There’s No Slow Season: Summer and July 4th Live-Event Marketing

Let me say this as plainly as I can: there is no slow season. There’s opportunity everywhere you look. If summer feels slow to you, that’s because you’re not looking hard enough. There are outdoor events, indoor events, festivals, fairs, movie-theater promotions—and the single busiest prospective weekend of the entire year is coming right up on July 4th.

That last point is worth sitting with. The Fourth of July weekend puts more families out in public, in a good mood, in one place, than almost any other weekend you’ll get all year. If you’re sitting at home with the school closed, you’re walking past the biggest grassroots opportunity on the calendar.

“But my market draws from everywhere”

This came up with Jason Purcell up in Seattle. Jason’s in a tough spot on paper: the huge fireworks are at Gasworks Park and Queen Anne—literally three minutes from his school—but the crowd drives in from Everett, Renton, all over the state. The World Cup is in town. People are coming from around the world. So when he goes looking for a local event, it’s always 10% local, 20% local, and the rest from everywhere else. He’s spent five years trying to find the truly local pockets.

Here’s how I’d reframe it. Even in a regional-draw market, the events are still there—you just have to widen the net and stop expecting one perfect, hyper-local festival to carry you. The neighborhood gatherings in Queen Anne are real, even if they’re the overflow from people who couldn’t get into Gasworks Park. The answer isn’t “there’s nothing local.” The answer is to build a portfolio of grassroots activity so you’re never dependent on any one event. For a month-by-month map, see our summer marketing calendar.

Don’t let one channel become a crutch

My one real worry for any owner is getting so comfortable with a single source—birthday parties, say—that you stop putting tentacles out everywhere else. Birthday parties are wonderful. So are buddy days. But the school that’s still thriving three years from now is the one running ten different grassroots plays at once, so that when one dries up, it barely registers. Outdoor events, indoor events, movie theaters, schools, daycares, festivals—keep them all in motion. Our guide to live-event marketing walks through how to collect 100 leads in a single day.

A word on staff over the holiday

One scheduling note, because it comes up every year. July 4th week is one of the few times I’d usually give the staff most of the week off—it’s a natural vacation window when the school is quiet anyway. If you’re going to use the long weekend for staff training and team bonding instead, that’s fine, but be intentional about it. Just don’t shut down and sit on your hands during the single best prospecting weekend of the year if there’s a live event you could be working.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is summer really a slow season for martial arts schools?

No. Summer is loaded with outdoor and indoor events, and July 4th is the busiest prospecting weekend of the year. If it feels slow, you’re not looking hard enough at the events around you.

What if my town draws crowds from all over the region?

Widen your net and build a portfolio of events instead of chasing one perfect local festival. The neighborhood overflow gatherings are still full of local families—work several events rather than betting on one.

Should I close my school for July 4th?

You can give staff time off, but don’t go dark on the best prospecting weekend of the year. If there’s a live event you can work, be there.

About the Author

Stephen Oliver, MBA and 10th Degree Black Belt, is the Founder and CEO of Mile High Karate and Martial Arts Wealth Mastery, CEO of NAPMA (the National Association of Professional Martial Artists), and Publisher of Martial Arts Professional magazine. A martial arts school owner since 1975, Stephen and his coaching team — including Grandmaster Jeff Smith and Dr. Greg Moody — have helped school owners across the country build $1M+ schools.

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