DWTS VIP A Night to Remember Winter Tour 17-18
I’ve had the pleasure of being a VIP for the last seven Dancing with the Stars tours. From the first tour I participated in the VIP to this year’s tour I must say: It’s like night and day! They have improved them tremendously! So let’s talk about the details of the VIP!
Pre-Show: For my 1st show in Columbia I did the2nd Row VIP Pkg we received the email 5 days ahead of the show. We had to arrive between 4:00-5:00 but,remember that varies by city so check your itinerary. Once we signed in I got my ticket, but, therest of the VIP items were not ready for us so they said they would be mailingthem to us. VIP Host this tour isAmanda.
Entering VIP & the good stuff!: As soon as we signed in we were directed downstairs to the party room. We waited until around 5:30 for the Pro’s to come in. The party room was pretty much the same as last tour with tables, a bar for drinks, a green screen/photo option. We didn’t have our laynards yet so they gave us wristbands with a group # on them and they lined us up in groups of 10. Britt & Bandon came in to mingle, talk & do selfie’s. Artem, Bobby, Emma & Sasha were in the photo. I still felt like it was fast like last year and truly wish they would slow it down a bit like in the early years.
I will be doing my tracker like in past years! Here is the link.
The VIP Nation staff is also very kind, nobody is yelling at you it’s a pleasant experience. You do have to leave your purse, bags and anything else on you at the table and you cannot ask for autographs etc. at the cast photo portion. This year too it was two professional photos taken by VIP Nation host, no selfie options in the main photo. You could however do selfies with the dancers in the Meet & Mingle. After the photos were done and the dancers all left to get ready for the show you could go to the merchandise stand and do some crowd free shopping which was also nice.
Please note on the pics: the itinerary says up within to 2 weeks which drives all of the fans crazy BUT so far this host is great and she had them up the same night which is really great!
What to wear: Be comfortable & wear what you want. You will see everyone from dressed down to wearing beautiful dresses and everything in between.
Show time! I will be doing another blog on the show itself after my next one. I will say it’s really a great show. No crowd interaction #’s which is disappointing. It seemed to me the dances were shorter but, we had a lot more of them which I loved! More to come in a few weeks. I want to see the show again and see how it differs with Milo at my next show and then will blog on the show itself.
Suggestions for Tour Management: This is something I have been thinking about. For the Maks & Val Tour and the Derek & Julianne tours there was another top level tier package when you got pictures in the VIP and then got extra time with them backstage. I know the VIP photos are with “select”dancers (3 Pro’s and the Celeb guest star) at each city but, many fans have voiced their disappointment when their “favorite” isn’t in their photo since it’s a random rotation. I have heard many voice their displeasure at paying several hundred dollars but not getting a pic with their favorite. What if you added another ticket tier or made it with the front row packages that you get your pic with the rest of the VIP’s and then you are either taken down just before the show or just after and get a photo with the full tour cast? If you sold a very limited # of them it wouldn’t take that much extra time. That way those that truly want to meet them all would have the chance and it would then add another tier package for you. I know I would sign up for that for sure!
If possible rotate the Pro’s if you are doing two shows in one city. Some of us like to go to both shows and it would be great to get pics with two sets of dancers since you are paying VIP at both.
Bravo & Thank you: VIP Nation you always put together fantastic unique experiences and it doesn’t go unnoticed! Thank you so much to the tour staff: Mandy Moore& Ashley Edens-Shaffer, Directors and our dance captains: I think every fan should be sure they have a ticket for! The creative genius is obvious at every moment in the show. The vision and layout for this tour is truly worth 10 Stars! The crew and all the other behind the scenes individuals also deserve a shout out! The Dancers (Val, Gleb, Artem, Witney, Sasha, Emma, Jenna, Hayley, Alan,Britt and Brandon all truly leave it on the floor each night. It’s emotional, it’s passionate, it’s raw, it’s FUN, it’s full of energy and I am so excited I will get to see this tour multiple times and have a new take away each night!
If you don’t have a ticket…Buy one today and if you are able to do VIP it’s worth the investment for this experience they have many different levels and price points too! Here’s the link for tickets/VIP package! http://dwtstour.com/
Want to see more photos? For many more pictures from the tour, past tours please follow me on Instagram,Twitter & Facebook @lightscmemories! If you have any questions that I can help with please don’t hesitate to reach out!
Where do I love to shop for fun outfits for VIP pics!
Fun concert wear!
Bebe: http://www.bebe.com/
Nordstrom: http://shop.nordstrom.com/
White House Black Market: https://www.whitehouseblackmarket.com/store/
Coach: http://www.coach.com/shop/women-wristlets
Until next time,
XOXO
Heather
Entering VIP: There were a lot of VIP’s but, the facility was awesome and let us in out of the cold so we could line up inside. Once we signed in I got my ticket, the VIP bag with a tall mug inside and the signed tour program. They did the lanyards with the letters on them again which is great so then they are only lining up small groups at a time for the photos.
The VIP Nation staff is also very kind, nobody is yelling at you it’s a pleasant experience. You do have to leave your purse, bags and anything else on you at the table and you cannot ask for autographs etc. at the cast photo portion. This year too it was one professional photo taken by VIP Nation host, no selfie options in the main photo. You could however do selfies with the dancers in the Meet & Mingle. They did have a GIF area this time. I didn’t get a chance to get over there as I was catching up with friends but, will at a future show. After the photos were done and the dancers all left to get ready for the show you could go to the merchandise stand and do some crowd free shopping which was also nice.
What to wear: Be comfortable & wear what you want. You will see everyone from dressed down to wearing beautiful dresses and everything in between.
Suggestions for Tour Management: This is something I have been thinking about. For the Maks & Val Tour and the Derek & Julianne tours there was another top level tier package when you got pictures in the VIP and then got extra time with them backstage. I know the VIP photos are with “select” dancers (4 the last 2 tours & 5 this tour) at each city but, many fans have voiced their disappointment when their “favorite” isn’t in their photo since it’s a random rotation. I have heard many voice their displeasure at paying several hundred dollars but not getting a pic with their favorite. What if you added another ticket tier or made it with the front row packages that you get your pic with the rest of the VIP’s and then you are either taken down just before the show or just after and get a photo with the full tour cast? If you sold a very limited # of them it wouldn’t take that much extra time. That way you those that truly want to meet them all would have the chance and it would then add another tier package for you. I know I would sign up for that for sure!
Bravo & Thank you: VIP Nation you always put together fantastic unique experiences and it doesn’t go unnoticed! Thank you so much to the tour staff: Mandy Moore & Ashley Edens-Shaffer, Directors and our dance captains: Jenna and Artem truly put together an amazing show that I think every fan should be sure they have a ticket for! The creative genius is obvious at every moment in the show. The vision and layout for this tour is truly worth 10 Stars! The crew and all the other behind the scenes individuals also deserve a shout out! The Dancers (Sharna, Gleb, Artem, Lindsay, Sasha, Keo, Emma, Jenna, Hayley, Alan, Morgan and Brandon all truly leave it on the floor each night. It’s emotional, it’s passionate, it’s raw, it’s FUN, it’s full of energy and I am so excited I will get to see this tour multiple times and have a new take away each night!
If you don’t have a ticket…Buy one today and if you are able to do VIP it’s worth the investment for this experience they have many different levels and price points too! Here’s the link for tickets/VIP package! 
Backstage Experience: After the group pictures they escorted me down to the backstage area. I really was so nervous for some reason but, the guys were all so nice and so sweet. We all sat on the couches and talked a lot about DWTS and Nick & Drew’s experiences, I shared what I do with photography and then just random other discussions about bands, music etc. I really appreciated that they asked me questions to and they seemed interested. It really was like hanging out with any of my guy friends and it was such a great experience. Before I left the room we all did a champagne toast and I had to laugh when they all said eyes, eyes, eyes, it’s an old wives tale but, it made me laugh. We took selfies, they did a few videos for me and that was it. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience truly. I hope they will do that on future tours.
This host took a week to post them and even had a bunch of us worried because she posted less than 20 one day and that was it and we all were wondering what happened to ours and then 2 days later the rest were posted. Rock star hosts post them very quickly because they truly get it.
Venue Comments: I usually love attending events at DPAC but, it really soured my opinion this time. About 4 songs in I had a security manager come up to me and tell me I couldn’t use my point and shoot camera. I said but, it’s a point and shoot and he said it’s making the tour uncomfortable and truly wasn’t very nice about it. 
I have used that camera there for a ton of events and it fits under what is allowed. I was not happy at all and it really ruined the first part of the show for me. At intermission, I asked someone to get him and I showed him in the light that my camera was within the rules and I asked him to take it back and show the tour. Sure enough he came out and said its fine you can take pics the rest of the show. It was just really unnecessary and you don’t have to be so rude to people that spend a lot of money to attend these events.
ved that they had a nice private area so you didn’t have 200+ people all staring at you while you had your photo/meet & greet. While you were waiting you could get your photo taken on the green screen which was nice to have for the memory.
he photos were done you could take advantage of the crowd free merchandise shopping or just hang out at the party. If you had the ultimate package you were escorted by the VIP host & security down to Maks & Val’s dressing room. This was such a small intimate group which makes it truly special. You enter the room, sit down, receive your champagne flute and just sit and visit with Maks & Val for 20 minutes. I seriously cannot say enough of the experience and the fact they would provide individuals with this type of access. They genuinely wa
nt to get to know their fans and it shows in all that they do. While you are in the room they autograph the tour program for you and the special frame that you get with this package. After the time is up the VIP host takes another photo of you and the guys and that gets printed and delivered to you in the frame at the intermission of the show.
dance without hearing the music. This will be interesting. Nyle and Peta are always so amazing to watch.
a minute because music is such a huge part of my life, I can’t imagine not being able to hear it. I think the moment they provided the glimpse into Nyle’s life was worth the 10’s but, the actual rest of the dance I didn’t think was as strong as past dances but, I also thought maybe it might have been the music they had. That isn’t to take anything away from them, they are brilliant and blow me away every week.
s football career. He knows how to rise from being the underdog.
d choreography. It was light, elegant, you could tell Antonio put in more effort on the details. The judges acknowledged that they can tell he is putting in more effort. Len acknowledged the improvement in his footwork as well.
star shine at different times.
ch a great match as partners. Loved hearing Paige talking with confidence. I will say I cringed a bit when Mark was describing his vision for this week. I am not a fan whe
n Mark gets overly theatrical. Up until this point in the season I have been really enjoying it because he had toned a lot of that down. It’s just a matter of personal preference.
I think we are in for one red hot dance from Ginger and Val tonight. Ginger has such a fun, bubbly personality that this character was challenging. I would have the same problem being th
at serious. Loved Val’s advice during camera blocking you did the hard work, now enjoy it! You can tell how bad Ginger wants this and I love the two of them as partners.
ver 20lbs since starting on the show. They have a fun partnership and they clearly work well together. Lindsa
y is so creative and I love that she doesn’t play it safe.
ce together. Jodie and Nyle did a very good job dancing together and it shows how well rehearsed they were. Great job! The only part that I found distracting was having the troupe involved. I love the troupe dancers I just think in this arrangement it should have the two couples because it was distracting, I watched it back a 2nd time and still felt that way.
to show off his experience and creativity as a dancer. I thought Ginger and Wanya did a good job dancing together and the part where Val opened his shirt to show off his abs and Wanya showed off the glittered ab shirt was too funny.
sion and energy. As an audience member you feel like you just went on a journey with them.
um reserved ticket in the front row – sit front and center!
premium reserved ticket in rows 5 through 20
will go down into the record books, I have no doubt as being the most successful, moving and inspiring dance tour! With these special packages fans will walk away feeling appreciated truly having a once in a lifetime experience with Maks & Val.