A superb guest experience is the heart of every venue manager’s strategy, because ultimately, without guests, there’s no business. So it isn’t surprising that two morning sessions at the 2014 Arena Management Conference focused on the guest experience. Specifically, both sessions touched on how to create a friction-free environment.

“Patrons are becoming more sophisticated,” said Martin Thorson, vice president of sports, entertainment, convention, and gaming for Sodexo Leisure, during the“The Premium Amenity: Upgrading Your Fan’s Experience” session. “Their expectations and knowledge have advanced, and the bar has been raised to the highest level.”

It’s true, and premium amenities are continually being redefined by cultural and economic drivers. One of those drivers is ease-of-use.

“There needs to be a focus on a friction-free experience,” said Dave Brown, executive vice president and general manager of the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. “There is so much competition for leisure time.”

Brown said that many of the reasons people don’t attend events is because of traffic, venue access, concession lines, etc.

“Premium guests demand the most seamless experience,” Brown said. “Consider focusing on driveway-to-driveway experience.”

One way to do that is to concentrate on mobile technology.

“We need to level set what is real and what hits the road and how that affects guest experience from A to Z,” said Dennis Scanlon, vice president of sales for Etix, during the “Mobile Technology: Enhancing Profitability and Customer Engagement” session.

Scanlon observed that most of the AMC attendees were aged 40-plus.

“But the market segment that impacts us the most is 24-34,” he said. “That is who this technology is geared for.”

Attendees expect more, Scanlon said. They want interactivity from the point they meet you to the point they leave.

One example of how to interact with fans was provided by Jim Cheshire, platform director for AVAI Mobile Solutions. He said that at one rodeo in Houston fans were able to enter their own scores and compare them with the judges. Random prizes were offered for the closest scores.

It’s not just in-house where engagement happens. The average ticket transaction is 3.5 tickets. That means one person is buying tickets for at least three people.

“For all that we have available to us, 66 percent of the audience is never touched,” Scanlon said. “New technology is allowing us to get data from that group to create a one-to-one interaction. The challenge is: how can you help me get to know the other two people in that group?”

In fact, he said, there is no other business with that much growth opportunity. If you can facilitate a friction-free experience, then you’ll reap marketing and financial benefits.

“The easier it is for people to spend money in your venue, the more they’ll spend,” said Jim Wynkoop, general manager of Global Spectrum/Chaifetz Arena – St. Louis University.

Welcome Long Beach, California, home to the 2014 Arena Management Conference (AMC), which began on a high note with a discussion about brand strategy.

“Creating brand allegiance or brand loyalty is the most important challenge you face,” said Greg Economou, executive vice president for Guggenheim Media and dick clark productions, during his opening session, “How and Why Venues Need to Think About Brand Strategy, Brand Management, and Brand Leadership.”

Economou encouraged AMC attendees to become experts in brand management.

“Your venue is the front porch for your core tenant brands,” he said. “Brand helps drive value, which brings in money.”

Using his experience at venues, such as Madison Square Garden, Economou inspired attendees by telling them that besides their regular job titles (e.g., general manager, director, etc.), the title “brand leader” should be included, as well.

“Branding is a promise of your persona,” he said. “The words you use to describe it are more important than the images that depict it. Ask yourself: What’s your mission, position, and vision? Live the positioning everyday in every way. It’s the most important thing that you can do.”

There was a lot of news this past week. Here are some stories that caught our eyes.

Why Major League Baseball Got Into…the Wine Business?
—Fast Company
“This season, seven teams–the Giants, Yankees, Mariners, Red Sox, Rangers, Phillies, and Cubs–became the first to hawk custom blends.”

Music Festival Travel Site Festicket Raises $2.7M
—Billboard
“The fast-growing startup gives music fans a way to discover and book complete travel packages — tickets, transportation and hotel — for festivals around the globe. Festicket works with over 200 festivals, including Tomorrowland, Leeds and Reading, and puts its membership at over 300,000.”

Ticketmaster Acquires Eventjoy
—Encore
“Eventjoy offers event organizers a system to to self-manage their events and ticketing, with resources such as social marketing, analytics, and customer engagement tools and can stay connected with attendees through tools like embedded direct messaging and real time notifications. All of their services are available through a mobile application so that event management can be handled from a mobile device.”

An Economic Giant: SXSW’s Impact on Austin Blows Past $300M Mark
—Austin Business Journal
“That number reflects the money festival attendees and participating brands spend on registration, food, lodging and other expenses during the 10-day event.”

Triple-A Toledo Mudhens Turned Their Outfield Into a Mini-Golf Course
—Sports Illustrated
“The course winds its way through the outfield before heading towards the basepaths, with one hole finishing on top of the pitcher’s mound.”

(Image: Fast Company/Major League Baseball)

IAVM introduced its Venue Group Membership program this summer. The program delivers an affordable discount pricing structure that enables venues to sign up to 20 employees who are involved in venue management. Since its debut, several venues have joined the program, including the AT&T Performing Arts Center in Dallas, Texas, which was the first venue to sign up for it.

“We believe IAVM memberships provide extraordinary value for team members in their personal and work lives,” said Russell Read, CFE, vice president of operations for the AT&T Performing Arts Center. “Ideally, we would like for all our team members to hold memberships, but budgets constraints always played a factor. This new program now allows us to bring more people into the fold and reap the benefits that IAVM offers.”

Read said that nothing is more important than the relationships that are found and strengthen through IAVM.

“It is through our fellow venue managers we find education, mentorship, collaboration, and support,” he said. “All employees, no matter what stage they are in within our company or industry, benefit from being plugged into a community of their peers. The more input you have the more output you get. That output, of course, translates to new opinions, increased participation in the association’s development programs, and a robust pipeline of new venue managers who will inevitably be our next industry leaders.”

The San Diego Convention Center is also a member of the new program.

“At the San Diego Convention Center Corporation, we take great pride in our staff as they are our greatest asset,” said Carol Wallace, president and CEO of the San Diego Convention Center. “Participation in the IAVM group membership program is a great way for us to afford our employees the opportunity to grow as professionals via training and insight with the industry’s leading venue managers.”

Wallace said the group membership program has allowed the corporation to not only bring more of its experienced professionals to the table, but also to identify and introduce its leaders of tomorrow to the industry conversation in the early stages of their professional development.

“IAVM is made strong by the knowledgeable and accomplished membership they maintain,” Wallace said. “The insight each member brings to the association from their corner of the industry is of great value. The environment of mentorship and collaboration allows leaders to better understand and address issues relating to the public assembly venues management industry. By increasing the participation of our leading professionals, the IAVM group membership program can only benefit the industry as a whole.”

The current venues officially participating in the program are the AT&T Performing Arts Center, the San Diego Convention Center, the Swiftel Center (Brookings, South Dakota), the MassMutual Center (Springfield, Massachusetts), and the Chaifetz Arena (St. Louis, Missouri).

“We are excited about the increased engagement opportunities that this new membership model affords. Our network will grow significantly and our expertise will broaden as a result. More collaboration from members with a wider scope of perspectives will make the industry and IAVM stronger,” said Gina Brydson, IAVM’s director of membership. “Member venues supporting this program means more mid-level managers and young professionals will be brought into the fold, which sets the tone to nurture the future leaders of our wonderful association. Group Membership will assist our members in training their staff more affordably while weaving them into attending schools and conferences on an annual basis, again at discount pricing. These new members will increase their participation, learn important skill sets, and build lifelong relationships with their peers and our Allied Partners, which helps them achieve their goals, too. Our Allied Partners want a bigger network—individuals that either have purchasing power or influence the sale. This is a win for everyone in our industry.”

Please read “Introducing IAVM’s Venue Group Membership Program” for more information, and if you have questions or you’re ready to sign up, please call IAVM Member Services at 972.906.7441 or membership@iavm.org.

(Image: Tim Hursley/AT&T Performing Arts Center)

IAVM has awarded the prestigious 2014 Convention Center Lifetime Achievement Award to Bob Mayer, CFE, an IAVM member since 1982.

The Lifetime Achievement Award, which will be presented during the 2014 International Convention Center Conference in Vancouver, British Columbia, recognizes individuals who have had a significant impact on the convention center industry and the IAVM community.

Mayer’s decades of experience are marked with accolades that recognize his commitment, drive, and passion for an industry he has been active in since his first job as assistant manager of the Myriad Convention Center in Oklahoma City in 1978.

Mayer’s involvement with IAVM has been instrumental to the association’s strengths and successes. He has worked on numerous committees, including serving five years on the board of directors. He was district vice president of IAVM from 1987-1989, IAVM’s second vice president from 1990-1991, and president of the association from 1992-1993.

Mayer’s other roles within IAVM include:
—Founding Member of the Board of Regents
—Instructor for the IAVM’s Venue Management School
—Chairman of the IAVM Foundation (1999-2000)
—Founding Chair of the Association’s first Leadership Institute Program (2001)

Recognition for Mayer’s achievements are many. In 1985, he was presented with the IAVM District VI Francis R. Deering Award; in 1987, he received the Certified Facilities Executive (CFE) designation for professional achievement; and in 2000, he received the industry’s highest honor: the IAVM Charles A. McElravy Award for outstanding contributions to the industry and IAVM. In 2005, he received one of the first Chairman’s Citations.

Since retirement, Mayer has remained highly involved in IAVM in various capacities, including serving as a member of the Performing Arts Committee and the International Convention Center Committee. He also served as chairman of the IAVM International Steering Committee, working with leadership in Europe, Australia, and China. Currently, he is a faculty member of the IAVM Academy for Venue Safety and Security (AVSS) as a subject matter expert pertaining to severe weather planning and preparedness at public assembly venues and outdoor events.

Mayer’s colleagues and peers join IAVM in celebrating his achievement.

“Bob Mayer is the first name that comes to my mind when I think about people in IAVM who would be willing to volunteer for a project assignment or task,” said John Christison, CFE, president of BCI+Network. “Bob has always said yes every time he was called upon, and he is still doing so in retirement.”

Frank Poe, executive director for the Georgia World Congress Center, said Mayer was a role model who directly impacted his work ethic and career.

“A leader is made through his hard work, sacrifice, and unquestioned integrity,” Poe said. “These are the qualities that Bob has displayed—challenging me to be the best I can be.”

Mayer’s unwavering dedication to running events smoothly and his fastidious attention to detail were noted by Harold Hansen, CFE, a senior consultant at VenuWorks.

“While there are many people and organizations that have played a role in the industry’s increased awareness and preparedness around severe weather, Bob Mayer’s contribution to the AVSS Severe Weather Planning and Preparedness Guide was instrumental to this change,” Hansen said. “Bob’s efforts have, and will, allow patrons to attend events, have a good time, and go home safely—saving lives throughout our industry.”

The IAVM Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Mayer on Friday, October 3, 2014, during a luncheon at the International Convention Center Conference. The conference will be held October 2-4 at the Fairmont Waterfront hotel in Vancouver, British Columbia.