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<blockquote data-quote="Lee Dickinson" data-source="post: 15036" data-attributes="member: 79">Re: State of the Industry 1/2011It&#039;s been hard for me to tell. December was abominable. 2010 was up from 2009 by a noticeable amount, but so many things have changed in our company that it&#039;s hard to isolate the variables. We opened a new audio and video production studio, and 2010 was our first year with our full Nexo rig, which means it was also the first time I ever got serious about real concert work.We were of the &#039;&#039;go big or go home&#039;&#039; attitude through the recession; I really hope it pays off.2011 is going to be another buckle down year, but I suppose they all are. For us, the most important focus is marketing, and living up to our glowing self-written marketing descriptions.Generally, our region has held it together very well during this downturn; I don&#039;t know if there are local numbers for unemployment, but with a countrywide rate near 10%, I know very few people who were downsized or laid off.I can&#039;t think of a production company in our area that has gone under; one event company (pipe and drape type of house) was gobbled up. The guys running around undercutting the market to feed their hobbies - the ones not relying on it for a living - seem to be as prevalent as ever. Some of them are friends, but from a business standpoint, I would have liked to see a little more thinning of the forest.I would really like to see a value resurgence in our industry. We have been caught (and called out for) half-assing it to fit meager budgets. At the moment, I&#039;m working on long-term contracts for long-time customers who want to cut their expenses; this at the same time as me knowing I need to raise our profit margin. That&#039;s a tough position to be in.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Lee Dickinson, post: 15036, member: 79"] Re: State of the Industry 1/2011 It's been hard for me to tell. December was abominable. 2010 was up from 2009 by a noticeable amount, but so many things have changed in our company that it's hard to isolate the variables. We opened a new audio and video production studio, and 2010 was our first year with our full Nexo rig, which means it was also the first time I ever got serious about real concert work. We were of the ''go big or go home'' attitude through the recession; I really hope it pays off. 2011 is going to be another buckle down year, but I suppose they all are. For us, the most important focus is marketing, and living up to our glowing self-written marketing descriptions. Generally, our region has held it together very well during this downturn; I don't know if there are local numbers for unemployment, but with a countrywide rate near 10%, I know very few people who were downsized or laid off. I can't think of a production company in our area that has gone under; one event company (pipe and drape type of house) was gobbled up. The guys running around undercutting the market to feed their hobbies - the ones not relying on it for a living - seem to be as prevalent as ever. Some of them are friends, but from a business standpoint, I would have liked to see a little more thinning of the forest. I would really like to see a value resurgence in our industry. We have been caught (and called out for) half-assing it to fit meager budgets. At the moment, I'm working on long-term contracts for long-time customers who want to cut their expenses; this at the same time as me knowing I need to raise our profit margin. That's a tough position to be in. [/QUOTE]

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