for but never knew to seek out - this requires more than free time. It requires mental fortitude.
This season we are able to offer many of our sponsors a lot more than ever before. Cadenza: the Boston Opera Collaborative newsletter reaches over 900 subscribers, and we are expecting about 700 tickets sold for Carmen. Many of our packages this season include pre-performance exposure, so that we can offer our patrons information on restaurants, hotels and attractions near our performance venues.
With these new offers in place, sales have been a little easier this go-round, but it should go on the record that it is still not a lot of fun. I wonder if some people imagine that I like doing the things that no one else wants to do (such as when I have had to talk to people about deodorant at rehearsals). I'm willing to take one for the team, but I can think of things I'd rather be doing.
That said, want to purchase an ad in the program?
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