Scientists just recently twisted two radio beams in order to send data at 32 gigabytes per second, which is 30 times faster than 4G LTE. Why am I telling you this? Well, besides better mobile technology, it’s also an example of how working together can create phenomenal success.

Working together was the underlying theme at 2014 Arena Management Conference. It appeared in several sessions, and one of the most pointed observations came from Russ Simons, managing partner at Venue Solutions Group.

“Success doesn’t take individual inspiration,” Simons said during the “Using VenueDataSource to Your Advantage” session. “It takes all of us communicating information.”

Attendees were encouraged more than once to make sure all parties on a project or event are in the room, whether for security plans or sponsorship proposals.

“You have to have all the people at the table for security discussions,” said Chris Lamberth, director of sport development for 360 Architecture, during the “Arena Security from Design to Operations” session.

“Do your research,” said Steve Kirsner, director of booking and events for the SAP Center at San Jose, during the “Creating & Maintaining a Win-Win Sponsorship” session. “You wouldn’t go on a job interview without research. Do the same thing with sponsorship.”

Clear communication was also emphasized as a No. 1 priority for venue managers.

“Communication is key,” said Jen Sandstrom, senior director of event services for the STAPLES Center/Nokia Theatre, during the “Rock the Rollout: Backstage Best Practices” session. “Every level should understand all the elements that will happen the day of an event.”

Finally, even after everyone is on board for an event and proper research and preparation completed, success depends on a very important quality.

“Attitude is 75 percent of a great experience,” Sandstrom said.

Michael Grozier, executive vice president of clubs and theaters for Live Nation, agreed.

“The single most important thing to instill in a venue team is to explain that this is our one shot to impress the act,” he said. “Make sure people are positive and smiling.”

This goes back to what Simons suggested. In order for the industry to be successful, every person, from bottom to top and back down, must be engaged and focused on improvement, whether that is through knowledge sharing, attending conferences, or participating in surveys for the industry’s betterment.

“We can’t remain out on an island,” he said. “I’m hopeful we’ll stop thinking about ‘us’ and ‘them.’ Without participation, we miss an opportunity to elevate the industry.”

Two of our member venues have received Google Glass to experiment with in order to learn about the pros and cons of the technology when using it in a facility. We’ll be following their progress on the blog here and in FM magazine. The first blog post from the AT& T Performing Arts Center appeared this summer. This second blog post is written by Robyn Williams, CFE, executive director of Portland’5 Centers for the Arts.

Portland’5 was very excited to be selected as one of the venues to tryout Google Glass. It came up in a town hall at the last Performing Arts Manager’s Conference as to how we would handle a patron entering the building wearing one. It was clear that most of us didn’t know much about this technology.

We immediately brainstormed a variety of cool things we’d love to do with it: secret shopping, filming the “second experience,” etc., but it became clear that the first order of business was a chat with our attorney, Nathan. Here were some of his comments:

1. Photo and Video Recording – Google Glass users can discretely record photo and video. This results in countless privacy concerns from voyeurism to surveillance of privileged information. For example, a Google Glass user could snap photos of sensitive or confidential documents. Or, an employee could secretly record a private staff meeting. Some bars and restaurants have already banned Google Glass to protect the privacy of their patrons.

2. Audio Recording – Under Oregon law, a person may not…”(c) Obtain or attempt to obtain the whole or any part of a conversation by means of any device, contrivance, machine or apparatus, whether electrical, mechanical, manual or otherwise, if not all participants in the conversation are specifically informed that their conversation is being obtained.”

So recording with Google Glass of a conversation without the other person or people’s consent might be a crime.

3. Facial Recognition – Google claims to be taking measures to prevent this, but some believe that facial-recognition apps will be available that can use a smartphone data connection to identify people observed by Google Glass. This may not be illegal yet, but could be as states introduce legislation to regulate “wearable computers.”

4. Recording Phone Calls – The glasses also have the capability to record phone calls received through the device. This could lead to violation of state wiretapping laws.

5. Copyright/Intellectual Property Issues – The use of Google Glass at a venue could lead to copyright infringement claims arising from patrons recording audio or video at concerts that do not allow recording or photography. This is an issue with any smart phone but may be much harder to police through the use of Google Glass.

Here’s a great article on the topic of Google Glass and the law.

OK, secret shopping is out. We decided to take some time to really learn how it works and go from there. We handed it off to Joe Durr, director of event services, to see what he could discover. Stay tuned.

(photo credit: Thomas Hawk via photopin cc)

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)