In Search of “The P”

We all have that moment—that “I was there” moment. In the 1996 Rugby World Cup final in South Africa, Joel Stansky kicks the winning goal to give South Africa the World Cup against New Zealand. Watching Nelson Mandela, the South Africa’s first black president, dressed in team colours holding the World Cup aloft and unifying a whole country. That is my moment. And it is just a moment, because we move on, and although it’s never forgotten, one never has that feeling ever again.

I have been lucky. I have seen or witnessed many moments, and when I think back on them for a split second, I get close to that feeling again and life seems worth it. There are many such moments in sports and entertainment. I watched Elton John walk on stage and open the Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin, New Zealand. For me as a venue manager, this was a special moment. I have watched Usain Bolt break the 100-meter world record, seen Lance Armstrong admit to taking drugs, and witnessed the heartbreak of Tony Romo’s botched snap against the Seattle Seahawks that cost the Dallas Cowboys the game and advancement into the next stages of the postseason.

You will have your moments as I have mine. The great thing about what we do is that although we don’t control those moments, sports will keep dishing them up in the wonderful stadiums and arenas around the world. I crave that feeling, that anticipation of what may come, and it’s why I am involved in the venues and stadium business. I know how important those moments are for me, and therefore must be for you and everyone else who attends such events. I want every event to be memorable, and memorable for the right reasons.

That is why I am always in search of “The P”—The perfect event. I know it is elusive and I know it’s impossible, but I still feel we need to search for it and strive for it. I always have an opening line for my staff as we run our event risk mitigation strategy: “Someone will do something we never thought anyone would think of doing.” Risk mitigation plays such an important role in our business, but without understanding and accepting risk, we will never deliver an event that will be memorable.

Sports and entertainment play to our emotions, and it is, after all, feelings that create actions and importation. With this in mind, we need to ensure peoples’ emotional needs are met at our events.

We need to understand the event journey, right from the connection to the team through the ticket purchasing process to leaving home and arriving safely back again. Our mission is to positively affect each part of that journey in a positive manner, understanding our audience and delivering to their needs, wants, and desires.

They say the great thing about sports is that they are formulated, exciting, emotional movies without a scripted endings. As I search for perfection, I create havoc. I insist on sending my staff to train with the ticketing company so we have a deep understanding of what they do. I don’t want to just sell a ticket. I want to ensure we sell a pleasant experience. I don’t employ ushers, I employ customer service representatives—from the person on the car park to the people at the door, I want patrons to feel welcome, at home, and in a friendly, caring environment. I want security to be engaging, helpful, and proactive in ensuring people have fun. I time queues and want my guests to be through them in under four minutes, receiving the best hot dog and fried possible, served to them by engaging, smiling, and friendly staff. I want game day to be memorable in every way I can influence, because the one thing I can’t influence is the result.

Often we get caught up in processes and procedures when planning events. We mitigate for the worst in society and not the common man. Times have changed, and we can no longer expect events to be free of serious risks, such as terrorist attacks. We are so afraid of the risk that we ensure the event is almost sterile. We are under huge pressure to deliver financial return that we forget why we are here. People don’t come to events simply for the game, they come because they have an emotional attached to the team, or are with a group of friends to connect, to network with their business colleagues or simply to have a fun, family day out. Our job is to allow them to enjoy that moment and to create that memory in a safe, fun environment without impinging on other’s fun.

I still search for the elusive “event perfection,” not yet achieved, but maybe one day I will discover “The P.” You should continue the search, too.

(Image: Sjur Stølen/Aktiv i Oslo)