Replace the drip feed

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tankbuster
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Replace the drip feed

Post by tankbuster »

Having just seen the Zeltweg line up for next week It makes me think that announcing the line up the week before has so much more impact compared to drip feeding the info which just becomes a drag before April is out with 3 months still to go.
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CJS
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Re: Replace the drip feed

Post by CJS »

So much of it would leak out in other ways though wouldn't it?

You'd have to deliberately not find out to avoid it I think, wherever the updates were coming from.
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boff180
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Re: Replace the drip feed

Post by boff180 »

They just aren’t going to do that.

RIAT need to sell tickets in advance which means advertising what is attending to attract people.

Zeltweg is a free airshow apart from the Spotter package - they have no need to advertise in advance to the general public what is attending.

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speedbird2639
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Re: Replace the drip feed

Post by speedbird2639 »

Personally I think they should drop the Thursday update and just announce acts once they've finalised all the necessary details.

The Thursday update was fine 10 years ago in a pre social media age but the World has moved on and all the acts have their own social media channels which a lot of people follow anyway so the update isn't adding anything.

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Tommy
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Re: Replace the drip feed

Post by Tommy »

speedbird2639 wrote:
The Thursday update was fine 10 years ago in a pre social media age


We didn’t have Thursday updates 10 years ago.

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Tommy
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Re: Replace the drip feed

Post by Tommy »

I also disagree wholeheartedly with the “don’t announce anything and wait and see what’s there when you turn up on the day”, or “just announce everything the month before”. It’s not the 90s. People pay (considerable) money for this show and deserve to know what’s attending and indeed what to be excited about. And you can’t pay on the gate anymore; you can’t text your mate on your old 3310 on Saturday night and ask if it’s worth going and then check the weather on Sunday morning before deciding to pop along.

Plus you’d have people frenetically searching for information, and out of date display team calendars would be linked, another friggin *endless* shanter debate about the SwAFHF, and press articles run through a translation widget quoted, there would be threads tracking progress and there wouldn’t be a definite, simple list to check it all against. “I reckon” turns into “I heard” turns into “it’s coming”. Misinformation would be vast, and there would be some god-awful secret-squirrelling going on.

The Thursday updates were fine. The only reason that they’re being debated this year was because DBH went considerably off-piste and were announcing stuff willy-nilly, and then when Thursday came around, there was not really much left.

We had some really really strong updates for this year’s RIAT, but diluted across several days, which were interspersed with update should from other shows or general news about the hobby, so that by the time a Thursday update came around and it was a single aircraft, it felt like a damp squib, rather than “oh yeah, decent!” That it should have been.

Surprise updates were great too. In 2017/18 it worked well. The occasional unexpected update *in addition* to the Thursday update felt like a team on the ball, and was normally a nice weekend surprise. Likewise, they never announced the Israeli C-130 in 2017 and that was great. So in moderation, little throwbacks to the 90s are all fine, they’ve worked. But to take the entire system back to the 90s style would just be a bit crap, imo.

I’m sure they looked at the figures and saw ticket sales spikes every update so thought “hey why not just update all the time!” And it felt like continued scraping of the barrel this year.

PeterR
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Re: Replace the drip feed

Post by PeterR »

As an attendee to Airpower, I have to disagree with the original poster. Although the excitement of the full list being announced yesterday was cool, the constant search for information and worry on what was going to turn up over the last 2 months was less than ideal. I'd much rather updates every week or two weeks than the drought of information we faced!

IATthenRIAT
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Re: Replace the drip feed

Post by IATthenRIAT »

I would like to see DBH treating customers with some respect and not treating them like children, and not being told like I was when I asked one of the staff while in the Q "what will the main sunday flypast be please" - "Can't tell you its a Supprise" made me feel like I was on a shool trip. :roll:
Last edited by IATthenRIAT on Sun 25 Aug 2019, 6:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Tmyers123
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Re: Replace the drip feed

Post by Tmyers123 »

IATthenRIAT wrote:I would like to see DBH treating customers with some respect and not treating them like children, and not being told like I was when I asked one of the staff while in the Q "what will the main sunday flypast be please" - "Can tell you its a Supprise" made me feel like I was on a shool trip. :roll:


Not really treating you like a child if they don’t tell you what a surprise flypast consists of, because it is, as the name suggests, a surprise.

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Re: Replace the drip feed

Post by FarnboroJohn »

IATthenRIAT wrote:I would like to see DBH treating customers with some respect and not treating them like children, and not being told like I was when I asked one of the staff while in the Q "what will the main sunday flypast be please" - "Can't tell you its a Supprise" made me feel like I was on a shool trip. :roll:


I remember my family paying for school trips and I can't imagine they would have done if it was to be a surprise, I'd never have been allowed the trip. After one of the sort of surprise that happened in this case I'd never have been allowed another trip!

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tankbuster
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Re: Replace the drip feed

Post by tankbuster »

todays cricket was a surprise, I assume the people who like everything mapped out in advance would have preferred it if we had been told how it was going to finish. Seems a bit crazy that people actually bought tickets without knowing what was going to happen.
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speedbird2639
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Re: Replace the drip feed

Post by speedbird2639 »

I think there is a bit of a difference between a sporting event (where the premise is the result will be decided on the day) and a reasonably cost intensive day(s) out where before you make your financial commitment it's not unreasonable to have a rough idea of what you are buying into.

Yes years ago you didn't know. But also, even allowing for price inflation, tickets for a fraction of what they are now and the quality was much higher.

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boff180
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Re: Replace the drip feed

Post by boff180 »

tankbuster wrote:todays cricket was a surprise, I assume the people who like everything mapped out in advance would have preferred it if we had been told how it was going to finish. Seems a bit crazy that people actually bought tickets without knowing what was going to happen.


Your logic is fundamentally flawed.

People knew in advance the teams taking part in the game of cricket and bought their tickets based on that information. What they did not know was which side would win.

Apply that to airshows and the people who bought their tickets know what is going to participate. What they do not know is which display is going to be the best on the day.

People don’t buy tickets to a cricket game knowing there is a match scheduled without first knowning who is playing.

farnboroughrob
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Re: Replace the drip feed

Post by farnboroughrob »

Even back in the 1970's a preview list for IAT would be published in Aircraft Illustrated (IIRC). In the modern world to expect a media blackout until weeks before would be absurd. Frankly you need two tier announcements. The public announcements bigging everything up for the average punter. Then an separate announcement simply saying X Air Force confirmed they are sending Y for staic/flying, nothing more needed. It is fine treating Joe Public like semi-idiots who need to be drip fed, but don't think we all need that.

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tankbuster
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Re: Replace the drip feed

Post by tankbuster »

farnboroughrob wrote: It is fine treating Joe Public like semi-idiots who need to be drip fed, but don't think we all need that.



:biggrin: :biggrin: :biggrin: :biggrin:
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frank
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Re: Replace the drip feed

Post by frank »

I find it very entertaining during the winter months to log into UKAR to see what has been announced and follow the commentary

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mavvymoo
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Re: Replace the drip feed

Post by mavvymoo »

IATthenRIAT wrote:I would like to see DBH treating customers with some respect and not treating them like children, and not being told like I was when I asked one of the staff while in the Q "what will the main sunday flypast be please" - "Can't tell you its a Supprise" made me feel like I was on a shool trip. :roll:


Something about school and learning to spell......... can't quite put my finger on the punchline :whistle:
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Brevet Cable
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Re: Replace the drip feed

Post by Brevet Cable »

What a pathetic reply. :roll:
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Re: Replace the drip feed

Post by IATthenRIAT »

mavvymoo wrote:
IATthenRIAT wrote:I would like to see DBH treating customers with some respect and not treating them like children, and not being told like I was when I asked one of the staff while in the Q "what will the main sunday flypast be please" - "Can't tell you its a Supprise" made me feel like I was on a shool trip. :roll:


Something about school and learning to spell......... can't quite put my finger on the punchline :whistle:


Ok I was typing in the dark only light for my keyboard was off my screen - so I slipped a letter in the word school and used a Large letter Q instead of typing the word queue.

I am so sorry to have offended you. :roll:

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CJS
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Re: Replace the drip feed

Post by CJS »

IATthenRIAT wrote:
mavvymoo wrote:
IATthenRIAT wrote:I would like to see DBH treating customers with some respect and not treating them like children, and not being told like I was when I asked one of the staff while in the Q "what will the main sunday flypast be please" - "Can't tell you its a Supprise" made me feel like I was on a shool trip. :roll:


Something about school and learning to spell......... can't quite put my finger on the punchline :whistle:


Ok I was typing in the dark only light for my keyboard was off my screen - so I slipped a letter in the word school and used a Large letter Q instead of typing the word queue.

I am so sorry to have offended you. :roll:


I wouldn't worry, I expect s/he'll get over it in time.

Re: the actual thread...I kind of like the Thursday updates, but with so many acts self confirming these days I think it makes sense for RIAT to tell us as soon as they know. The Thursday updates are so often diluted because of this anyway.
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mavvymoo
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Re: Replace the drip feed

Post by mavvymoo »

Gosh there are some fragile egos on here.

The very nature of social media and the absolute proliferation of information channels mean that the "drip feed" or perhaps "drip leak" is almost certainly the way forward unless DBH adopt a "loose lips sink ships" policy to their communications strategy. Like the Battle of Britain at Home Days, and heavy metal on the static line as far as the eye can see - the days of coordinated information release are over.
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spellow3010
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Re: Replace the drip feed

Post by spellow3010 »

mavvymoo wrote:Gosh there are some fragile egos on here.

The very nature of social media and the absolute proliferation of information channels mean that the "drip feed" or perhaps "drip leak" is almost certainly the way forward unless DBH adopt a "loose lips sink ships" policy to their communications strategy. Like the Battle of Britain at Home Days, and heavy metal on the static line as far as the eye can see - the days of coordinated information release are over.


Fragility has nothing to do with it. It seemed pretty obvious that you have mocked a poster for spelling/grammar in what can be considered to be an attempt to humiliate another poster. That's poster on poster and against the rules. Others have pulled you up for it. Absolutely nothing to do with fragility - more likely public decency and tolerance. :up:
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Adraruro
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Re: Replace the drip feed

Post by Adraruro »

I'm sure we all know, there is a significant difference between a self-confirmation and actual confirmation from DBH. Every single year the SwAFHF 'confirm' their attendance and never get confirmed by RIAT! I'd take every single one with a dose of salt, as exciting as they may sound.

I think the Thursday updates are fine, as long as they are not diluted in any way as they were this year. Exceptional announcements like easter, Father's day etc, fair enough, but forego a week if just the stock isn't great - but say so. I think what we missed this year were Tom's interventions and adhoc tidbits - but then we know why stopped....

I think the marketing team are new, so hopefully this year there will be improvements given the feedback. The new initiatives such as the weekly photos are good and keep engagement up, the other attraction information is useful, but just keep aircraft updates to a sacred time and don't mess about with it. Things like a LanceR announcement could easily wait, especially given the following Thursday very little was announced.

Just my 5p...

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Brevet Cable
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Re: Replace the drip feed

Post by Brevet Cable »

spellow3010 wrote:It seemed pretty obvious that you have mocked a poster for spelling/grammar in what can be considered to be an attempt to humiliate another poster. That's poster on poster and against the rules. Others have pulled you up for it. Absolutely nothing to do with fragility - more likely public decency and tolerance. :up:

And it's not as if 'mavvymoo' is perfect when it comes to spelling and grammar.....John 8:7 :whistle:

As for the teams/displays self-confirming, is it known if DBH actually ask them not to do so before an official RIAT announcement is made?
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mavvymoo
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Re: Replace the drip feed

Post by mavvymoo »

I'm sorry if my humour (and that was the intention) has been so badly received. I thought the whistling emoji would have put it across better.

Mavvymoo was actually my dog's nickname - not being familiar with the bible (oh my goodness here come more stones! :dizzy: ) I googled it and learnt something - thanks BC :up:

Back on the drip feed topic, I stand by my remarks that the information genie cannot be put back in the bottle and that the proliferation of social media channels means that structured release of information concerning multiple parties cannot be enforced unless it is part of the contract of appearing. That in itself shouldn't be beyond the ability of anyone, but it may not be desirable for the providers of information in this age of instant gratification.
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