Bringing in a Guest Group

Collegiate a cappella groups have the chance to undertake a variety of endeavors, projects and adventures. Give It the Old College Try highlights opportunities a group may have overlooked or not thought of up to this point.

In suggesting these ideas, we openly acknowledge that there are groups with greater experience and knowledge on the topic than we can share. We welcome readers to chime in in the comments section.

In this edition, we suggest groups try…bringing in a guest group.

So you’ve got a big show coming up, and with that you’re in desperate search of a big crowd. You’ve hung up flyers, you’ve set up the Facebook event, you have word of mouth going, and yet, still, you’re not sure about how attendance is going to look. Beyond that, you’re worried your dedicated audience might be getting bored, because you’re still performing essentially the same set you’ve been doing for the last three months. The answer to your problems? Bring in a guest group.

Having visitors—ideally from another school—goes a long a way toward helping your group, and helping your shows. First and foremost, having a guest group come in will go a long way toward entertaining your audience. It provides something genuinely different. If you have an all-male group, bringing in an all-female or mixed ensemble is going to provide a decidedly different element to your show. Similarly, bringing a group from a different geographic region, or even a very different school from the same area can go a long way toward giving your show a different, possibly even ‘worldly’ feel. Taking it all in, guest groups provide a really different concert experience for your audience.

Hosting a guest group can also have longstanding benefits for your group. Anytime you work with outsiders, it presents a wonderful networking opportunity that can lead to you making new friends and associates in your ‘business.’ These new relationships can lead to you performing together in the future, bouncing ideas off each other, helping each other advertise, and so on. These are all good things.

All in all, bringing in guest groups provides numerous advantages for your group, and your fans. We suggest you give it the old college try.