The Clay Aiken Lisa?!

I'm killing two birds with one stone. Those two birds are (1) meeting potential symphony audience members, and (2) getting a full-body workout in just 30 minutes. The stone? Curves! Yes, Curves, the women's fitness franchise.

A few of my mom's friends are members of Curves, and I always thought Curves was designed for that demographic. I may be the youngest member of my Curves, but I've been going for two months, and I actually really like it. It's two minutes from where I live, the closest gym is really far away, ::insert additional excuses here::.

There is always one staff member on duty at Curves, and a big part of her job is encouraging conversation among members. Linda, the woman who usually works when I work out, has the enviable talent of remembering every member's name, her kids' names, her dog's name, where she works, etc.

Linda knows I work at the Grand Rapids Symphony. Last week, I walked into Curves and Linda exclaimed, "Oh my gosh, Lisa! I heard an ad on the radio! I didn't know Clay Aiken was singing with the Grand Rapids Symphony! Do you have any information we could post on the bulletin board?!" Indeed, the Grand Rapids Symphony will be celebrating "Christmas with Clay Aiken" on December 19. I can't say I'm a fan, but I was more than happy to bring in a poster and a stack of postcards to place at the check-in area.

The very next day, I walked in the door to Linda's effusive voice: "That's her!" Another woman: "The Clay Aiken Lisa?!" I was a very popular girl for the duration of my workout. After explaining the details of the concert and directing the women to the stack of glossy postcards, I feel like I've helped the Grand Rapids Symphony tap a new market segment. I'm following up with a few women who are planning on purchasing tickets, and hopefully they'll buy them soon since this show is selling fast.