There was a lot of industry news this past week you may have missed. Here are some headlines that caught our eyes.

At the Airport of the Future, Even the Security Check Is Self-Service
– Businessweek.com
“On Wednesday a Palo Alto (Calif.)-based startup called Qylur (pronounced KI-lure) said it would begin offering automated security checkpoints next year, after running small-scale tests of the machines in airports, sporting arenas, and elsewhere over the last few months.”

Can Technology Help Avoid Stampedes?
– BBC News
“At the Hajj pilgrimage, the world’s largest Islamic gathering, which takes place in October, the authorities now use live crowd analytics software, which can not only spot problems in the crowd but also claims to be able to predict where overcrowding is likely to happen.”

NFL Sets Stadium Wi-Fi/Cell Standards
– Sports Business Journal
“Shoddy to nonexistent Wi-Fi along with sporadic phone coverage plagues NFL stadiums and other sporting venues. These challenges become even greater as fans’ capabilities with technology continue to increase. The task for the leagues is to offer to fans in-stadium the same technological connectivity they enjoy at home.”

NASCAR Fan Death at Talladega Due to Suspected Carbon Monoxide Leak
– Bleacher Report
“The couple from Tennessee were found on Saturday at about 1 p.m., per Talladega County Coroner Larry Seals. The man was dead when authorities arrived, but the woman has been hospitalized in Birmingham, Ala., according to the report.”

4 Serie A Clubs Punished for Territorial Chants
– San Francisco Chronicle
“Both Milan clubs as well as Roma and Torino have been given a suspended sentence of having sections of their stadiums closed for one match following insulting chants by the clubs’ fans at the weekend.”

The Chiefs’ Secret Weapon: The Voters Who Upgraded Arrowhead Stadium
– The Kansas City Star
“…speaking of that stadium, the reason it’s there today in all its modern, deafening glory with expanded concourses, more concessions and extra restrooms is because of what Jackson Countians did seven years ago.”

(Image via Qylur Security Systems)

He’s done it. She’s done it. I’ve done it. You’ve done it. I’m talking about checking your smartphone during a business lunch. Or, worse, during a business meeting. Whenever and wherever you check it, though, can be considered rude, especially when done during work.

Peter Cardon, associate professor of clinical management communication at the USC Marshall’s Center for Management Communication, and Melvin Washington and Ephraim Okoro at Howard University recently released a new study showing that our use and attitudes toward smartphones break down across genders, ages, and regions and that they change over time.

“Hiring managers often cite courtesy as among the most important soft skills they notice,” Cardon said. “By focusing on civility, young people entering the workforce may be able to set themselves apart.”

Cardon and colleagues sampled more than 550 full-time employees to understand what they perceive as acceptable, courteous, or rude smartphone behavior in the workplace. They also asked employees who earned at least $30,000 a year to list behaviors that were either okay or rude.

“Not surprisingly, millennials and younger professionals were more likely to be accepting of smartphone use, but they might be doing themselves a disservice,” Cardon said. “In many situations, they rely on those older than them for their career advancement.”

Several findings were discovered. You ready for lots of bullet points? I thought so.

• 76 percent of study participants said checking texts or emails was unacceptable behavior in business meetings.
• 87 percent said answering a call was rarely or never acceptable in business meetings.
• 66 percent said writing or sending a text message is inappropriate even during an informal business lunch.
• Men were nearly twice as likely as women to consider mobile phone use acceptable at a business lunch. More than 59 percent of men said it was fine to check text messages at a power lunch, compared to 34 percent of women who thought checking texts was appropriate.
• 50 percent of men said it was acceptable to answer a call at a power lunch, compared to 26 percent of women.
• Professionals from the West Coast were less accepting of mobile phone use in meetings than people from the East Coast.
• Higher-income professionals had less tolerance for smartphone use in business meetings.
• 66 percent of people under 30 said texting or emailing was acceptable, compared to just 20 percent of those aged 51-65.
• 20 percent of professionals said simply having your phone out at a business lunch is rude.
• More than 30 percent still found saying “excuse me” to be rarely or never appropriate during informal or offsite lunch meetings.

(Image via Flickr: Maik Meid/Creative Commons)

“IT doesn’t know what’s cool, and marketing doesn’t know what works,” said Matt Smith, IT director for AT&T Stadium in Dallas. Smith’s pointed statement, though, is exactly why so many people attended the 2013 Stadiums Hybrid Meeting, held in the home of the Dallas Cowboys.

Named “Sofa vs. Stadium,” the meeting tackled the ever-increasing challenge of making the in-person experience of an event preferable to the home experience, or what meeting host Paul Turner, director of event operations and security for AT&T Stadium, called “the marriage of entertainment and excitement.”

While the golden key wasn’t discovered, great information, ideas, and best practices were shared.

Venues around the world are noticing that demand for Wi-Fi is rising, and people want it readily available. In AT&T Stadium, for example, 40 percent of the total audience during a game is connected online at some point, while 23 percent connect simultaneously. The stadium features 1,600 access points, Smith said, but the challenges are still capacity/density, reach, and aesthetics.

Smith continued by discussing what apps can really do.

“They offer ease of navigation (e.g. maps, digital ticketing, food ordering), new experiences, and data capture,” he said. “You should look beyond the app, too, at things such as suite service portals, big boards broadcasting Instagram photos, and social lounges.”

In the end, Smith said that creating a great fan experience comes down to enhancement.

“Don’t mimic the sofa,” he said.

Following Smith’s presentation was a panel discussion featuring Michael Bekolay, vice president of operations for Legends Hospitality; Jennifer Surgalski,  director of client services and corporate partnerships at Dallas Cowboys; and Chris Lamberth, sports architect for 360 Architecture.

Continue Reading →

The Orange County (Florida) Board of Commissioners voted 5-2 last night to approve a $94.5 million funding package. According to the Orlando Business Journal, the package includes

• $20 million in tourist development taxes for Orlando City Soccer to build an $81 million stadium downtown,
• $12 million for Florida Citrus Sports to help pay for a $200 million upgrade to the football stadium,
• $25 million for the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts so it can build a 1,700-seat multi-performance hall, and
• Additional promotional funds for Visit Orlando and the Central Florida Sports Commission to help bring more visitors and sports events to the city.

Now that the funding has passed, Orlando City SC plans to join Major League Soccer as its latest  franchise team.

“We thank the Orange County and City of Orlando Board of Commissioners for their support to build a soccer-specific stadium in downtown Orlando,” MLS president and deputy commissioner Mark Abbott said in a statement. “We also would like to thank [owners] Flavio Augusto da Silva, Phil Rawlins and their staff for their passion and commitment to bring a Major League Soccer team to Orlando. We look forward to working with the Orlando City SC ownership group to finalize an expansion agreement.”

(Image via Orlando City Soccer Pinterest Page)

There’s an old maxim that says a happy employee is a productive employee. I’ve noticed that to be true in my 20-plus years of employment. Those who love to come to work and enjoy working for their bosses tend to produce the best results.

Ray Clark, CEO of The Marketing Arm (TMA), is aware of this, too. Last week, the Dallas-based promotion firm celebrated its 20-year anniversary by treating almost 500 employees to a day of various activities in the Deep Ellum entertainment district. Want to learn to play guitar? Check. How about some improv lessons? Covered. Oh, you want to have a pub crawl, too? Sure thing.

“TMA’rs got to check out different hot spots like ‘Football & Beer’ with special guest Jimmy Sexton (called ‘a quiet giant in the NFL sports agent market’), who regaled us with sports agent tales about representing NFL coaches and players,” wrote Audra Glover, digital coordinator, on TMA’s blog. “In between each of those sessions were fantastic musical acts by Hip Hop Hooray, Ryan Edgar and Michael Castro.”

The celebration, called Sparks, concluded with a Bon Jovi concert at the American Airlines Center.

“Clark figures the festivities cost just under a half-million bucks,” Cheryl Hall reported for the Dallas Morning News. “The Marketing Arm regularly works with Bon Jovi’s concert promoters, so he was able to get 500 concert tickets that only cost about 50 grand. Clark squirreled away much of the money for Sparks in budget savings from the past year and personally underwrote the rest. He considers it an investment in innovative thinking—a must-have if the agency is to satisfy its 100-plus big-brand clients, including AT&T, Frito-Lay, and State Farm Insurance.”

One of the best things about TMA’s employee day out was the chance to learn new skills, which are beneficial to keeping the mind sharp. It’s especially helpful if you learn something mentally demanding, according to a study forthcoming in Psychological Science.

“It seems it is not enough just to get out and do something—it is important to get out and do something that is unfamiliar and mentally challenging, and that provides broad stimulation mentally and socially,” says psychological scientist and lead researcher Denise Park of the University of Texas at Dallas. “When you are inside your comfort zone you may be outside of the enhancement zone.”

Also, happiness lowers your blood pressure.

“The endogenous hormone dopamine triggers feelings of happiness,” wrote Peter Rüegg for ETH Life. “Dopamine enables us to make the ‘right’ decisions in order to experience even more moments of happiness.”

As a manager and leader, what kind of experiences are you offering your employees to help them have even more moments of happiness?

(Image via The Marketing Arm/Audra Glover)