Congratulations to the SMG-manage Cox Business Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for winning its fifth consecutive Readers’ Choice Award from ConventionSouth magazine.

“We are honored to receive the Readers’ Choice Award again,” said Cox Business Center Assistant General Manager Kerry Painter, CFE, CMP, CEM, in a statement. “Our team takes a lot of pride in providing exceptional service to all of our guests. To have those efforts recognized by our peers in the industry is a great achievement.”

The Readers’ Choice Award is given to meeting venues that provide excellent service for group events. Recipients are chosen through online voting by meeting professionals.

“ConventionSouth readers and fans have voted to decide the best meeting sites in the South, and it is no surprise to us that Cox Business Center has been selected to receive our annual Readers’ Choice Award,” said ConventionSouth Publisher J. Talty O’Connor in a statement. “The value in receiving this prestigious recognition is that it comes from the United States’ top meeting professionals who hold events in the South. These planners demand the highest level of customer service and quality facilities, and they have contributed in determining that Cox Business Center indeed displays the commitment to professionalism, creativity and service that they require.”

Readers’ Choice Award recipients will be featured in the December issue of ConventionSouth magazine.

(Image: Facebook)

The U.K. government refuses to change its stance on “safe standing” sections at stadiums although fans and some teams strongly support the idea.

Nearly half of all football (soccer) clubs in Germany have safe standing sections in their venue as it increases attendance, adds to the atmosphere, and helps keep ticket prices down. For example, Bayern Munich’s (Germany) most affordable season ticket costs £150 while Arsenal’s (England) most affordable season ticket costs £1,014.

Why is the U.K. against “safe standing?” As seen in this ESPN 30 for 30, the Hillsborough disaster of 1989 left 96 fans dead from a crush in a “safe standing” section. New initiatives have been developed to prevent a similar disaster, such as every row having a rail compared to Hillsborough where a rail was placed in every 10 rows or so. However, the U.K. government is still highly reluctant to approve “safe standing.”

The Stretford End terrace prior to renovations in 1993. Notice the old version of safe standing in the supporters’ section.

We’d love to hear from our members about this. Do any of our venues in the U.S. or Canada have “safe standing” sections? Would you consider adding a “safe standing” section to your venue? Why or why not?

(Image: Jon Darch/Creative Commons)

These are selected news articles that showed up in our inboxes on Monday morning that we want to pass along to you.

Stubhub Becomes Official Secondary Ticket Provider for Baylor Athletics (BaylorBears.com)
“The partnership between StubHub and Spectra Ticketing & Fan Engagement enables barcode integration for a seamless fan experience that provides 100%, digitally delivered tickets to the buyer. In addition, fans have access to print-at-home tickets, streamlined listings to sell unused tickets and the ability to enter supporting venues with their mobile phone.”

Kimmel Center Plans Expansive Naming-rights Sale (Philly.com)
“The sale of naming rights forms the bulk of the Kimmel’s new five-year campaign – its biggest yet – to raise “north of $100 million,” in the words of Kimmel president and CEO Anne Ewers. Proceeds would be used to fund further renovations to the main Kimmel site that opened in 2001, as well as some programs that go on inside.”

Toshiba Mobilizes Fan-going Experiences at Staples Center via Augmented Reality (Mobile Marketer)
“After snapping virtual images with the sports stars, consumers can then share photos across social media, suggesting that there may be an open seat for augmented reality apps in stadiums and arenas.”

Responsible NASCAR Fans Rewarded at Talladega Superspeedway (GlobeNewswire)
“Before the race, 117 fans made the pledge to be a designated driver for their group. All of them had the opportunity to receive a free souvenir photo, instant prizes and a chance to be selected as the Designated Driver of the Race.”

Contemporary Services Corporation Partners with Princeton University (PRNewswire)
“CSC Philadelphia provides guest services, ticket taking, and ushering for the Princeton Tigers football and basketball games at Princeton University Stadium and Jadwin Gymnasium, respectively.”

(Image: Rockin’Rita/Creative Commons)

The Canadian Tire Centre and the Ottawa Senators are partnering with IBM to learn more about fan behavior in order to personalize communication, enhance the arena experience, and increase ticket sales.

“We have an incredibly dedicated fan base that supports our team and players at every turn. We want to make sure we don’t just thank them for their support, but ensure their experience is second to none,” said Peter O’Leary, chief marketing officer and vice-president of ticketing with the Ottawa Senators, in a statement. “Working with IBM, we’ll not only have the chance to collaborate with a tremendous local partner, but we’ll be able to gather new insights on our fans that will allow us to be more efficient in our operations and provide a more personal and enhanced experience for all of our guests.”

According to an IBM press release, their will be five primary goals of the partnership.

Fan Insights and Clustering: To help identify and make sense of fan attitudes, behavior trends, and psychographic characteristics to identify individual fan preferences and offer more personalized interactions.

Fan Experience Effectiveness: To provide visual analysis of fan interactions and uncover opportunities for greater brand and fan interactions.

Lead Scoring: To help drive more effective target offers for renewals, up-sells, and incentives for new customers to maximize revenue.

KPI Dashboard: To help track the success and ROI on key initiatives and campaigns, review and audit all fan metrics, and enable business user discovery and analysis.

Data Warehouse Strategies: To aggregate all data source opportunities including governance, data capture opportunities, and existing sources into a cloud-based warehouse.

IBM Fan Insight for the arena and team will begin in November and be used throughout the season.

“Fans attending games at arenas like Canadian Tire Centre are no longer a ‘captive audience’ to organizations thanks to the advent of smartphones and other technologies. Teams need to take additional steps in order to engage their fans on a higher level,” said Alistair Rennie, general manager of analytics solutions at IBM, in a statement. “With access to more data about fans than ever before, the Ottawa Senators understand that this data can be an incredible resource for engaging their fans where, when, and how they want to be reached while increasing their own operational efficiency.”

(Image: Facebook)

An audit of the Walter E. Washington Convention Center (WWCC) recently referenced data from the 2013 Convention Center Operating Expenses and Revenues Report published by VenueDataSource, the research department of the International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM).

IAVM has closely evaluated the data cited, and has found it to be inaccurate and inconsistent with the actual material available in the original VenueDataSource report.

The findings in the final audit consistently reference average metrics for “large convention centers,” but this data was not presented in the report provided by VenueDataSource, and has led to a significant misuse of the actual report data. The VenueDataSource report included average revenue of $36.04 per TRSF, and average expenses of $37.15 per TRSF*—metrics generated from all surveyed convention centers. The variance in these participating venues is significant, with venue size (square footage), market, management structure, and numerous other criteria demanding careful consideration when applying metrics or attempting to draw conclusions.

Furthermore, any data in the audit referring specifically to Events DC or the WWCC was not sourced in any VenueDataSource report, as IAVM handles all survey data with complete confidentiality.

Frank Ingoglia, Research Manager with VenueDataSource, shared that the reported outcomes may require significant correction, and that had he been asked to review the material prior to publication, inconsistencies and misreported results could have been identified and avoided.

“VenueDataSource is managed very carefully to ensure that the metrics collected are meaningful, reliable, and contextually relevant. We pride ourselves on the integrity of our data, and it is counter-productive and misleading to see our report misused in this instance.”

IAVM has contacted the audit team and various reporters covering the story. An initial report published in the Washington Business Journal referenced the incorrect metrics, but a subsequent article posted after IAVM contacted the editor highlights the misused figures:

“The difference between the profitability of the Walter E. Washington Convention Center and other large convention facilities in the U.S. may not be as stark as a D.C. Auditor’s report released earlier this week indicated. Convention center manager Events DC and the International Association of Venue Managers, whose report was cited in the D.C. audit, say the numbers compared in the report are incorrect.”

The Washington Post also included a mention of misused data from the IAVM report, and the audit team has notified IAVM that they are currently reviewing the issue internally.

“Our team works hard to make VenueDataSource a reliable tool for our members,” said Vicki Hawarden, CMP, IAVM president and CEO. “The integrity of the data shared remains a top priority, and we are glad to see the auditor and media acknowledge the importance of integrity in how the data is used as well.”

More information about VenueDataSource, or the report referenced in this story, can be obtained by contacting the research department at IAVM.

*TRSF = total rentable square foot

// UPDATE 11/2/15 //

The Office of the D.C Auditor, upon receiving IAVM’s clarification of metrics associated with the VenueDataSource report, has reviewed our concerns and notified us that they will:

1. Revise the audit report to correct comparison data.

2. Offer WWC/Events DC an opportunity to provide revised comments

3. Reissue the report, including an errata paragraph that references the initial release and the error in language around the comparison universe and including revised WWC/Events DC comments if provided.

4. Provide reissued copies to the D.C. Council under a cover letter to Chairman Phil Mendelson (the ODCA oversight chairman) and Finance and Revenue Committee Chairman Jack Evans explaining that this is a reissuance due to error in the initial report.

5. Notify reporters at The Washington Business Journal and The Washington Post about the reissuance and the error in the comparison universe.