Summary

Phase I will provide market research to define who our prospective dancers are, and what it will take to recruit and retain them. It will provide tools and materials to help us understand the problems occurring in the activity and identify the role of the individual dancer and caller in its recovery. The clubs will need to inventory their membership for demographic data, as well as learn the details of the Plan. CALLERLAB will reorganize its Foundation as a universal clearing house designed for a two way exchange of ideas and distribution of resource information for the square dancing community. It will establish The Foundation as the primary vehicle for implementation of the Plan.

The Foundation appointed James Hensley, and his marketing company, CMS, to act as Marketing Director for The Foundation. In turn, The Foundation has engaged StarWorks, Inc., a respected market research company, to help in this work. This research data and analysis work, has the potential to impact all dance organizations, and help develop a successful promotional program. As indicated above, much of the Plan’s success depends on ALL members of our fragmented community recognizing their, "commonality of purpose," so that a working consensus can provide the necessary commitment and support, to make the Phoenix Plan a reality.

Phase One research seeks to discover the perception and image of square and round dancing, currently held by the 85 to 90% of our population that is not now square or round dancing. The Foundation is conducting two different types of studies to help answer these questions. There are Quantitative Studies, where we look at numbers and try to answer, "how many," and what is the "proportion," type question. And there are also Qualitative Studies, where we gather information about the "what," and "how," and even begin to understand some of the "why" questions.