Value of airshows for recruiting

[RiverAux]

Over on another thread someone made a comment about not being terribly impressed with the return on investment for setting up an airshow recruiting booth.   I tend to agree with that. 

I've been heavily involved with setting up CAP booths at 2 major airshows (100K+ attendees) and 1 minor airshow and seen the results of other efforts by the local unit at the airshows in years where I haven't been in charge.  The quality of the CAP displays has varied from "Wow!" to "Whose little airplane is that sitting there by itself?".  While we usually end up talking with dozens of people, I've rarely seen more than 3 or 4 people actually follow up and attend a meeting.

Is it really worth the effort of flying in a couple of planes and scheduling a dozen or more CAP members to sweat out there on the flightline for two days for maybe 1 recruit? 

Now, if you restate the goal to just raise public awareness of CAP, they are somewhat more useful, but for that you've got to have a lot of stuff going on -- you need a major display that people will at least slow down to read.  You can only talk to so many people after all and just having a plane out there isn't enough to tell them who the heck we are. 

Now, historically airshows have been a major CAP recruiting venue and I'm sure there are units that have just raked in new recruits, but I haven't seen it.

[IceNine]

Airshow recruiting is in my experience, 30 members recruited, COMPLETELY different in the way that these people are handled.  A lot of the membership of this organization are people that know/knew someone, searched us out, saw us somewhere once but never asked.

Airshows are Active processes and you have 30 seconds to try and catch their attention before they move on to that awesome F22 sitting across the way from you.  So, what does all of this mean?

It means that you need to make them feel welcome right away. Introduce yourself, shake their hand, and get their name.  After you get their name USE IT, people don't like being forgotten quickly. 

Give them the nitty gritty of what CAP is, walk them through the pamphlet and hand them a business card.

Only ask questions once and then hold them to the answers throughout the conversation.  For instance

We have meetings on Tuesday evening from (insert times) at (insert location), We would really like you to come out and see what we are all about and have some more time to talk with you one on one.  Can we expect to see you? 

If they say yes, hand them a map and meeting times with contact information JUST IN CASE. 

This is also the time when you have them fill out the interest form.  Name, phone number, age (if a prospective cadet), occupation, and relevant experience.  These things help to ensure that they feel welcome when you get them to the meeting because you will have some things to talk about, without them telling you.

Before they leave the tent remind them that they can call/email with any questions and point to that information.  And SAY to them DO NOT ASK "Ok I'll see you on Tuesday @ (insert time)/ 

This has always worked like a charm for me for these types of activities.

[JohnKachenmeister]

Airshow recruiting has a value, identified by mfd, that varies with the skill and personality of the folks setting up and manning the display.  I have had medium success at recruiting at air shows, and (mfd's right again) almost all of the folks who joined already knew a little about CAP, and got a chance to talk to someone personally and in detail at the airshow.  I did recruit one cadet who had never heard of CAP, but that is, by definition, the exception.

I never thought to ask how many people had heard about CAP from another airshow, though.

But airshow support is good for things other than recruiting.  It is a good chance to enhance your Aerospace Education program using the LCWA method of instruction, and you can exercise your communications procedures, if you have enough radios.

One of my officers got a "Save" ribbon at an airshow when he saved an 8-year old's life by performing a Heimlich Maneuver on him, and last March our cadets earned some local respect with their immediate actions after a crash of a private jet during an aerobatics demonstration.

All things considered, airshow support is a worthwhile training/community service/recruiting activity.

(LCWA= Letting Cadets Wander Around)

[brasda91]

Give them the nitty gritty of what CAP is

Somewhere else I read that instead telling a prospective member a detailed description of everything we do, ask them what they are interested.  That way you can tailor your presentation/discussion to their interests.  If they're interested in the GT aspect, run with it.  No need to go knee deep into air ops.  I thought it sounded good.  I'm willing to try it during our next recruiting event.

[genejackson]

mfd,
You hit the nail on the nead about your intro's to the people and such comments as "I'll see you at xx:xxpm Tuesday?"    People want to be remembered and know their time and skills are valuable as well.

I have found Air Shows to be extremely valuable for recruiting.  I won't go into specific numbers except to say that I've personally recruited over 100 people to CAP in the past 11 years,  I've been an AirBoss at multiple Air Shows and we have the local CAP units set up recruiting and demo booths at each one.  Using the same approach as mfd commented on, we've had wonderful return on our time invested at the shows.   Following each event, we have seen an increase at every Squadron.   I tell all my Squadron Commanders within 100 or so miles to come join us, bring cadets to help with recruiting, flightline duty, etc and with the diverse crowds that come,  it seems every Squadron has somebody come join following the shows.  The other thing I've found to be very helpful is the local airport authorities find CAP to be more than cadets marching at meetings, etc.   They get a real view of our value.   Here in Danville VA, the airport manager is so pleased with what CAP brings to his airport that we are provided a 60x60 hangar with 4 offices, 2 classrooms, bathroom/kitchen and paid utilities for $25.00/month.  It was $175/month before we started helping each year with the AirShow.  Because of the support CAP provides this field, the Airport Manager dropped the rent.   Much easier to pay those rents with member dues now.

At another field (6V3), the airport manager was so pleased with CAP he started his own Squadron, is now the Squadron Commander and has had 30 new members this year alone.   Following the past 2 years AirShow at 6V3, (yes, I was his AirBoss),  the interest in CAP was fantastic thus all the growth there.   And that is now a mission base for me as well for any missions I might need to run in SW Virginia.

Airshows are definitely a plus for CAP.   My Group  is proof of that.   Over 250 new members in the past 3 years.   Good commanders who are people persons and not "good old boys",  ensuring we participate in local events where applicable, supporting Air Shows and getting good press out there about what we do.   

Like mfd said, you have to have good communication skills to get them to come back.  In my medical practice, if I don't maintain a good "bedside manner", my patients won't come back.   It's the return business and referrals that keep my practice growing.   Same thing in CAP.   If my S/CC's don't have a good "bedside manner" with their membership, they won't come back either.

Take every opportunity to talk CAP when you can.  It really works.

Gene

[IceNine]

Give them the nitty gritty of what CAP is

Somewhere else I read that instead telling a prospective member a detailed description of everything we do, ask them what they are interested.  That way you can tailor your presentation/discussion to their interests.  If they're interested in the GT aspect, run with it.  No need to go knee deep into air ops.  I thought it sounded good.  I'm willing to try it during our next recruiting event.

Throw that notion out of your head...

There is no value in a tailored presentation.  All that does in give people the impression that there is only one are of the program and they will then refuse the rest of them.

Every interested member MUST have the most basic understanding of ALL of our areas of participation.

So, tell them that we wear uniforms, and work with "kids", and work in search and rescue, and aerospace. 

Also tell them they will be working in all of these areas, so that there is no misconception, that they were recruited into the the CAP SAR Team, flying club, or babysitters club.

[floridacyclist]

A big thing to keep in mind is that it's not just about recruiting, it's about public awareness as well. The people you talk to may not join CAP, but often them knowing who we are and what we do may help....either as they refer someone to use or help us in other ways.

Last night my wife and I were having dinner with some friends and another couple when CAP got mentioned. The other guy (whom I did not really know) suddenly had a lightbulb look on his face. He said "You called me one day about a COPES course, right?" I was like...."uhhhhhhh....did I?". He went on to explain that he was the COPES director for the Scout council. I mentioned that we were helping with the aviation-themed Cub Scout Family Weekend next month and that some of our displays involved flight simulators, coordinating with local MEDEVAC choppers, an AE display and a mock SAR rescue with Cub Scouts tracking down a beacon and helping evacuate the (non-grotesquely) injured occupants. He said "Oh yeah, I saw that on the news where y'all did that exercise, that was pretty cool". I also mentioned that we had met with some folks about getting a course for the cadets in conjunction with the Cub Family Weekend. Before dinner was over, we had a promise to see if we could get both the COPES high and low ropes course for free in return for helping the Cub Scouts as well as an invitation to some of our older cadets to train as COPES instructors (we'll have to put that one through legal review).

Paydirt. Incidentally, while we won't be actively recruiting out of respect to the BSA, if some Cub Scout thinks we're cool and wants to join CAP when he turns 12, I won't chase him off either.

The same goes for airshow presence...often, just educating folks on who we are and what we do can have consequences far beyond new members showing up. We see this a lot in ham radio where folks need to be educated about the services performed so that the next time someone wants to put an antenna up in their neighborhood or complains about interference from broadband over powerlines, they at least know why such things should matter and that they're not just talking about a hobby. By the same token, whether they may join or not, folks need to know that A) CAP exists, and B) we're not just a rich boy's flying club.

[JC004]

A big thing to keep in mind is that it's not just about recruiting, it's about public awareness as well. The people you talk to may not join CAP, but often them knowing who we are and what we do may help....either as they refer someone to use or help us in other ways.
...

Absolutely.

[brasda91]

Give them the nitty gritty of what CAP is

Somewhere else I read that instead telling a prospective member a detailed description of everything we do, ask them what they are interested.  That way you can tailor your presentation/discussion to their interests.  If they're interested in the GT aspect, run with it.  No need to go knee deep into air ops.  I thought it sounded good.  I'm willing to try it during our next recruiting event.

Throw that notion out of your head...

There is no value in a tailored presentation.  All that does in give people the impression that there is only one are of the program and they will then refuse the rest of them.

Every interested member MUST have the most basic understanding of ALL of our areas of participation.

So, tell them that we wear uniforms, and work with "kids", and work in search and rescue, and aerospace. 

Also tell them they will be working in all of these areas, so that there is no misconception, that they were recruited into the the CAP SAR Team, flying club, or babysitters club.

This was my point:

Recruiting is sales...
Bob Haase

OK. You have the freshly mowed head, the spiffy uniform, and a really long list of the great things to do in CAP. You go to the local school, mall, or juvenile detention center looking for new recruits, and lo and behold, there they are! The conversation may go something like this...

"Are you guys in the Army?"
"No we're in the Civil Air Patrol. It's the official auxiliary of the United States Air Force."

"Oh."

"We do all kinds of things. We have weekly meetings where we learn about the military and airplanes. We have weekend activities where we camp, shoot off rockets, visit air museums, and march in parades. In the summer we have a thing called encampment where you live on a military base for a week, and we also have other activities like ranger school, flight schools, and PJOC where you learn about Air Force pararescuemen. Cadets who go far enough in the program can even get involved in IACE which is a program where cadets visit other countries and learn what cadets in those countries do. We even do search and rescue. It's really cool.

"Yeah, cool."



Then they walk away...

Why? Because you made one of the most common mistakes in sales- you tried to sell the product based on its features. The things listed above ARE really cool, but that doesn't mean they will spur someone to join up. Your recruit is just thinking "So what?"

"What do you mean, Major? That got ME to sign up". While that may be true, in recruiting, we need to grab the attention (and the commitment) of people who might not immediately see the benefits of weekend bivouacs or learning how to drill. I have recruited in large cities and tiny little towns. CAP has something for almost everyone. If you aren't pulling in 15 or 20 recruits at a school drive, you are probably not hitting them with the message they need to hear. They are all saying "So what." We need to get past the "So what".

How do we do this? By not focusing on the features of our program, and instead, focusing on the needs of our recruit. By learning the needs of that recruit, we will be able to show them the features of our program that will appeal to them and why they should join CAP.

Instead of just spewing lists of activities and benefits at the recruit, try to get to know them a little bit. A teen that is really into airplanes may not care about PJOC and ranger school. Some kid who wants to be a Navy SEAL may have no interest at all in color guard or visiting air museums. By talking WITH the recruit instead of AT them, you can target the conversation on the things that they ARE interested in instead of hitting them with everything you've got.

When hunting squirrel for dinner, a few pellets from a bb gun will be much better than a hundred from the shotgun. Sure you can hit the squirrel with both, but only one gives you something to work with afterward.

Moreover, once you learn where their interests lie, concentrate on that, not CAP. Let's say someone is interested in flying. Instead of saying "CAP has orientations flights, model rocketry, and AE classes. Come to a meeting so you can join", try to build an entire conversation that addresses what the recruit is interested in. Look at the program from their point of view. Maybe something like this...

"We have regular aerospace education classes which give you a good foundation of knowledge about how aircraft work. We have orientation flights where an experienced pilot will take you up and give you some real experience in the cockpit. Each of the 9 orientation flights is different so you get something new each time.
"Once you have been in CAP a while, you can become eligible for a flight academy. This is really cool because if you are on your toes, you can actually solo at the end of the week. It's intense ground school and air training, but it a great experience for someone who wants to be a pilot. It is also considerably cheaper than going to some local aviation school, especially if you can get a scholarship.

"Our AE officer can tell you more about that at our meeting. If you give me your phone number, I'll give you a call and arrange for you to be able to attend one of our meetings."

How do I gather that intelligence? This isn't a hard as it seems. You simply ask them what they are interested in. There are a few questions that I have found that can lead to a good recruiting pitch. Here are some examples in no particular order.

"Are you interested in the military?"
"What is your favorite subject in school?"
"Have you ever been flying?"
"How much CPR and first aid training have you had?"
"What clubs or organizations do you belong to?"
"What kind of survival training do you have?"

The answers to these questions will give you an opening to talk about how CAP does these things. I'm sure you could come up with some questions of your own. Now the answer to some of these may be completely negative. You may find that the person likes nothing that we do, but even that is valuable to you. Instead of boring some poor slug who couldn't care less, you can use your time to go after someone who WILL be interested.

More importantly, people respond when you take an honest interest in what they like or feel. When you ask them about their interests and show them how CAP could address those interests, you aren't someone who is just trying to sell a program. You are someone who is helping them fulfill their interests. That is going to win them over faster and more effectively than some rehearsed speech about things they don't care about.

[Stonewall]

I've seen terrible CAP displays (call them recruiting booths if you like) at air shows.  They have crap for a static "gear display" and often times the airplane, if there is one, isn't co-located with the rest of the recruiting team.

Another problem, is people try to recruit for their squadron and their squadron only.  Some of the larger air shows like Andrews,  Wright Patterson, or the Daytona Sea and Air Show, you need to be out there informing people about CAP, not a specific squadron.  Have a means for people to look up and find a local squadron.

The whole ES gear display is usually a joke.  You get some dude's gear made up of a angle-head flashlight clipped on to an LBE strap with a mangled looking buttpack, ACME first aid kit made in Korea and an orange whistle tied to a metal ring with dental floss, and you try to convince people that cadets truly are involved in real life search and rescue.

Sometimes people put squadron photo albums out for people to look at.  But it's kind of like telling a story to people who weren't there and don't quite understand the gist of the time/site specific comedic aspect of the story.

Backdrop displays.  They've got some good ones, but I don't know if they exist anymore.  But you'll see them halfassed put together without proper pictures or information affixed.

Model rocket display.  People want to touch things.  When visitors approach your booth and play with your crap, a model rocket may last all of one hour. 

TV with video?  Excellent idea, but playing a 4 minute video isn't good enough.  CAP used to have some hour long videos of NCSAs, the cadet program and the ES missions.  Something like that works to play off to the side, but you have to keep it running.

Demos.  Do a demonstration!  Have an ELT and L'Per and guide people through a mini-mission right there at your booth.  Have your most squared away cadet do it.  Someone who can benefit from some speech practice.  It's totally doable and gives something tangible for prospective members to witness. And if they aren't interested in joining, then one day when they run into you again they'll already know what you do.

There's right ways and wrongs ways to run a CAP booth at an air show.  Unfortunately I've run into more "wrong" than "right".

[IceNine]

Sounds like we need on of UK's famous Guide's...

I expect a draft copy in a week

[JC004]

Sounds like we need on of UK's famous Guide's...

I expect a draft copy in a week

Agree.  Get to typing, UK.   

[Stonewall]

I don't consider myself the authority at all.  To me, it's like how I say you can learn just as many lessons from a bad leader as you can from a good one.  Just don't do what the bad leader does and you'll avoid a lot of problems.

If you care to hear what I have to say about recruiting at air shows, I'll spend a few minutes typing something up at work tonight since I'm light duty.  Won't be able to post it until tomorrow though.

Off to work.

[Skyray]

What has worked for us in the Auxiliary at boat shows is power point presentations.  If you can spring for the hardware, you can do a pretty nice narrated slide show that is really an attention grabber.  Combine that with your squared away cadet who can stop the presentation and answer questions, and if they don't join it's because they weren't interested in anything we do.

[jimmydeanno]

In all my CAP experience, Airshows have proven to be the #1 most succesful recruiting tool available.  It brings like minded individuals to you and allows you to present yourself to the general public.  I can honestly say, the last two airshows alone have brought in 75 new members to our squadron alone, nevermind people who go to other squadrons because of it.

I wrote a whole long thing about our airshow recruiting event 2 weeks ago:
http://captalk.net/index.php?topic=2887.0

It's all in how you present yourself, if the people doing the 'selling' know what the heck they're doing and can portray the organization in a professional manner.

[RiverAux]

The other thread says you handed out 3000 brochures in one weekend.  Exactly how did you do that?  We've always been pretty aggressive at giving brochures to people we talk to, but never even got in the parking lot of that ballpark figure.  Were you just sending people out to hand them to random folks around the airshow?

[jimmydeanno]

This is how the airshow worked for us:

The Airshow was 'sponsored' by the Brain Injury Foundation.  They requested volunteers.  The wing supplied volunteers to do parking, flight-line 'security,' clean-up, etc.  Each volunteer was paid $10.00 per hour and the proceeds from that payment went to the squadron the volunteer came from.

We asked to set up the recruiting booth too, got permission (recruiting volunteers were not paid).  The recruiting booth was well manned and a bunch of cadets showed up to help with recruiting.

Since cadets don't sit still long enough to really accomplish much in the booth - we sent them on roving patrols for other 'potential cadets.' Every single 12+ year old they saw, they stopped and pitched CAP to them, gave them a brochure and told them about our open house.  If they had additional questions, they sent them to the recruiting booth.

The booth area was large - (40ft X 100ft) and had the GA-8, C182, Van, Comm Truck and 10X10 easy up tent.  So we were visible.  It also helped that we were right in front of 'Air show central' and next to the food and stuff.  We got a lot of people interested and gave a brochure to each person that stopped by. 

We were not at all shy about initiating converstations with people walking by.  The airshow had over 100K people attend over two days, so 3000 pieces of literature isn't too much to ask.

You figure, even if you get 1 out of 100 people to join because of the flyer you dropped in their hands, you still get 30 people for 2 days work...

Most of the 'we didn't have good results' comes from poor planning and poor attitudes.  I think sandman says something similar to 'CAP members are self-loathing and think themselves to be 2nd class citizens,' if this attitude is conveyed at a public recruiting event, expect poor results.

Don't give up on airshows - just hit them, and hit them hard.

[JC004]

What has worked for us in the Auxiliary at boat shows is power point presentations.  If you can spring for the hardware, you can do a pretty nice narrated slide show that is really an attention grabber.  Combine that with your squared away cadet who can stop the presentation and answer questions, and if they don't join it's because they weren't interested in anything we do.

Don't listen to this man!  PowerPoint is satan!  OK, kidding...PPT can be nice if used effectively.  I put together some presentations that just ran in a loop...the key is the right pictures (that means no FUBAR uniforms!).  If you will be outside, get one of those screen covers (unless you're using a tent with walls)...they come in lots of shapes and sizes. 

Don't forget to use giveaways.  This means pens and stuff, or a free raffle kind of thing.  We used to get a donation of something, like two large pizzas and a soda, or gift certificates from local stores.  Then we'd have them fill in a slip.  There was a checkbox on the slip for people who wanted more information about CAP.  If they did, we'd follow up with a letter and such.

[A.Member]

Airshows provide incredibly valuable opportunities for exposure and recruiting - even morale, especially among cadets.  It's one of (if not the) best things we can do in terms of visibility. 

Like anything, if you do a half-assed job, you can expect half-assed results.  If you put forth a good effort, results will be reflective of that.  It is from that perspective in which we can improve our approach as an organization.  We need to improve our focus and consistency.  This means understanding the obstacles that face us in such situations (ie. being upstaged by the F/A-22 next to us) and developing a workable strategy to overcome them.  It can be done and it's not an overly difficult problem to solve (there are many good ideas here) - I know first hand.  I've been there; we've done it.

[RiverAux]

Folks, I have seen an award-winning CAP airshow display bring in about the same number of people as the "display" consisting of a locked CAP airplane sitting out on the ramp at the airshow without a CAP member in sight. 

[floridacyclist]

One thing that folks like at our displays is MS Flightsim. We try to have a couple of computers set up so kids (and grownups) can fly. If there's a line, we start them on final with approach power and tell them to land or crash..otherwise we let them fly around as much as they want.

[Stonewall]

Note:  I didn't read Jimmy's or anyone else's plan for running a CAP display at air shows, but I'm sure there are tons of "right ways" to do it.  As long as you choose one that works, or create one of your own, good on you.  I realize people will disagree with me on a lot of things, but hey, I'm not here to be your friend, I'm here to share something that works.  Not saying your way doesn't work, but I've been going to air shows as a CAP member for 20 years.  I've learned something new at each one.  I've learned my most important lessons on how not to run a display by going "undercover" to air shows outside my area to check out how other CAP squadrons do it.

Anyway, I wrote this the other night at work and just now fired up my laptop again.   Take it or leave it....
------------------------------------------------

How I think a CAP booth at an air show should be managed.

I've participated in air shows here in Jacksonville, FL, Manassas, VA, and Andrews AFB, MD.  Manassas being the smallest of the three.

If you look at an air show at a place like Andrews, you're looking to see people from Virginia, DC, Maryland, Delaware, and quite possibly Pennsylvania and West Virginia.  Andrews Composite Squadron is rather large, maybe bigger than average.  With that, I have never seen them attempt to handle the air show by themselves.  By handle, I don't mean helping with parking, but merely running a recruiting booth with the huge AF/CAP patch collection owned by Lt Col Schell (like 10,000 patches), a van, plane and some general recruiting supplies.  I've helped out and I've gone as a spectator.  We're' usually separated from our plane because the plane will be outside and the "booth" will be in a hangar.  If you ask me, that's not a good plan, but probably one outside of CAP's control.  At the airplane, I've generally seen seniors in gray pants with polo, or if we're lucky, a flight suit; hoping they aren't overweight and lacking military grooming standards.

Inside the hangar, it's varied from being top notch to a total embarrassment to CAP.  Usually though, it's probably just a tad bit below average.  It all depends on the project officer.  Is that PO heavy into ES, a non-military type who is a die hard AE fan, or a CP guru heavily involved in things like drill team and having a squadron full of Spaatzen.  If you ask me, it takes an even keeled PO with a lot of knowledge and interest in all aspects of CAP.

Let's start from the beginning, the planning phase.  Unless you just moved to your area and are clueless of the annual air show, you know darn well that an air show will be held around the same time each year.  With that, you check out the schedule online.  It's easy, go to the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds' website and see when they'll be there.  Put it on your six month calendar (I'm a fan of the 6 month vs. quarterly or annual).  You don't even have to plan anything; just put it on your calendar so people know about it 6 months in advance.

About 3 months out, talk to your state director (or whatever they're called today) and let them know that you want to put up a display at the air show, how big, what you want, etc.  If you can do this directly with the military base's air show coordinator, then by all means, work it directly.  I'd go for having a CAP plane (the biggest, newest, and cleanest), a CAP van (newest, cleanest, with the most comms gear), two tables, a back-drop with signage, large photos, and information like "quotes" of statistics, e.g. "CAP conducts 90% of all inland Search and Rescue in the United States" or "10% of students at service academies were cadets in CAP", something like that (I just came up with those).

Static Display

Plane:  Have at least one aircrew member at the plane at all times.  This can be a mission observer, pilot or scanner, but someone who knows more about the plane than the average Joe.  These aircrew members should be in flight suits.  I will not argue about uniforms.  You don't have to like "my way", I'm just telling you "my way".  I'd also throw a good looking knowledgeable cadet with the plane, in a flight suit if you can swing it.  Maybe someone who has soloed that can wear a set of wings.  I'd have a flyer with the aircrafts specs as well as a sheet with pictures and stats of all CAP aircraft, just to give the visitor as much info about CAP as possible.

Van:  Wash, wax, armorall, vacuum, and windex the van as if you were putting it on the showroom floor.  Have a "kit box" of sorts with equipment neatly organized.  Have your map file; not with a bunch of torn up maps, but some organized collection of all essential maps that you'd really use on a mission.  Have your gear box, tings like your crow bar, bolt cutters, hacksaw; basically a "B&E kit".  Open this stuff up for people to see, but assign 2 people, senior and cadet, to be solely responsible for the van at all times.  People steal at air shows!

Section off your table(s) in thirds, with more space allotted for ES because it's gear intensive.

AE:  Not a whole bunch you can do here, but maybe a model rocket or two, some AE projects from classes (small balloons with clothespins, fans, you know, AE junk).  Don't really know how to describe it, but all the stuff I see our cadets doing during their AE nights, they always seem to have toys and trinkets by the time they're done.

CP:  You'll have your cadets there.  That's your CP display.  Have a TV/VCR/DVD with a constantly rolling video.  I've had 5 different videos run over and over again.  It started with that NCSA video (the one with hawk), then it went to a video about the CP overall, then something else, then it ended with some 30 second commercial from Scott Mathews.  Sorry, don't know where these came from, but we had a tape that lasted more than an hour.  I'm sure there's a DVD or VHS tape you can get from NHQ.  Always have brochures.  NEVER RUN OUT!  Unless you have an endless supply, be selective of whom you give them to.  Obviously, if people want one from the stack on the table they'll take'em.  But don't give a senior member brochure to a 12 year old kid. Get my drift?  I'd get some sticky labels and put your wing's POC and website on the brochures, but only if you're the only wing you are recruiting for.  This wouldn't work well for National Capital Wing at the Andrews AFB air show.

ES:  This is where people screw up.  If you don't have an ES program at your squadron, don't fake it and try to set one up.  We put together a 72 hr and 24 hr kit for static display.  We've gone so far as to dress up a mannequin in BDUs and strapped 24 hr gear to it.  Yes, we used MILITARY GEAR!  Why?  Because that's what the entire squadron and wing used.  Plus, it's consistent.  We'd use a large ALICE pack filled up.  Didn't matter if the right stuff was in it, but we packed it full.  Taped all the loose straps down, "dummy corded" the e-tool and 2qt canteen, and basically squared it away.  The 24 hr gear was military issue LBE, again, packed full.  The ES table had a new (clean) poncho liner over top with gear spread out neatly for people to see, with labels identifying specialized equipment.  We'd have an L'Per, a few radios, practice ELT, maybe some marshalling batons, 120' of rappel rope, and a medic bag.  Not a cheesy medic bag, but a squared away pack, maybe the M3 Combat Lifesaver Bag opened so people can see inside.  Here, have your most squared away GTM qualified cadets, an EMT if you got one.  Of course, your most squared away senior member over watching the entire set up.

The People

Regardless of where you assign people, always make sure people get a break.  Rotate on/off at 2 hour intervals so people can go get food, enjoy the air show and more importantly, so the people working the display don't get burned out.  The way I've described this set-up would require as many as 15 to 20 people, cadets and senior.  You have to have seniors there because cadets don't know a lot of the "adult stuff" like homeland security, comms outside of ground team use, aircraft specs, professional development, etc. 

Uniforms

Here we go again, "you can't make me wear a military style uniform".   Here, uniformity really counts.  If you're going to have 2 seniors in polos and grays, have them working together, then rotate two guys in BDUs or flight suits together.  If you can help it, have BDU folks all in BDUs or all BBDUs.  I seriously wouldn't mix them up.  In reality, you could be at this display with 8 different uniforms, but I'd stick with flight suits for air crews, BDUs and short-sleeve blues.  Look at any military display, they'll have a work uniform like flight suit or BDUs, or be in their short-sleeve service option (class B style).  Everyone needs to have a good haircut.  A good haircut does not mean a high and tight.  Sure, they're allowed, but even Ranger Regiment doesn't require them anymore.  Plus, most civilian barbers don't know how to taper a high and tight.  Personally, I think they look ridiculous.  Although authorized in the non-military uniforms, I'd recommend against having a senior there that doesn't meet grooming regs.  In my mind, keeping things to a minimum will look better.

I've seen attempts by CAP to run a "money maker" like selling hamburgers and such, but I would never volunteer my squadron to do that.  Have the guys that look like crap-work that one.  One year, someone came up with the stupid idea of us (cadets and seniors) selling ice cream at the air show.  Walking around in shorts selling ice cream does nothing for us other than make money.  Air shows are too important of a recruiting tool and means of showing the general public who we are to be selling hotdogs and ice cream.

To do this right is hard work.  You can't let your guard down; always maintain your discipline and military bearing.  Not only are you trying to recruit people, but you want to teach the world about CAP.  Additionally, you want the RealMilitary™ to see that we aren't a bunch of wanna-bees "playing soldier", but our own entity with our own standards.  There aren't just military static displays; there are plenty of EMS type groups there too.  While your there, talk to them.  Network, sell CAP or maybe try and recruit them.  Same goes for military folks too.  Every air show I've been to I've had more than a few military folks come up to me and say "hey, I was in CAP".  Listen to their story, talk to them, and ask them if they have a kid who may want to join.  Even if your air show is in Daytona, FL and they flew down from Ft. Carson, CO to work the show, a new member in Colorado is still a new member in CAP.  If they go to a local unit in CO, how cool would it be if the went there saying "yeah, met some CAP folks at an air show in FL and they were very cool, polite, and professional".  That, in turn, will give the COWG folks something to live up to.  It's a cycle that needs to start with quality so it can end with quality.  This is how I think. 

[jimmydeanno]

Well, here's some results of our recruiting effort at the Airshow.

We had 16 new cadets take applications last night.

We had 19 new seniors take applications last night.

We still have about 12 people who want to come that are away on business or getting their kids started in school, etc that have confirmed they will be coming starting in October...

But this get's me thinking about follow up.  We're talking about having great recruiting booths and such at the airshow - but what are we following it up with?

Are we having open houses shortly after?  Are we calling people back after the airshow to show we're actually interested in having them come out?  Are we putting plans in place to get new people up to speed...all the new members in the world won't help if there is nothing for them to show up to or make them feel welcome.

Just a thought...

[Fifinella]

How we did it this year (all new staff, steep learning curve):

Large backdrop, lotsa pictures, squadron website address prominently displayed.  Lots of handouts.  Booth right beside CAP -182 with G-1000 cockpit.  Aircrew at plane all weekend.  Cadets at booth all weekend.  Arranged visit at CAP Booth from Thunderbird #3 (former CAP cadet).  She spoke for about 25 minutes.

Pics of Thunderbird #3 visiting us on display at booth following day.  Coverage of the event on local ABC affiliate (including cadet interview).

Flyers for squadron Open House one week later distributed at booth.  Sign-up required for interested folks since we meet on a military installation (for base access).

Results: number of cadets in squadron doubled.

Note: There were additional cool opportunities for the cadets as well - attending the performers' brief each morning, watching the Thunderbirds' practice show from show center on the flightline Friday afternoon.  We got lucky on some of those (right place, right time, know someone who knows someone...but now we know what to ask for next year.)

Definitely assist in any way possible (we did trash detail this year).  It's great PR, great community service, and you never know who's watching and gaining a favorable impression of CAP.

[RiverAux]

One thing that the CG Aux has that maybe CAP shoud emulate for airshows is a guide for putting on these sorts of events: http://www.auxadept.org/downloads/BoatShows.pdf

[RiverAux]

By the way, anyone got a good link to a web page that has a good current listing of upcoming airshows and air events?  A little web browsing was not very fruitful for me.  Thanks.

[Brad]

I do know that every year South Carolina has the MayFly Airshow here in Florence, usually the first weekend in May. Shaw AFB is just an hour or so up the road, so we get a lot of fly-ins from them; among other things Shaw has the largest combat F-16 detachment, the 20th Fighter Wing. Plus there's a good amount of antiques and acrobatic planes. I've never gone myself except once when I was a little kid. The Thunderbirds were there though, I remember that much.

Our squadron will likely be doing something with it, among other reasons seeing as how we're on airport property anyways, heh. ELT work, etc. etc. Should be fun.

[ThorntonOL]

This Saturday there is going to be an Airshow going on at the airport our group meets at and our unit along with one or two other units from our group will be there. I'm not fully sure what we are doing as i'll probably be at the recruiting booth. Now we only get usually 1-4 actual cadets from these events but occasionally like this past year we got almost double that amount of cadets.
So it just depends on the event and weather.

[mikeylikey]

^ Get around, move around, hand junk out.  Don't be the group of CAP members that just sits at a table all day waiting for others to walk up.  BE visible, social, and "in your face"!!

Thats how I work, and I usually end up getting the most response back from people that way.

(Not saying you don't do what I suggest, but the vast majority of Air Show recruiting, is just "sit at table, wait for man or boy or girl or lady to walk up, hand them a pen, and a response card")  <---- Too bad it was not that easy 

[IceNine]

We work line security and as wing walkers when we "do" airshows.

We've found that if you get in good with the announcer he will point you out every so often, We also worked it where we presented the colors twice a day.

We helped with cleanup at the big food tent, and got them to put a sign up that we were some of the sponsors

Put a big poster on the golf cart that we used to deliver water

Make them ask the question where are they at, and what are they.  And you've fought half the battle.

[JohnKachenmeister]

Funny, but true, story:

At the Titusville-Cocoa airshow here in Florida, the promoters put our CAP recruiting tent across the ramp from the Air National Guard recruiter.

I was over at the ANG tent trying to steal some free stuff, and chatting up with the recruiters when a young man came up and expressed an interest in joining the Air Guard.

The recruiter asked him what he wanted to do, and the guy siad, enthusiastically, "I want to FLY!"

The recruiter then pointed at our tent and said, "Then you better go over there and join the CAP... they do a helluva lot more flying than we do!"

[Eclipse]

Televisions are almost useless in bright sun, as is music / sound unless its at a level which will annoy you neighbors.

With that said, the USAF has a dual-display Guitar Hero system running and it was very popular.  No idea what GH has to do with the USAF, but it had young people in the booth making positive contact.

I love the idea of an active beacon demonstration - maybe even letting potential members try it out.

The plane is always a draw, especially if its a G1000 with an APU and things all lit up.  In a lot of cases our plane is the only one the kids are allowed to sit in and get a pic.

Getting next to the USAF booth is a big help and credibility filler - in a lot of cases the USAF will point people not suit for active duty to CAP.

I agree with the above, however, that general awareness is boig benefit of a good show.

[wingnut55]

OK

You tell the the Jive, but why can't we keep them?? when the jive talk is blowing in the wind, and the Mission Pilot has waited 3 months to get reimbursed for a mission, or sat on a ramp for 6 hours after calling off from work. Or see a Cluster bunk of a mission. Now what do you say.

go out and recruit more cannon fodder. We have a retention problem that is not being addressed, you can't keep yelling (here come the Taliban) for long, or go on 30 elts (malfunctioning) and not one violation of FCC or FAA regs being handed out, but "The Man" stand over you and threatens to ground the entire crew and make you pay a thousand dollars or more if you land badly, in a bad cross wind, Or have you heard that if you die in CAWG on an A mission and your not in Nomex, your family will not get paid. or you wreck your car on a ground DF your screwed because the CAP or the USAF will not pay for getting your car fixed. or maybe unless you want to pay $300 for a new flight suit, by a surplus on ebay for 90 that was obtained for $5.00 from DRMHO surplus, but the CAP will not spend one dime to buy flight suits for it own Flight crews, indeed we supply most of the required Safety equipment at our cost, when national could save us hundreds of thousands.

But I do this because my father did, I am a Patriot, I believe in my fellow Aircrews, CAP has an Honored tradition. But even patriots suffer from burn out! give me 15 more years.

[wingnut55]

Oh wingnut55, yOUR SUCH A ham :clap:

[ThorntonOL]

Well the Airshow went well, just have to wait to see who comes and visits the unit.
Only real problem was the weather forcast that came in close to the planned end.
didn't do anything until long past the scheduled ending but due to the forcast it was ended early.

[jimmydeanno]

Well the Airshow went well, just have to wait to see who comes and visits the unit.
Only real problem was the weather forcast that came in close to the planned end.
didn't do anything until long past the scheduled ending but due to the forcast it was ended early.

Is there an actual event planned for those who do come from the airshow or is it just going to be handled as people wander in?

[majdomke]

I'd like to see people post pics of their airshow displays so we can all learn something new...

[Fifinella]

Disclaimer: I couldn't participate this year, so I don't have a lot of details, but the squadron got to sell the official air show programs for the Barksdale Air Show this year, and made $900.  I'd call that a pretty good benefit for working an air show.

Here's a couple of photos of the booth from 2007:

[majdomke]

Great stuff... what did you use for materials? I have a 10X10 white canopy, 6 ft table with black cover and some folding chairs. I hang a 6X3 banner up in the back of the canopy towards the top so everyone can see it. I then bought a navy blue tri-fold presentation board and pasted some popular pics along with bullet points. I'll post a pic next week after I use it this weekend. Any specifics are always appreciated... even costs if that can help. Thank you.

[Fifinella]

We borrowed the display board from Wing.  The photos we laminated and attached with velcro - it had adhesive on one side, and we cut it to whatever size we needed.  In 2008, we even velcroed some of our model rockets to the display board.  You can use alphabet stickers for lettering.  And the plane profile we cut out of foam core.  We also used the recruiting posters you can order from National for free.  At least one 6 foot table, and some plexiglass to hold down the pamphlets, flyers, etc. so they don't blow away.  If you have more than one table, a table-top display board is also nice (we use a DDR drug display).  Folding chairs for the SMs, LOTS of water in a cooler, tons of sunscreen, snacks, wet wipes.  Clipboards with sign-up sheets for recruiting, including place on form for recruits' contact information.  Free pamphlets & handouts from National.  Some photos from National, but as many cool local photos as you can get - rocketry, ES training, squadron morale trips, Encampment, O-flts, etc.  Actual model rockets, ES gear, etc. for displays, but only if you have enough people to watch them closely.  Chart of cadet ranks.  Most importantly, squadron website address prominently displayed.  Canopy is good for you, but don't bury the table so far back that folks are shy to come in - just outside the canopy/tent is best.  Sandbags & rope to hold down canopy/tent/display board "legs".  A CAP van is a nice place to secure things, and draws the eyes.  We usually set up next to a "glass" CAP -182, which also draws the crowds.  2 aircrew per shift is good.  Make sure your workers sign up for specific shifts, and you have their contact information with you.  icoms can also be useful for the staff, if they're going to be separated at all.  Good luck!

[AdAstra]

This has been a great and very informative discussion!

One important maxim of recruiting: go to where the people are. We take the time/effort/expense to go to air shows because CAP is an aviation organization and the air show audience is by-and-large interested in airplanes. Some may even be interested in CAP....

A couple of comments on the photo of the pop-up display:
     1) 10-12 years ago NHQ bought two of these for each wing --- today no one at our wing remembers or knows where they are!
     2) Limit yourself to a couple of large, poster-size photos, not a bunch of smaller ones shown here. More impact, and easier to stop that guy walking past your display at 60 mph. I use three large photos (each about 36" high) plus two large CAP Missions signs, all backed by an International Orange backdrop.
     3) These light-weight displays are made for indoor use. Outdoors, on a ramp, they all too often become kites! Be aware.

A few years back, after working in CAP info booths and in the commercial trade show business, I put together the following:

Guidelines for Working in the Civil Air Patrol Information Booth

The way you conduct yourself while working in the information/recruiting booth is a direct reflection on Civil Air Patrol. Remember that the people walking by your booth may be conference attendees, "looky-loos", former CAP members or prospective members. You may be the first, last or only Civil Air Patrol representative this person meets. The impression with which he/she walks away is vital.

Some simple rules of etiquette:
        > Don't eat, drink, smoke or chew gum during your shift.
   > Don't hang around the booth when not on duty.
   > Don't leave the booth for any reason during your shift without telling your supervisor. Then, make sure someone is available to cover for you.
   > Don't visit with other booth staffers while on duty. Attendees are reluctant to disturb staffers who are engaged in conversation.
   > Don't sit down. This says to attendees that a) you're bored and uninterested, or b) you're tired and need a break.
Adapted from Doug MacLean, MacLean Marketing

Guidelines:
        > Be courteous and polite at all times.
   > Keep your uniform and appearance proper at all times.
   > Keep the booth, display, table and floor clean and attractive looking at all times, free of trash and extraneous material.
   > Become a general expert on Civil Air Patrol and its activities. Do your homework and prepare before reporting for duty. At the very least, read the recruiting brochures and CAPM 50-1, Introduction to Civil Air Patrol.
   > Prepare a short, concise description of Civil Air Patrol and its missions. Example: "Civil Air Patrol is the civilian, volunteer, benevolent auxiliary of the United States Air Force; its three missions are emergency services, aerospace education and the cadet program." Practice, practice, practice.
   > Be ready to discuss in more detail those areas in which the attendee is interested. Listen to the attendee and answer his questions. Answer honestly; don't try to fake it. If you don't know an answer, ask one of the other booth staffers.
   > Work together as a team, supporting each other's strengths and weaknesses. Ask a cadet to explain the Cadet Program to an interested teenager or parent. Let the pilot explain flying and emergency services. Don't interrupt the presentation of other booth staffers (unless, of course, there's a glaring error).
   > Use all available visual aids to tell the Civil Air Patrol story: photos, charts, videotapes, etc. Showing is much more effective than merely telling.
   > If someone is genuinely interested in joining Civil Air Patrol, ask them to complete a recruiting referral card, which will be forwarded to the nearest CAP squadron, and give them meeting information about the squadron.
   > Thank each person you speak with for his/her interest in Civil Air Patrol, the United States Air Force Auxiliary.