FBLA-PBL Spring 2021 TBL - 15

patrons. Businesses have been trying
new things throughout this pandemic
and many theaters have opened up for
private parties and showings to stay
afloat. Private theater rentals are not
a new thing but have become more
affordable during the pandemic which
definitely stirs up conversations and
possibilities with it.
with how things work, especially during
a pandemic.
How did you go about coordinating
a viewing party at the theatre?
Our viewing party came to fruition
when our plans for state were
announced. We really wanted to give
the kids an opportunity to get out of
our school building to make this event
extra special as everything else this
past year had been restricted. Because
we can control the population in the
theater, it gave our students a safe place
to congregate with the chapter offline.
For chapters that are interested in
coordinating a viewing party at a
local theatre, what suggestions or
steps would you recommend to help
them reach out to local businesses?
Don't hesitate, just ask! I think right now
businesses have learned to get creative
in how they serve the public and it's
How did you make the viewing
party exciting and did you do any
in-person activities as well?
Our goal with our viewing was to
make it resemble the in-person state
leadership conference the best it could.
We played loud music to get the hype
up. We held our chapter pizza party
during the opening session since we
normally have a chapter pizza party
the second evening of the conference
and use it as a celebration. We also
included our local chapter elections as
part of the state conference this year.
We held officer recognition following
the awards ceremony and then we
announced our new officers following
that. During the awards ceremony
we pigged out on pop, candy, and
popcorn provided by the chapter.
It was definitely different but our
members said it was great!
Did you put in any pandemic
precautions or have any resources
for preparing a safe watch session?
Absolutely we did. We required
masks as we still require at our
business because we want people to feel
comfortable coming back to the movies.
We ionized our building following each
session as I also do following an evening
showing of a movie. We recently installed
hot water which our old building didn't
have when we acquired it. Thankfully there
have been lots of grant opportunities
to help us achieve a cleaner and safer
movie going experience. As always, social
distancing is required for our members
except for their classroom cohorts they are
apart of during the regular school day.
What would you say to someone who
is interested in owning a business in
the entertainment field? How can they
use their FBLA experience to prepare?
Try it! Business is all about taking risks. We
had several people tell us that taking over
this theater was not a good idea. For me,
that was definitely fuel for the fire to try
it. I wanted to prove myself and that we
could do it and even more importantly,
make it a successful endeavor. I do think
we have proven that to be true. Because
it is a small business, our community has
been a great support. Shopping small is
a nationwide push and our community
helps immensely. Again, you won't know
unless you try and we couldn't let the
opportunity pass us by because I would
rather try than miss the chance. FBLA
can give you the experience to find
out if the business sector suits you and
especially running your own business.
It can help you prepare from the early
phases of a Business Plan to dealing with
ethical situations like in Business Ethics
to Marketing your business. All of the
competitive events can lend themselves
to your ideas and risks you may want to
take when starting or owning your own
business. In the end, I wouldn't have it any
other way!
What are your go-to movie (or
conference) watching theatre snacks?
Popcorn: the main snack! I also prefer
Sour Patch Kids!
SPRING 2021 | 13 |
FBLA-PBL Spring 2021 TBL

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