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THE 2012 ALSD CONFERENCE PROGRAM: Begin Planning Your Experience Now                                                      PAGE 38




                 S E AT
                   LEADING THE PREMIUM SEAT INDUSTRY                   WWW.ALSD.COM            WINTER 2012




                  P U B L I S H E D B Y T H E A S S O C I AT I O N O F L U X U R Y S U I T E D I R E C T O R S




   WHICH TRENDS
   IN THE VENUE
   MARKETPLACE
   CAN YOU BELIEVE IN?
   PAGE 14




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SEAT Winter 2012
SEAT Winter 2012
SEAT Winter 2012
winter
S E A T 2012
 Published by the Association of Luxury Suite Directors
   FEATURES
38 ALSD 2012 CONFERENCE SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
   2012 has arrived, and with it, the preliminary lineup for the 22nd
   Annual ALSD Conference and Tradeshow. This year’s show, themed
   The Community, will bring attendees sessions, roundtables, events,
   interactivity, participatory learning, and tours and receptions at three
   of the most top-notch venues in the country. Begin planning your
   experience in Minneapolis.
60 WHY SOCCER? WHY SALES?
   As part of its mission to grow a soccer nation, Major League Soccer is
   shaking out of the grassroots its own sales talent at its National Sales
   Center in Blaine, Minnesota.
   BY RYAN MIRABEDINI

64 PREMIUM SEAT SALES STRATEGIES
   AND BEST PRACTICES FROM A TEAM PERSPECTIVE                                                 38
   Last year, an ALSD survey was completed by 48 teams from MLB, the
   NBA, the NFL and the NHL to better understand today’s sales best
   practices. Is your organization following the industry standards?
   BY DR. PETER TITLEBAUM
   AND TODD C. KOESTERS, MSA, JD

68 CONCESSIONS, CATERING & HOSPITALITY TRENDS
   New concessions and catering solutions and products support the
   leading stadium and arena concessionaires, caterers and consultants to
   increase revenue for teams, clubs and venues.
   BY STEVE TRAIMAN


   SPORTS TECHNOLOGY CORNER
48 GILLETTE STADIUM’S PUTNAM CLUB INDULGES
   GUESTS IN HIGH-PERFORMANCE WI-FI
   At the home of the New England Patriots, a new wireless architecture                      56
   is enabling the creation and delivery of video content to mobile devices
   exclusively to members of the Putnam Club.

50 IT COLLABORATES WITH THE WORLD
   The ALSD has officially formed the Venue Technology Group (VTG).
   This year’s VTG program trains all the areas of the premium and gen-
   eral facility markets to better understand technology and to collaborate
   with IT Departments.

56 IPTV: THE INTERSECTION OF FAN EXPERIENCE
   AND SPONSOR EXCLUSIVITY
   Whether installed in an aging facility or a brand new, state-of-the-art
   venue, IPTV technology adds value to both corporate partnerships and
   the fan experience.
   BY BOB ROBLE                                                                              60

   About the Cover: The new Marlins Park in Miami showcases many of the trends reported in
   this issue, including Sales, Technology, F&B, Design, and Customer Service innovations.                   Contents continues on overleaf


                                                                                                   #SEATWinter2012 | www.alsd.com | S E A T | 5
winter
S E A T 2012
                                                                                                           ASSociATion of Luxury
                                                                                                           SuiTE DirEcTorS
                                                                                                           Chairman Bill Dorsey
                                                                                                           Executive Director Amanda Verhoff
                                                                                                           President Jennifer Ark, Green Bay Packers
Published by the Association of Luxury Suite Directors                                                     VP, Business Development Pat McCaffrey
                                                                                                           Director, Sponsor and Partnership Development Dene Shiels
                                                                                                           Editor of SEAT and ALSD.com Jared Frank
                                                                                                           National Sales Manager Scott Hinzman
                                                                                                           Membership Director Ryan Mirabedini
                                                                                                           Design Carole Winters Art + Design
                                                                                                           Director of Finance Dan Lindeman
                                                                                                           Financial Account Manager Vickie Henke
                                                                                                           Director of Interactive Media John Tymoski

                                                                                                           ExECuTIVE CoMMITTEE
                                                                                                           Chris Bigelow, Bigelow Companies
                                                                                                           Brian Bucciarelli, Hershey Entertainment & Resorts
                                                                                                           Greg Hanrahan, united Center
                                                                                                           Tom Kaucic, Southern Wine & Spirits
                                                                                                           Pat McCaffrey, ALSD
    32                                                                                                     Kim Reckley, Detroit Red Wings & olympia Entertainment

                                                                                                           BoARD oF DIRECToRS
         DEPARTMENTS                                                                                       Janie Boles, Auburn university
                                                                                                           Natalie Burbank, utah Jazz / Salt Lake Bees
8        NEW ALSD MEMBERS
                                                                                                           Richard Dobransky, Delaware North Companies
                                                                                                           Trent Dutry, uS Airways Center
12 ALSD STAFF EDITORIAL
                                                                                                           Chris Granger, National Basketball Association
         Editor’s Note                                                                                     MIke Guiffre
         BY JARED FRANK                                                                                    Adam Kellner, Chicago Bears
         State of the Association                                                                          Gerald Kissel
         BY AMANDA VERHOFF                                                                                 Debbie Massa, RoI Consulting
         Trends in the Venue Marketplace from                                                              Scott O’Connell, Minnesota Twins Baseball Club
         2011: Changes You Can Believe In?                                                                 Mike Ondrejko, Legends Premium Sales
                                                          24
         BY BILL DORSEY                                                                                    Richard Searls
                                                                                                           Tom Sheridan, Chicago White Sox
                                                                                                           Peter Titlebaum, university of Dayton
20 ALSD MEMBER Q&A
                                                         VEnuE TEcHnoLoGy GrouP                            ALSD 2012 STEERING CoMMITTEE
22 INDUSTRY                                              2012 STEErinG AnD                                 Sue Brown, Levy Restaurants
   AND ASSOCIATION NEWS
         Ticketmaster Facebook feature enhances
                                                         confErEncE coMMiTTEE                              Britt Carlson, Minnesota Timberwolves
                                                                                                           Richard Dobransky, Delaware North Companies
         fan experience                                  Matt Lukens, FanVision                            Rachael Johnson, Minnesota Wild
         ALSD evaluates FanVision in Cleveland’s         Jim Ibister, Minnesota Wild                       Scott O’Connell, Minnesota Twins Baseball Club
         Dawg Pound                                      Scott Jablonski, National Hockey League           Tanesha Wade, university of Minnesota Athletics
                                                         Mark DiMaurizio, Comcast-Spectacor
         Feature Recipe: TD Garden chef has
                                                         John Tymoski, ALSD                                Published by Venue Pub. Inc. Copyright 2012. (All rights
         championship taste                                                                                reserved). SEAT is a registered trademark of the Association
                                                         Ron Contorno, Full House Entertainment Database   of Luxury Suite Directors. SEAT is published quarterly and is
                                                         Marketing                                         complimentary to all members of the Association of Luxury
28 ON ALSD.COM                                           Bobby Whitson, Whitson Sports                     Suite Directors.
                                                         Jason Koettel, Legends Hospitality Management
30 MEMBER HIGHLIGHT                                      John Avenson, Minnesota Twins Baseball Club
         SEAT visits with:                               Jason Coleman, orlando Magic
         Andrew Silverman                                Russell Scibetti, New York Jets
         Senior Vice President of Sales & Service
         Miami Marlins
                                                                                                           Association of Luxury Suite Directors
         BY JARED FRANK                                                                                    10017 McKelvey Road, Cincinnati, oH 45231
                                                                                                           513 674 0555
                                                                                                           amanda@alsd.com
78 COMING ATTRACTIONS
                                                                                                                      Please Recycle This Magazine



6 | S E A T | www.alsd.com | #SEATWinter2012
SEAT Winter 2012
nEW ALSD MEMbErS WinTEr 2012

Mike Setser                                    Jarrod Dillon                             Scott McGinn
Director of Corporate Suite Sales              Vice President, Ticket Sales & Services   Director of Sales
San Antonio Spurs                              San Diego Padres                          Madison Square Garden
one AT&T Center                                100 Park Road                             2 Penn Plaza, 14th Floor
San Antonio, Tx 78219                          San Diego, CA 92101                       New York, NY 10121
P: 210-444-5644                                P: 619-795-5080                           P: 212-465-6647
msetser@attcenter.com                          jdillon@gmail.com                         scott.mcginn@thegarden.com

Dustin Boyer                                   Charlie Hillis                            Amy Hobbs
Event Coordinator – Premium Seating            Gift Card Manager                         Suite Services Manager
university of Illinois                         Nike                                      San Diego Chargers
1700 South Fourth Street                       one Bowerman Drive                        Po Box 609100
Champaign, IL 61820                            Beaverton, oR 97005-6453                  San Diego, CA 92160
P: 217-333-0516                                P: 503-671-5819                           P: 619-641-5117
dmboyer2@illinois.edu                          charlie.hillis@nike.com                   amy.hobbs@chargers.nfl.com

Stan Macko                                     Mitch Kluska                              Christina Leonard
Group Sales & Premium Services Manager         Premium Seating Sales Executive           Premium Seating Specialist
university of Central Florida                  Green Bay Packers                         Columbus Blue Jackets
uCF Arena                                      1265 Lombardi Avenue                      Nationwide Arena
Po Box 161500                                  Green Bay, WI 54304                       200 W. Nationwide Blvd, Suite Level
orlando, FL 32816                              P: 920-569-7253                           Columbus, oH 43215
P: 407-823-6062                                kluskam@packers.com                       P: 614-246-4312
stan.macko@ucf.edu                                                                       cleonard2@bluejackets.com
                                               Cherylee Cruz
Valerie Mirelman                               National Accounts Specialist              Kimberly Hobbs
Group and Suite Service Coordinator            Rosseto                                   Director of Corporate Sales & Services
Tampa Bay Rays                                 3600 West Pratt Avenue                    Sprint Center AEG
one Tropicana Drive                            Lincolnwood, IL 60712                     1407 Grand Boulevard
St. Petersburg, FL 33705                       cherylee@rosseto.com                      Kansas City, Mo 64106
P: 727-825-3345                                                                          P: 816-949-7146
vmirelman@raysbaseball.com                     Wayne Boydstun                            khobbs@sprintcenter.com
                                               Coo
Chad Collard                                   Fusion Imaging                            Mark Fasching
Director of Group and Suite Sales              601 Boro Street                           Suite Sales Manager
Tampa Bay Rays                                 Kaysville, uT 84037                       Minnesota Wild/MSE
one Tropicana Drive                            wayneb@fusion-imaging.com                 317 Washington Street
St. Petersburg, FL 33705                                                                 St. Paul, MN 55102
P: 727-825-3238                                Tamala Levin                              P: 651-602-5739
ccollard@raysbaseball.com                      Client Service Manager – Premium Club     mfasching@wild.com
                                               TD Garden
Brian Richeson                                 100 Legends Way                           Brittany Hilton
Vice President of Sales & Service              Boston, MA 02114                          Premier Gameday Experiences
Tampa Bay Rays                                 P: 617-624-1825                           Chicago Cubs
one Tropicana Drive                            tlevin@dncboston.com                      1060 W. Addison
St. Petersburg, FL 33705                                                                 Chicago, IL 60613
P: 727-825-3193                                Marissa Guziec                            P: 773-404-4142
bricheson@raysbaseball.com                     Suite Services Coordinator                bhilton@cubs.com
                                               St. Louis Rams
Justin Buck                                    901 N. Broadway                           Linda Deckard
Suite Sales Account Executive                  St. Louis, Mo 63101                       Publisher
Tampa Bay Rays                                 P: 314-425-0513                           Venues Today Magazine
one Tropicana Drive                            mguziec@rams.nfl.com                      Po Box 2540
St. Petersburg, FL 33705                                                                 Huntington Beach, CA 92647
P: 727-825-3361                                Marc Sandoval                             linda@venuestoday.com
jbuck@raysbaseball.com                         Director of Suites & Hospitality
                                               Kansas City Chiefs                        Greg Sweeny
Leigh Castergine                               Arrowhead Stadium                         Design Director
Vice President of Ticket Sales and Service     one Arrowhead Drive                       Rossetti Architects
New York Mets                                  Kansas City, Mo 64129                     Two Towne Square, Suite 20
Citi Field                                     P: 816-920-4815                           Southfield, MI 48076
New York, NY 11368                             msandoval@chiefs.nfl.com                  P: 248-262-8300
P: 718-559-3134                                                                          gsweeny@rossetti.com
lcastergine@nymets.com                         Jackie Norrie
                                               Manager of Partnerships                   Tony Reiner
                                               Trade Centre Limited                      Senior Designer
                                               1800 Argyle Street, Suite 416             Rossetti Architects
                                               Halifax, NS B3J 2V9                       Two Towne Square, Suite 20
                                               Canada                                    Southfield, MI 48076
                                               P: 902-421-1302 x2246                     P: 248-262-8300
                                               jackie@tclns.com                          treiner@rossetti.com


8 | S E A T | www.alsd.com | #SEATWinter2012
b o n i ta
nEW ALSD MEMbErS WinTEr 2012

Matt Hathorne                                   Christina Brandt                  Brian Sandy
Senior Designer                                 President                         Senior Director, Premium Sales and Service
Rossetti Architects                             Service Ideas, Inc.               Portland Trail Blazers
Two Towne Square, Suite 20                      2354 Ventura Drive                one North Center Court, Suite 200
Southfield, MI 48076                            Woodbury, MN 55125                Portland, oR 97227
P: 248-262-8300                                 P: 651-730-8800                   P: 503-797-9656
mhathorne@rossetti.com                          tina@serviceideas.com             brian.sandy@trailblazers.com

Dima Daimi                                      Andy Krawczyk                     Jared Kozinn
Junior Designer                                 Regional Sales Manager            Manager, Ticket Sales & Service
Rossetti Architects                             Service Ideas, Inc.               San Francisco 49ers
Two Towne Square, Suite 20                      2354 Ventura Drive                Candlestick Park
Southfield, MI 48076                            Woodbury, MN 55125                490 Jamestown Avenue, Suite 400
P: 248-262-8300                                 P: 651-379-3139                   San Francisco, CA 94124
ddaimi@rossetti.com                             andy@serviceideas.com             P: 415-494-0518
                                                                                  jared.kozinn@niners.nfl.net
Tony Giacco                                     Joe Krawczyk
Junior Designer                                 Director – Multi-Channel Sales    Rob McCalebb
Rossetti Architects                             Service Ideas, Inc.               Director of Suite Sales & Service
Two Towne Square, Suite 20                      2354 Ventura Drive                Palace Sports and Entertainment
Southfield, MI 48076                            Woodbury, MN 55125                4 Championship Drive
P: 248-262-8300                                 P: 651-379-3127                   Auburn Hills, MI 48236
tgiacco@rossetti.com                            joe@serviceideas.com              P: 248-375-4062
                                                                                  rmccalebb@palacenet.com
Sarah Bentley                                   Melinda Coyer
Restaurantware                                  Director of Sales and Marketing   David Frieberg
360 W. Illinois St, #605                        CenturyLink Center/SMG            Systems Administrator
Chicago, IL 60654                               2000 CenturyLink Center Drive     oakland Athletics Baseball Co.
P: 800-851-9273                                 Bossier City, LA 71112            7000 Coliseum Drive
sarah@restaurantware.com                        P: 318-752-6730                   oakland, CA 94621
                                                mcoyer@centurylinkcenter.com      P: 510-638-4900
Richard Rinella                                                                   dfrieberg@oaklandathletics.com
President                                       Jake Wood
Restaurantware                                  Marketing Coordinator             Arthur Bartell
360 W. Illinois St, #605                        CenturyLink Center/SMG            Group President
Chicago, IL 60654                               2000 CenturyLink Center Drive     Proforma Big Dog Branding
P: 800-851-9273                                 Bossier City, LA 71112            6550A East Bayaud Avenue
rich@restaurantware.com                         P: 318-752-6731                   Denver, Co 80224
                                                jwood@centurylinkcenter.com       P: 303-953-8104
Declan Duggan                                                                     artbart@msn.com
CEo/CMo                                         Lorna Pierno
Ellickson uSA                                   Director, Marketing Programs      Louis Pullano
9518 Deereco Road                               xirrus                            Assistant Professor
Timonium, MD 21093                              2101 Corporate Center Drive       Johnson and Wales university
P: 215-219-9203                                 Thousand oaks, CA 91320           8 Abbott Park Place
declan@ellicksonusa.com                         P: 805-262-1652                   Providence, RI 02903
                                                lorna.pierno@xirrus.com           P: 401-598-1358
Josh Goodman                                                                      lpullano@jwu.edu
CEo/Coo                                         Nicola Meti
Ellickson uSA                                   D. English                        Tonatiuh Mejia Moysen
9518 Deereco Road                               2520 St. Joseph Boulevard         Managing Director
Timonium, MD 21093                              East Montreal, QC H1Y 2A2         Estadio de Futbol Monterrey
josh@ellicksonusa.com                           Canada                            AV. Fundidora #501, Col obrera
                                                P: 514-890-1745                   CINTERMEx Suite 43
Chris Blum                                      nicola@denglish.com               Monterrey, Nuevo Leon 64010
VP, Business Development – West                                                   MExICo
Ellickson uSA                                   Mario Struffolino                 P: 14481900
9518 Deereco Road                               D. English                        tonatiuh.mejia@femsa.com.mx
Timonium, MD 21093                              2520 St. Joseph Boulevard
chris@ellicksonusa.com                          East Montreal, QC H1Y 2A2         Bob Beasley
                                                Canada                            Director of Sales
Lindsay Valenty                                 P: 514-890-1745                   Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Marketing Communications                        mario@denglish.com                4790 West 16th Street
Service Ideas, Inc.                                                               Indianapolis, IN 46222
2354 Ventura Drive                                                                P: 317-492-6550
Woodbury, MN 55125                                                                bbeasley@brickyard.com
P: 651-379-3123
lindsay@serviceideas.com



10 | S E A T | www.alsd.com | #SEATWinter2012
SEAT Winter 2012
Editor’s notE by JarEd Frank
Don’t accept decision science at face value


T
             his first issue of SEAT in 2012 is
             what we’re calling our Trends Issue.                                                                          Connect with me on
             Instead of addressing the State of the                                                                  www.linkedin.com/in/jaredfrank
             Industry within the confines of 700                                                                             and follow me on
words, as is normally done with this note this                                                                        www.twitter.com/SEAT_Editor
time of year, we’re summarizing those notewor-
                                                                                                                             for daily updates.
thy changes and new additions worth checking
out in the marketplace throughout most of our
                                                                                                                     Here is a sampling of my tweets:
editorial and feature articles.
   A broad swab of these changes is found in
Bill’s editorial (Trends in the Venue Market-                                                                 The San Jose Earthquakes are selling suites for their
place from 2011: Changes You Can Believe In?)                                                                 proposed new stadium. The 12 field level suites will
starting on page 14. Branching out from there,                                                                    be a first in MLS and international football.
we have articles on food and beverage trends,
facility trends, social media trends, sales trends                                                             University of Louisville Athletics grew over 30% in
and technology trends. I should point out that                                                                 the past three years. The increase is largely due to
we are not separating the wheat from the chaff                                                                 luxury suite revenues at the KFC Yum! Center and
in each story. Trends are meant to be tested, as      Anything that contributes to the deterioration                     Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium.
the quality of all of them is yet to be determined.   of imagination should be handled with care.
To an extent, we’re throwing them all up on the       Understanding that a prospect that scores a five
wall, and we’ll have to wait and see what sticks      should be solicited before one that scores a two,         Atletico Madrid unveils plans for new 70,000-seat
as the year unfolds. Or as Bill likes to say, we in   but not understanding the theory of how the             stadium to replace Vicente Calderon starting in 2015.
the industry need to “kick the tires” before any      statistic is derived, or in some cases, why it is
trend can be considered a best practice.              derived doesn’t cut the mustard. How and why
                                                                                                              TD Ameritrade Park opens to profitability in its first
   I’d like to discuss another specific sportsbiz     we do what we do is more important than what              year. The new home of the College World Series
trend made popular in 2011 – Moneyball. The           we do.                                                  produced a $5.6 million net operating profit for the
term, and the practice for that matter, isn’t new.        So what’s the lesson here? Don’t use analyt-                      2010-2011 fiscal year.
Moneyball, the book, was first published in           ics? Of course not. But don’t only take analytics
2003. But movies starring Brad Pitt have a way        at face value. Use automated technology as an
of achieving greater mainstream success than          accelerator of business, not an igniter of busi-        STAPLES Center was the top grossing arena in North
books written by Michael Lewis. Now everyone,         ness. Decisions should remain a blend of art and         America in 2011 and the 7th highest in the world.
including my mother, knows what Moneyball is.         science and of human judgment and algorithms.           In addition to its main tenants, the arena hosted 36
   My take on the popularity of Moneyball – the       Else our ability to reason and see beyond the                         concerts with 30 sellouts.
practice, not the movie – is decidedly unpopular.     superficial is lost.
It glamorizes “decision science” – the belief that        So be careful. If you have the magic bullet,          The Texas Rangers are raising ticket prices for the
analytics alone make the best business decisions.     if you have the recipe for the secret sauce, you         2012 season. Club level seats are increasing to $66
Empirical gauges are very helpful in a number         won’t forever. Old problems will always be                   for regular games, $74 for premier games.
of ways. For example, for any business reliant on     replaced by the same problems in new forms.
sales for success (which is all of them), analytics   And if we get to the point where we only know
are vital for “scoring” leads and determining         what button to push and when to push it, but we          Cambodia’s first indoor stadium nears completion.
those prospects most likely to buy. Any salesper-     don’t know why we’re pushing it, when we “kick          It includes a mezzanine level with lounge bar which
son will tell you that they can’t survive without     the new tires,” we won’t know what we’re even                              flanks a VIP box.
picking from the low hanging fruit first. What        testing for.
bothers me is the thought that analytics alone
                                                                                                              USL’s Pittsburgh Riverhounds announce new 3,500-
are increasingly responsible for decision-making.                                                             seat, multi-sport stadium project in Station Square.
   Eliminating bias and subjectivity from impor-      How do you balance human judgment with analytics when
tant decisions usually leads to positive outcomes.    making decisions?
I am the first to admit this verity. However, the     Email me at jared@alsd.com.                              ALSD is going global! The ALSD will launch a new
shine of Moneyball blinds us from an unstated                                                                    global division and Premium Seat Seminar in
admonition – numbers have a way of diminish-          Also connect with me on social media (See Sidebar).     partnership with TheStadiumBusiness Summit 2012
ing human curiosity. Accepting the numbers                                                                                     in Turin on May 15.
isn’t enough for me. And frankly, it scares me.


12 | S E A T | www.alsd.com | #SEATWinter2012
statE oF thE associaton by amanda vErhoFF
The more we stay the same…
The more we have to change

A
              ssociations appear to outsiders to                                                           living in a vacuum. We have to recreate our own
              steadfastly stay the same. Year after                                                        touch point calendars and reinvest in our own
              year, it’s a show and membership                                                             improved benefits. It’s a balancing act for us, like
              and publications. But what outsiders                                                         it is for the teams, to not only hear all our clients
don’t know is that the more things do remain                                                               but actually listen to them.
the same, the more they actually have to change.
And the reason is to keep you engaged.                                                                     The overall PICTure
   It’s true – the ALSD will run a conference                                                              The association is healthy. Sure we’re tighten-
this year; we will continue to produce SEAT                                                                ing our belt like anyone else these days. But we
and Between the SEATs; we will continue to                                                                 are on track for a great year. It’s up to us, at the
ask for your venue’s contribution to the refer-                                                            ALSD, however to become the change we want
ence manual; we will further develop our Venue                                                             to see. It’s why we send member questions; it’s
Technology Group; and we will have all the                                                                 why we have reinvented our technology division;
leagues in attendance this year at a kick-ass                                                              it’s why we reach out to you even though we
Minneapolis show. So what changes? Well noth-                                                              know you’re in-season and have more club seats
ing… except everything.                                                                                    to sell than minutes in the day; and it’s why we
   Let me explain something first. An associa-                                                             will attend enough meeting planner shows to
tion’s goal is two-fold: 1) To be the source for                                                           stay ahead of the curve. The goal is to exceed as-
industry trends and best practices and 2) To                                                               sociation status quo, to reinvent our association
be the leader in event planning. The ALSD                                                                  for your benefit year after year.
could put on a helluva fun show but fall short                                                                 In the end, the change we’re after is going
on content, or we could research all the right                                                             to knock your socks off. And contrary to what
material but put on a bone dry event. The point                                                            weather reports are telling us now, you really
is we have to master both and to do so, requires
                                                      "sure we’re tightening our                           won’t need them in Minneapolis in July anyway!
change each and every year.                            belt like anyone else these
   Think of the association this way:
                                                       days. But we are on track
The ConferenCe                                         for a great year… The goal                          What other changes would you like to see in your association?
The ALSD recreates dozens of conference ses-                                                               Write to Amanda at amanda@alsd.com, and connect with
sions each year. Figuring out the most relevant        is to exceed association                            her on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/amandakuntzverhoff.
content comes first; finding fresh speakers fol-
lows. Placing sessions into timeslots that make        status quo, to reinvent our
sense seems like an easy next step, but it’s a jug-    association for your benefit
gling act deciding which renewal session should
compete with which loyalty session, and which          year after year." 
food and beverage session should compete with
which new technology session. We reinvent the
show’s structure and content each year; if you
look closely, it’s hardly ever the same. Add to
that, we have to change the venue tours each          Service departments are pining for client loyalty
year; admittedly, that’s the fun part though! We      and turning to technology for customer man-
love picking new cities, and the best venues tend     agement tools. Food and beverage companies
to lead us in the right direction every year.         are encouraging patrons to order from digital
                                                      menu boards and pay on mobile devices. Venues
The IndusTry                                          are transforming unsold suites into all-inclusive
Something’s going on. It’s like the next genera-      clubs or loges.
tion of premium seating has arrived. Gone are            Ultimately, the way teams are operating is just
the days of sold-out suites and waiting lists for     different than only a few years ago. Perhaps it’s
50-yard line seats. What’s going on just might        the economy and its struggle to rebound from           CoMInG uP neXT:
be the paradigm shift we’ve been talking about        2008, but it seems as though the industry is try-      The IndusTry Trends
for a few years now. In 2012, suites and sponsor-     ing to work smarter not harder. The ALSD has           To TesT ouT In 2012
ships are becoming one department for some.           to embrace that axiom too, and we can’t do so by



                                                                                                                     #SEATWinter2012 | www.alsd.com | S E A T | 13
EdiToriAl by bill dorSEy
Trends in the venue marketplace from 2011:
Changes you can believe in?

C
             hange often sneaks up on you. Un-                                                                  important because, as mentioned, many venues
             less a major event occurs, change                                                                  do not have enough broadband capacity.
             has a way of slowly moving forward                                                                    On premium levels, companies such as Xirrus
             step by step. Then, almost out of                                                                  have added bandwidth for the club levels at the
nowhere, something happens that everyone                                                                        home of the New England Patriots, Gillette
notices – a tipping point occurs. The Berlin Wall                                                               Stadium. By adding this additional streaming
falls. So do Twin Towers. And change comes out                                                                  power, club seat holders can now access in-game
of the rubble.                                                                                                  content and instant replays from multiple angles
   Change is very much like that in the venue                                                                   on their mobile devices without worrying about
and sports marketplaces. On the team side,                                                                      having to buffer. It’s a terrific customer service
teams keep changing players until out of the                                                                    and one that appears to be the future for many
rubble of a bad season, comes a winning com-                                                                    venues across the country. Additional informa-
bination.                                                                                                       tion on Xirrus’ work at Gillette Stadium can be
   On the facility side, change happens                                                                         found on page 48.
incrementally too. But it might not be called
“change.” Rather, on the facility side, it’s called                                                             TICkeTInG
a “trend.” But what is a trend other than a series                                                              The Skinny: Ticketing is undergoing a renais-
of incremental changes?                                                                                         sance. There are so many new things to consider:
   The following article takes a look at those                                                                  paperless, phone tickets, seat upgrading, etc.
incremental changes, or trends, which began                                                                     There are new primary companies that have
occurring in 2011 and which are occurring as we                                                                 emerged, and mergers that have occurred. There
write. There is no guarantee that the trends will                                                               are new secondary companies that are making
continue in 2012. Trends are like tires which are                                                               inroads in primary space. There are a fair number
kicked on a car; they are tested out before they                                                                of new value buys like Groupon, Goldstar,
are driven. Entrepreneurial companies are always                                                                ScoreBig, etc. There are pre-sells, package deals
kicking tires.                                                                                                  for VIPs, fan travel companies, suite sharing and
   That’s how to view the following article – as         wants to be connected. Everyone is tweeting,           fractionalization. In a word, ticketing is confus-
trends that are making headway into the sports           facebooking, texting and emailing, and there are       ing. It’s also complicated. But a couple trends
venue marketplace. It’s good to know them be-            too many places and too many times where this          seem to be catching on. Consider:
cause you may want to “kick some tires” on your          can’t happen.
own. But then again, they are trends, not dogma.            The situation is worse when the teams them-         dynaMIC PrICInG
Read on and decide which trends you believe are          selves rely on apps for their fans to order food, to   The primary ticketing industry, as opposed to
worth testing.                                           purchase tickets, to view replays, player updates      the secondary market re-sellers, leave a great
   We’ve broken up the trends into categories:           and other scores from other games. If there is         deal of money on the table by pricing their tick-
Technology, Ticketing, Food & Beverage,                  a trend that is nearly a certainty in the coming       ets too low or too high. It’s extremely difficult to
Architecture/Design, Social Media, Sales and             year(s), it is the need to increase bandwidth in       judge supply and demand curves before a season
Customer Service/Retention.                              venues across the country. And there is a race to      begins. But that’s what most primary ticket sell-
                                                         do so within the big infrastracture companies:         ers have to do; they have to decide on the price
TeChnoloGy                                               Cisco, Harris, AT&T, Xirrus, etc.                      of the game far in advance.
The Skinny: Technology is becoming the major                There are many examples of successful                  Dynamic pricing – the ability to price a game
topic for the venue marketplace. Nearly every            companies and/or venues adding broadband or            ticket based on a game-by-game demand – is
part of the business requires technology, and IT/        Wi-Fi services to their venues. One example:           clearly becoming more popular with teams. For
CIO types are prospering in the space. And if               LIVESTRONG Sporting Park, Sport-                    one, by getting the ticket price more connected
there is one area that affects all other areas, it is:   ing KC’s new stadium, has generally received           with reality, it increases team revenues and de-
                                                         rave reviews for its many innovative ideas. So         creases (at least theoretically) the demand on the
BroadBand for The Masses                                 much so that the team recently formed its own          secondary side. Barry Kahn’s Qcue is perhaps
Having trouble getting your cell phone to work           technology division called Sporting Innovations.       the best known of these types of companies, and
in large venues? You are not alone. This is clearly      Reportedly, many teams and leagues have visited        they claim a fairly high percentage of upsell. It’s
a case of broadband technology not being able            the facility to see the latest and greatest in         something that has started slowly but is clearly
to keep up with the huge number of people in             technology. One area that has drawn particular         gaining momentum.
venues. Think about the enormity of the issue            interest is Sporting Innovations’ ability to pro-
these days. The games are long. And everyone             vide broadband to the masses. This is extremely


14 | S E A T | www.alsd.com | #SEATWinter2012
food and BeveraGe
The Skinny: Food and Beverage is a $2.5 billion
line item for just the premium seat marketplace
alone. Big F&B companies, the really big ones,
are larger than the leagues they service. There is
probably no one area that potentially angers fans
more than bad customer service, or bad food,
or long lines, or outrageous pricing. This affects
how teams keep their customers happy. So
F&B is a huge deal. Below are the trends we see
continuing to develop in 2012…

There are a lot of F&B innovations with no
one area that clearly is the leader. In general,
the F&B innovations tend to revolve around
increasing customer satisfaction. Companies
like Grin On and Niagara Fast Tap speed up
the number of drinks that can be served thereby
decreasing wait times. Bypass Lane is another
company that helps speed up food ordering by
enabling fans to place food orders with their
smartphones and bypass the concession lines.
Food ordering systems in suites on mobile de-
vices and on video boards assist with helping the
consumer which makes processes quicker, more
efficient and easier.
   Perhaps the major trend that has made its
way into most venues in some form is all-
inclusive food and beverage in premium areas.
This usually does not include alcohol except in
the most expensive sections. Some other new
trends include:

1. Andrew Shipe, VP of Culinary & Market-
ing at ARAMARK, says the company keeps
a very close watch on what is popular in a           can create a great hanger steak versus a more      Top: If a venue has enough broadband capacity, fans can use their
particular part of the country to try and please     expensive cut.                                     mobile devices to talk, text, tweet and access exclusive content only
their audience. For example: See what the local                                                         available at the live event, and not at home on the couch.
                                                                                                        Bottom: Many venues are adding or have plans to add club areas
food trucks are doing, and try to either create      3. There is also a trend to go to comfort food
                                                                                                        accessible to all fans, providing some kind of premium experience
something similar inside the venue or bring in       "with a twist,” says Shipe. For example: Mac and
                                                                                                        for all only available in the stadium or arena.
the actual brand itself. ARAMARK has brought         Cheese with lobster, or grilled cheese topped
in popular trucks that make wood fire pizzas or      with short ribs, or bread pudding combined with
tacos in particular markets. They capitalize on      tasty cakes.
the trend to go open-air cooking as well, says
Shipe. The key is tracking what is popular and       4. Food trends also change depending upon
then re-creating the experience.                     who is being served. For example: Millenni-
                                                     als have grown up with flavored waters and
2. There are trends in the actual food served        craft beers. As for wine, they like both reds
as well, says Shipe. For example: With high          and whites with a sweet tooth. For reds, they
commodity prices, it's clear that many are cut-      are trending away from traditional Pinots to
ting back on expensive food costs. According         Malbecs, and for whites, to Moscatos. "This is
to Shipe though, if prepared properly, a chef        what the Millennials are buying," says Shipe.


                                                                                                                    #SEATWinter2012 | www.alsd.com | S E A T | 15
at all. And further, many new buildings have
                                                                                                                             already been constructed, so there isn’t as great
                                                                                                                             a need for them. But the architectural industry
                                                                                                                             is the ultimate creator in the space. There is
                                                                                                                             not one other group that pays attention to new
                                                                                                                             developments more than Big Architecture. Their
                                                                                                                             livelihood depends upon it. So what is new in
                                                                                                                             the space? Read on…

                                                                                                                             The Brave new world of renovaTIons
                                                                                                                             With new stadium referendums not passing
                                                                                                                             these days, many new stadiums are choosing to
                                                                                                                             upgrade their existing venues with renovations.
                                                                                                                             This has been going on for several years now, but
                                                                                                                             if there is a trend in the business now, it is that
                                                                                                                             the renovation work is getting better. In many
                                                                                                                             cases, if not most, the refurbished space is better
                                                                                                                             than the original.
                                                                                                                                 Witness the recent renovations in Kansas
                                                                                                                             City for the Chiefs and the Royals – beautiful
                                                                                                                             new concourses and beautiful new spaces in the
                                                                                                                             same building. The Tampa Bay Lightning are in
                                                                                                                             the midst of completing a similar terrific renova-
                                                                                                                             tion, as outlined in the Fall 2011 issue of SEAT.
                                                                                                                                 It’s not only entire buildings and huge reno-
                                                                                                                             vations that are taking place in the space. There
                                                                                                                             are a number of new design/build firms who are
                                                                                                                             making their mark in many buildings. These are
                                                                                                                             companies who might be hired by teams, F&B
                                                                                                                             companies or even sponsors of spaces to build
                                                                                                                             out areas in the venue. Leaders in this space
                                                                                                                             include Dimensional Innovations, Rip Bang and
Top: Teams, such as the Cleveland Indians and their “Social Suite”       “We continually check with restaurants, wine        Mortenson along with the usual suspects from
seen here, are embracing social media to generate new sales, new         and spirits stores to see what is selling.”         the architectural companies: Populous, Rossetti,
uses for excess inventory, and new experiences for their fans.                                                               Aecom, DLR, HKS, 360, Brook Beynon Mur-
Bottom: The design side of the marketplace is being driven by            5. F&B companies are increasing the number of       ray, HNTB, Heery, etc.
renovation. Large-scale projects as well as smaller areas, such as the   chefs they are hiring.
one seen here at Lucas Oil Stadium, are being built out by teams,                                                            soCIal MedIa
F&B companies and sponsors to engage fans.
                                                                         6. Teams are using F&B as a loss leader to sell     The Skinny: Reaching the world’s customer base
                                                                         tickets.                                            has changed, and sports, only in the past year or
                                                                                                                             two, are catching up. There’s still a long way to
                                                                         7. There has been a growth of “Every Man’s          go, but clearly, the best teams are those who can
                                                                         Clubs,” giving the average fan a place to meet,     navigate these social media trends:
                                                                         have a drink and watch the game from this club
                                                                         rather than in arena bowl seats.                    The rIse of soCIal MedIa
                                                                                                                             Social media usage to fill seats is on the rise and
                                                                         arChITeCTure/desIGn                                 is truly becoming a great way to generate new
                                                                         The Skinny: The days of multiple major building     business. For example: The Cleveland Indians
                                                                         openings have been over for the past four or five   not only keep an active Twitter and Facebook
                                                                         years. The public, in most cases, will no longer    presence but also created the “Indians Social
                                                                         cover a majority of the financing, and in some      Suite.” In this suite, six fans and their guests get
                                                                         cases, they won’t contribute to a new building      to attend a game for free in exchange for posting


16 | S E A T | www.alsd.com | #SEATWinter2012
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mium seat customer and expect to retain his or
                                                                                                                                              her business is no longer a sure thing. Teams are
                                                                                                                                              becoming more and more creative – especially
                                                                                                                                              on the premium side of the business – to provide
                                                                                                                                              customers with real added-value programs. Most
                                                                                                                                              of these programs revolve around access to the
                                                                                                                                              team’s players or access to events such as the
                                                                                                                                              Super Bowl or other major events within the
                                                                                                                                              team’s sport. Indeed, in an effort to justify high
                                                                                                                                              ticket prices and to combat against 21st Century
                                                                                                                                              high-definition TV, there has been an experien-
                                                                                                                                              tial component added for the fan at game time
                                                                                                                                              in which only the fan who attends can partake.
Lightning Rod: Added-value amenities continue to be used by teams to divert attention away from high ticket prices in a still slow economy.   L.A. LIVE, site of the 2011 ALSD Conference,
The Tampa Bay Lightning provide jerseys with a micro-chip embedded in the sleeve that provides merchandise and F&B discounts.                 is a leader in this area by adding in an entire
                                                                                                                                              “city” of restaurants, bars and entertainment op-
their great experience to their personal online                         ouTsourCInG sales                                                     tions for fans before and after the game. Inside
communities – an innovative use of excess                               Time was, most teams relied on their in-house                         the venue, fans willing to pay a few dollars more
inventory for sure. To read more on the Indians                         sales teams to control ticket and premium sales.                      (or a lot of dollars more) have access to exclusive
Social Suite, revisit the Summer 2011 issue of                          But a new trend, especially prominent in the                          dining areas far from the madding crowd.
SEAT.                                                                   college market, brings in outside sales teams to
   The Tribe is not the only team latching onto                         assist in the process. The service makes a great                      added value: aMenITIes Grow uP
the social media craze though. At the New                               deal of sense for colleges who previously relied                      and Grow ouT
Jersey Devils’ Prudential Center, they have                             on untested or untrained young salespeople to                         But there are other added-value programs
created a social media “Mission Control” room.                          make the calls. These outside groups specialize                       that have been developed by teams that go far
Within the confines of this room, the Devils                            in this process.                                                      beyond this. For example: The LA Dodgers al-
manage, observe and evaluate the club’s online                             Companies such as The Aspire Group from                            low club seat holders access to the teams empty
brand engagements. It is run by a team of 24                            Atlanta, Playbook International, IMG and                              suites a couple of times a year. And at Amway
socially adept fans who use outlets like Twitter,                       Legends utilize their own sales groups to sell                        Center, suites include an audio-visual set up for
Facebook and others to reach out and expand                             a specific product or service. One of the most                        presentations before, during or after the game.
the Devils brand.                                                       established of these firms, Leerfield, with a                         Also, the Tampa Bay Lightning provide seat
   Our final example, but certainly not last in                         recent capital injection from investors, is also                      holders merchandise and F&B discounts if they
the industry, is the activation of the New York                         making inroads in this space. Even the leagues                        wear a team jersey with a mirco-chip embedded
Jets social media outreach. According to Neilson                        are getting into the act with Major League Soc-                       in its sleeve.
research, the Jets rank tops in the NFL with an                         cer starting its own sales training center. Most
11.9% share of all NFL-related social media                             of its graduates end up selling for MLS teams.                        So there you have it – an overview of the trends
activity. This is due to dedicated content on their                     Additional information on the MLS National                            to test out this year. Now go kick some tires.
official website and daily interactions with fans                       Sales Center can be found on page 60.
via Twitter and Facebook.
                                                                        CusToMer servICe:
sales                                                                   reTenTIon and renewals                                                What new trends are you seeing in the venue marketplace?
The Skinny: Not much happens in the world                               The Skinny: Did you notice that college bowl                          Write to Bill at bill@alsd.com, and connect with him on
until someone sells something to someone else.                          game attendance is down? Did you notice that                          LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/pub/bill-dorsey/6/125/76a.
Nothing is more important to an organization                            teams are worried about the high price of tickets
than sales – ticket sales, sponsorship sales, F&B                       in a bad economy? The answer to gaining at-
sales, premium leases, radio and TV rights sales,                       tendance is adding value for the customer. It’s
national broadcasting sales, etc. It is the engine                      a huge trend and it takes on many, many forms.
that drives Team Machine. So it goes as no                              Here are some of them:
surprise that sales is always the top priority for
any team, and that teams can and do pay for the                         eXPerIenTIal MarkeTInG:
                                                                                                                                                CoMInG uP neXT:
best salespeople. There is always something new                         keePInG fans haPPy
                                                                                                                                                alsd MeMBer Q&a
in the sales area. This year, we select…                                The days when you can provide a jersey to a pre-


18 | S E A T | www.alsd.com | #SEATWinter2012
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AlSd MEMbEr Q&A
Question Topic:
how nBa TeaMs are                                                                                          A:
                                                                                                           •	 It starts with communication, which we’ve
handlInG The end of                                                                                           been active doing, making personal calls and
The loCkouT                                                                                                   setting appointments, so we can have face
                                                                                                              time with the clients. We want to let them

Q:                                                                                                            talk. It’s important for us to remain positive
                                                                                                              and show excitement for the upcoming
Regarding the sales and service of suites and                                                                 season.
club seats:                                                                                                •	 We moved forward with the loyalty rewards
 •	 How is your team/venue regaining the                                                                      program for partnerships, suite holders and
    loyalty of your customers?                                                                                season ticket holders. Some of the items we
 •	 What make-goods, new incentives or ameni-                                                                 offered were food & beverage credits, suite
    ties (if any) are being offered?                                                                          nights and money towards their 2012-2013
 •	 Did you have to give any money back or                                                                    renewal.
    credits for lost games? Explain.                                                                       •	 [Money back/credits] is an option accounts
 •	 How much concern is there moving forward                                                                  that made payments to us have.
    regarding the retention of clients post-                                                               •	 For the number of clients we have, the dam-
    lockout?                                           •	 We continue working on our make-good                age control has been minimal. The feedback
                                                          recommendations. Due to the wording in              we’ve received from our loyalty offers has

A:
 •	 We did not lose loyalty during the lockout.
                                                          our suite agreements, we have to see how
                                                          many playoff games are played between the
                                                          Bulls and Blackhawks to determine credits
                                                                                                              been very positive. Our front office staff is
                                                                                                              more than willing to speak with clients who
                                                                                                              we feel may benefit from speaking with the
    We continued to sell based on last year’s             and refunds. Thereafter, we will discuss fur-       decision makers.
    excitement along with lowering prices,                ther with our management team some of our
    guaranteeing money back for lost games and            potential make-goods for all our clients.        do you have a QuesTIon you would
    creating events for our season ticket holders      •	 Each of our clients is different – suites will   lIke To ask The alsd MeMBershIP?
    to keep them engaged.                                 receive license fee credits depending on         Let the ALSD help you reach all your fellow
 •	 For suite accounts, we provided four compli-          how many playoff games are played in 2012;       members at one time. We’ll help you find your
    mentary SRO tickets for all events through            Harris Club and Theater Boxes will receive       answers. That’s the true benefit of membership
    December 31, 2011. We created events at               a 2012 playoff credit if games are played;       – not ALSD Member Questions, but ALSD
    our building for our season ticket holders            otherwise, they will receive a credit for the    Member Answers.
    (basketball clinic, movie night, Halloween            2012-13 season.                                  Here’s how to submit your questions:
    event), and we treated them to the other           •	 Two years ago we started a Charter Member         •	 Send your Member Question exactly how
    events we have at our building like concerts          program for our long-time suite holders              you want it posted to members to Amanda
    and University of Memphis Tigers college              who have been with us for all 18 years we            Verhoff at amanda@alsd.com OR
    basketball.                                           have been at the United Center. Now we are        •	 Visit us on the web and submit your Mem-
 •	 Contractually, we were obligated to deduct            building on this program and adding a new            ber Question at www.alsd.com/content/
    varying amounts for each Grizzlies game               recognition program for 5/10/15-year suite           member-questions. Please note - members
    missed.                                               holders, somewhat like a rewards program,            must be logged in to www.ALSD.com to
 •	 We are in a bit of a different situation be-          but we don’t like calling it one. We are             submit questions.
    cause there is still so much excitement from          still working on the amenities list for each      •	 When submitting a question, include all
    last year’s incredible playoff run. We are in         category.                                            contact information, including your Name,
    the top three in new season ticket sales, and      •	 We hope and believe with our great cus-              Organization, Title, Address, Phone and
    our team is basically intact from last year. The      tomer service and, hopefully, with the success       Email Address, so respondents can reach you
    real damage control will be if the team does          of the teams, we will continue to have a high        in the way most appropriate to completely
    not perform to expectations.                          renewal rate like we have had in the past            answer the question.
                                                          years. We will meet individually with all of      •	 ALSD tracks all responses and archives

A:
 •	 We have had the good fortune of the
                                                          our suite holders up for renewal this year and
                                                          go over any concerns they may have about
                                                          this season and the future. We are always
                                                                                                               answers on www.ALSD.com.
                                                                                                            •	 Member Questions are sent to TEAM
                                                                                                               AND VENUE MEMBERS ONLY to
    Chicago Blackhawks playing here at the                communicating with our clients, so we                avoid solicitations.
    start of the season as well as having some            shouldn’t have any surprises when we meet
    great special events/concerts. Our customers          with them in the spring.                          CoMInG uP neXT:
    have been here but just not for NBA games.                                                              TICkeTMasTer enhanCes
    Therefore, we continue receiving their loyalty,                                                         fan eXPerIenCe wITh
    and we continue servicing the heck out of all                                                           faCeBook feaTure
    our accounts!


20 | S E A T | www.alsd.com | #SEATWinter2012
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Ticketmaster facebook feature enhances fan experience
The interactive seating map allows fans to control social aspects of the online buying experience

Editor’s Note: Special thanks to Chuck Salter, Senior                     key is to think of social media investments in
                                                                                                                                                according to Ticketmaster,
Writer, Fast Company (www.fastcompany.com)                                terms of the fan’s motivation to do four things*:
                                                                                                                                                 each time a ticket buyer


A
                                                                             1. Connect
       side from fan passion, what is the biggest                            2. Create
       influence on a fan’s decision to buy a                                3. Consume                                                          shares with facebook
       ticket? No, it’s not the price, the venue,                            4. Control                                                          friends that he or she
       the date or anything related to the event.                         Effective social media strategy motivates fans
With a qualified prospect willing, able and                               to connect with others, create content, and to                         is attending an event,
interested in buying, research tells us the biggest                       consume and control their online experiences.
factor is whether or not others close to the fan                          Each of these can be measured and linked to
                                                                                                                                                 the mention to others
want to attend. Over 98% of fans attend games                             purchases. Now there is an even better way to                          generates an average
with at least one other person. If no one else                            marry social media strategy with actual purchase
wants to go, neither will even the most passion-                          behavior.                                                              additional $5.30 in ticket
ate fan.                                                                     Ticketmaster’s new Facebook interface allows
   With the advent of digital social media, social                        fans to connect with friends, create content to
                                                                                                                                                 revenue.
effects are readily observed as fans post a Face-                         post, and control social aspects of the online
book status update (e.g. “Who else is going to                            buying experience. The interactive seating map
the game?”), upload pictures with others at the                           is available for events in over 300 entertainment                     Mr. Salter, whose article “Ticketmaster teams
event to Facebook or Flickr, and text or tweet                            venues. Chuck Salter, Senior Writer at Fast                           with Facebook so you can sit next to your
about the fun they’re having to impress others.                           Company, says Nathan Hubbard, Ticketmas-                              friends” recently appeared on www.fastcompany.
The question is, “How can sellers of sports                               ter’s CEO, expects the Ticketmaster Facebook                          com, we are able to present features and discuss
and entertainment capitalize on social media?”                            interface to be more widely used with sporting                        ways to make the application work for all teams
Expenditures on social media have uncertain                               events, because the seating maps don’t change                         and venues.
returns unless clear metrics are established. The                         the way they do with concerts. Working with
                                                                                                                                                ConversIon
                                                                                                                                                According to Ticketmaster, each time a ticket
                                                                                                                                                buyer shares with Facebook friends that he
                                                                                                                                                or she is attending an event, the mention to
                                                                                                                                                others generates an average additional $5.30
                                                                                                                                                in ticket revenue. Not unlike sporting events,
                                                                                                                                                such as Major League Baseball, an estimated 40
                                                                                                                                                percent of live event tickets go unsold. No mat-
                                                                                                                                                ter the level of unsold inventory, the enhanced
                                                                                                                                                Facebook connectivity increases the fan’s ability
                                                                                                                                                to connect and control more of the social experi-
                                                                                                                                                ence of attending an event. This digital word of
                                                                                                                                                mouth converts into measurable incremental
                                                                                                                                                revenue.

                                                                                                                                                ConTrol
                                                                                                                                                According to Debbie Hsu, Ticketmaster’s
                                                                                                                                                Director of Product Management, the interac-
                                                                                                                                                tive seat map allows fans to choose exact seats
                                                                                                                                                instead of relying on “best available” options.
                                                                                                                                                That level of control benefits Ticketmaster, the
                                                                                                                                                venue and the customer. By connecting to Face-
                                                                                                                                                book, fans can see where friends have purchased
                                                                                                                                                tickets, if fans tag their seats. Through social
                                                                                                                                                media campaigns, teams can encourage fans to
                                                                                                                                                connect and post as a way to demonstrate pas-
                                                                                                                                                                            [continued on page 76]
                                                                                                                                                *Hoffman, Donna L. and Marek Fodor (2010), “Can
 Under Control: Fans view a list of Facebook friends attending an event to the left of the venue's seat map, which displays Facebook flags in   you measure the ROI of your social media marketing?”
 the sections where friends are sitting.                                                                                                        MIT Sloan Management Review, 52 (Fall), 41-49.


22 | S E A T | www.alsd.com | #SEATWinter2012
What’s your
Wi-Fi done for
you lately?

             AT&T Wi-Fi Services provides the KEY to a complete integrated Wi-Fi infrastructure
             providing smooth, continuous connectivity throughout your stadium to keep your
             fans connected and offer the ultimate alternative to “Home Theater”.
             What’s your Wi-Fi doing for you?

             Let AT&T Wi-Fi Services take care of your technology needs—you focus on your guests.
                          Customized wireless design based                                   Quality of Service (QoS) &
                          on a proven methodology                                            Bandwidth Management
                            • Fully managed service model                                      • Access policy enforcement
                            • Site survey, design, and installation                            • Network security for POS
                            • Operation and support                                            • WAN/LAN traffic management
                            • Backhaul transport                                             Dedicated client services
                          Application enablement                                              • 24x7 Customer Support Center
                           • Mobile application development                                   • Venue customer support
                           • Co-branded splash pages                                          • Nationwide repair & maintenance
                           • Loyalty program integration


                                                            Contact 877-397-6931 for more details on how AT&T Wi-Fi
                                                            Services can help improve the experience at your facility.
                                                            Visit wi-fi_sales@att.com for more information.



©2011 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T, the AT&T logo and all other
marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated
companies. All other marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.
industry and association nEws
alsd evaluates fanvision in Cleveland’s dawg Pound
Ryan Mirabedini reports on his Cleveland Browns game experience with the fan-friendly handheld device




r
        arely for better and usually for worse, I
        am a Cleveland Browns fan. It’s no secret
        regarding their on-field struggles. Having
        said that, I love the team, and I love the
City of Cleveland. When I knew I would be
attending an October matchup against the Se-
attle Seahawks, I began to wonder how I could
improve my experience at the stadium. While
on the nerdy side, I have a fantasy football team
I care quite a bit about (they actually win), and
as many in this day and age do, I need to know
what’s happening across the league at all times.
Considering this, one name came to mind:
FanVision.
   After a few email exchanges, Matt Lukens,
Vice President of Business Development at
FanVision, very kindly coordinated my use of
their handheld unit at the game. Upon receiving
the FanVision from Natalie Zamora, FanVision
Regional Manager, I was instantly mesmerized.
With a 4.3-inch LCD display, it fit comfortably
in my lap and was easy to hold in my hands.
While I had previously seen the product at the
2011 ALSD Conference and Tradeshow, this
was my first in-game experience with one.
   As I settled into my seat in the Dawg Pound,
I began to notice the several features available.
With concern for the aforementioned fantasy
team, I was thrilled at what I saw. On the unit,
I was able to find each player on my team
and, subsequently, save them as my roster. My
assumption was that the stats would update,
which they did, but that’s not all. Throughout
the day, anytime one of “my players” scored, the
FanVision would buzz an alert, similar to a cell
phone notification. Complimented by access to
NFL Network’s Redzone, I was successfully able
to know what my players were doing and then
watch them do it. Talk about instant gratifica-
tion.
   While the fantasy feature was great during          be true for a suite holder or club seat patron       Bring the House Down: FanVision’s camera angles and instant
those pesky TV timeouts, other capabilities of         whose client he or she is entertaining is having     replays are only available through a FanVision unit in the venue,
the FanVision were useful during the game,             a great time but desperately wants to know if        providing stiff competition for the ever-improving home viewing
including FanVision’s customized cameras.              the rumor is true that Matt Ryan just broke his      experience.
Not only could I watch instant replays of the          ankle. While others struggle with lagging cell
action between the lines immediately after they        service, the administrator simply reaches for
happened, but I could also look at shots of the        their FanVision and shows that all is well with
sidelines as Colt McCoy wished aloud that he           the Atlanta QB1.
was six inches taller or as Pete Carroll ran the          So while the Browns 6-3 victory that day was
sidelines like Andy Dufresne running to free-          widely considered a setback to modern football,
dom outside of Shawshank State Prison. Bottom          my personal experience was one of enjoyment
line: I felt like I was sitting in every seat of the   and entertainment. Roar with the crowd: Check.
stadium at once plus on my couch at home.              Watch replays while the guy next to me scratch-
   The home viewing experience seems to be a           es his belly: Check. Have a fun fall afternoon by
common excuse for dwindling ticket sales where         Lake Erie made that much better by FanVision:
they exist, but with FanVision, those objections       Signed, Sealed and Delivered.
begin to disappear. I contend this would also                                           – Ryan Mirabedini


24 | S E A T | www.alsd.com | #SEATWinter2012
GIVE YOUR FANS
10 MORE REASONS
    TO CHEER.
  FanVision enhances your fans’ game-day experience by
  turning your venue into a smart venue. Now they can tap
  into ten channels of instant replays, multiple camera views,
  statistics, commentary and out-of-market games at your
  venue, the moment the action happens. Which means they
  get closer to the action than ever before, stay in their seats
  and return season after season.

  For more information, visit FanVision.com




                                                               Welcome to the Inside.
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SEAT Winter 2012

  • 1. THE 2012 ALSD CONFERENCE PROGRAM: Begin Planning Your Experience Now PAGE 38 S E AT LEADING THE PREMIUM SEAT INDUSTRY WWW.ALSD.COM WINTER 2012 P U B L I S H E D B Y T H E A S S O C I AT I O N O F L U X U R Y S U I T E D I R E C T O R S WHICH TRENDS IN THE VENUE MARKETPLACE CAN YOU BELIEVE IN? PAGE 14 F&B Trends: Facility Trend: Technology Trends: An Innovative Recipe The New Marlins Park Is Enhancing Sponsorships and Fan + Other Concessions Highlights Uniquely Miami Experiences with Mobile & IPTV PAGE 26 and PAGE 68 PAGE 32 PAGE 48 and PAGE 56
  • 2. The Preferred Stadium Brand of Undercounter Refrigeration ce Machines Wine Cellars Refrigerators Refrigerated Drawers ADA Series Ice Machines Wine Cellars Refrigerators Refrigerated Drawers ADA Series Contact us for details on our stadium programs and these Marvel’s exclusives! • Installation service • Stainless steel or your choice of color • Team logo graphics applied with SonicImageTM technology For more information on Marvel’s top of the line products, visit our website or call 1-800-223-3900 www.marvelrefrigeration.com
  • 3. Your Away Team Relax responsibly.® Imported by Crown Imports LLC, Chicago, IL 60603
  • 7. winter S E A T 2012 Published by the Association of Luxury Suite Directors FEATURES 38 ALSD 2012 CONFERENCE SCHEDULE OF EVENTS 2012 has arrived, and with it, the preliminary lineup for the 22nd Annual ALSD Conference and Tradeshow. This year’s show, themed The Community, will bring attendees sessions, roundtables, events, interactivity, participatory learning, and tours and receptions at three of the most top-notch venues in the country. Begin planning your experience in Minneapolis. 60 WHY SOCCER? WHY SALES? As part of its mission to grow a soccer nation, Major League Soccer is shaking out of the grassroots its own sales talent at its National Sales Center in Blaine, Minnesota. BY RYAN MIRABEDINI 64 PREMIUM SEAT SALES STRATEGIES AND BEST PRACTICES FROM A TEAM PERSPECTIVE 38 Last year, an ALSD survey was completed by 48 teams from MLB, the NBA, the NFL and the NHL to better understand today’s sales best practices. Is your organization following the industry standards? BY DR. PETER TITLEBAUM AND TODD C. KOESTERS, MSA, JD 68 CONCESSIONS, CATERING & HOSPITALITY TRENDS New concessions and catering solutions and products support the leading stadium and arena concessionaires, caterers and consultants to increase revenue for teams, clubs and venues. BY STEVE TRAIMAN SPORTS TECHNOLOGY CORNER 48 GILLETTE STADIUM’S PUTNAM CLUB INDULGES GUESTS IN HIGH-PERFORMANCE WI-FI At the home of the New England Patriots, a new wireless architecture 56 is enabling the creation and delivery of video content to mobile devices exclusively to members of the Putnam Club. 50 IT COLLABORATES WITH THE WORLD The ALSD has officially formed the Venue Technology Group (VTG). This year’s VTG program trains all the areas of the premium and gen- eral facility markets to better understand technology and to collaborate with IT Departments. 56 IPTV: THE INTERSECTION OF FAN EXPERIENCE AND SPONSOR EXCLUSIVITY Whether installed in an aging facility or a brand new, state-of-the-art venue, IPTV technology adds value to both corporate partnerships and the fan experience. BY BOB ROBLE 60 About the Cover: The new Marlins Park in Miami showcases many of the trends reported in this issue, including Sales, Technology, F&B, Design, and Customer Service innovations. Contents continues on overleaf #SEATWinter2012 | www.alsd.com | S E A T | 5
  • 8. winter S E A T 2012 ASSociATion of Luxury SuiTE DirEcTorS Chairman Bill Dorsey Executive Director Amanda Verhoff President Jennifer Ark, Green Bay Packers Published by the Association of Luxury Suite Directors VP, Business Development Pat McCaffrey Director, Sponsor and Partnership Development Dene Shiels Editor of SEAT and ALSD.com Jared Frank National Sales Manager Scott Hinzman Membership Director Ryan Mirabedini Design Carole Winters Art + Design Director of Finance Dan Lindeman Financial Account Manager Vickie Henke Director of Interactive Media John Tymoski ExECuTIVE CoMMITTEE Chris Bigelow, Bigelow Companies Brian Bucciarelli, Hershey Entertainment & Resorts Greg Hanrahan, united Center Tom Kaucic, Southern Wine & Spirits Pat McCaffrey, ALSD 32 Kim Reckley, Detroit Red Wings & olympia Entertainment BoARD oF DIRECToRS DEPARTMENTS Janie Boles, Auburn university Natalie Burbank, utah Jazz / Salt Lake Bees 8 NEW ALSD MEMBERS Richard Dobransky, Delaware North Companies Trent Dutry, uS Airways Center 12 ALSD STAFF EDITORIAL Chris Granger, National Basketball Association Editor’s Note MIke Guiffre BY JARED FRANK Adam Kellner, Chicago Bears State of the Association Gerald Kissel BY AMANDA VERHOFF Debbie Massa, RoI Consulting Trends in the Venue Marketplace from Scott O’Connell, Minnesota Twins Baseball Club 2011: Changes You Can Believe In? Mike Ondrejko, Legends Premium Sales 24 BY BILL DORSEY Richard Searls Tom Sheridan, Chicago White Sox Peter Titlebaum, university of Dayton 20 ALSD MEMBER Q&A VEnuE TEcHnoLoGy GrouP ALSD 2012 STEERING CoMMITTEE 22 INDUSTRY 2012 STEErinG AnD Sue Brown, Levy Restaurants AND ASSOCIATION NEWS Ticketmaster Facebook feature enhances confErEncE coMMiTTEE Britt Carlson, Minnesota Timberwolves Richard Dobransky, Delaware North Companies fan experience Matt Lukens, FanVision Rachael Johnson, Minnesota Wild ALSD evaluates FanVision in Cleveland’s Jim Ibister, Minnesota Wild Scott O’Connell, Minnesota Twins Baseball Club Dawg Pound Scott Jablonski, National Hockey League Tanesha Wade, university of Minnesota Athletics Mark DiMaurizio, Comcast-Spectacor Feature Recipe: TD Garden chef has John Tymoski, ALSD Published by Venue Pub. Inc. Copyright 2012. (All rights championship taste reserved). SEAT is a registered trademark of the Association Ron Contorno, Full House Entertainment Database of Luxury Suite Directors. SEAT is published quarterly and is Marketing complimentary to all members of the Association of Luxury 28 ON ALSD.COM Bobby Whitson, Whitson Sports Suite Directors. Jason Koettel, Legends Hospitality Management 30 MEMBER HIGHLIGHT John Avenson, Minnesota Twins Baseball Club SEAT visits with: Jason Coleman, orlando Magic Andrew Silverman Russell Scibetti, New York Jets Senior Vice President of Sales & Service Miami Marlins Association of Luxury Suite Directors BY JARED FRANK 10017 McKelvey Road, Cincinnati, oH 45231 513 674 0555 amanda@alsd.com 78 COMING ATTRACTIONS Please Recycle This Magazine 6 | S E A T | www.alsd.com | #SEATWinter2012
  • 10. nEW ALSD MEMbErS WinTEr 2012 Mike Setser Jarrod Dillon Scott McGinn Director of Corporate Suite Sales Vice President, Ticket Sales & Services Director of Sales San Antonio Spurs San Diego Padres Madison Square Garden one AT&T Center 100 Park Road 2 Penn Plaza, 14th Floor San Antonio, Tx 78219 San Diego, CA 92101 New York, NY 10121 P: 210-444-5644 P: 619-795-5080 P: 212-465-6647 msetser@attcenter.com jdillon@gmail.com scott.mcginn@thegarden.com Dustin Boyer Charlie Hillis Amy Hobbs Event Coordinator – Premium Seating Gift Card Manager Suite Services Manager university of Illinois Nike San Diego Chargers 1700 South Fourth Street one Bowerman Drive Po Box 609100 Champaign, IL 61820 Beaverton, oR 97005-6453 San Diego, CA 92160 P: 217-333-0516 P: 503-671-5819 P: 619-641-5117 dmboyer2@illinois.edu charlie.hillis@nike.com amy.hobbs@chargers.nfl.com Stan Macko Mitch Kluska Christina Leonard Group Sales & Premium Services Manager Premium Seating Sales Executive Premium Seating Specialist university of Central Florida Green Bay Packers Columbus Blue Jackets uCF Arena 1265 Lombardi Avenue Nationwide Arena Po Box 161500 Green Bay, WI 54304 200 W. Nationwide Blvd, Suite Level orlando, FL 32816 P: 920-569-7253 Columbus, oH 43215 P: 407-823-6062 kluskam@packers.com P: 614-246-4312 stan.macko@ucf.edu cleonard2@bluejackets.com Cherylee Cruz Valerie Mirelman National Accounts Specialist Kimberly Hobbs Group and Suite Service Coordinator Rosseto Director of Corporate Sales & Services Tampa Bay Rays 3600 West Pratt Avenue Sprint Center AEG one Tropicana Drive Lincolnwood, IL 60712 1407 Grand Boulevard St. Petersburg, FL 33705 cherylee@rosseto.com Kansas City, Mo 64106 P: 727-825-3345 P: 816-949-7146 vmirelman@raysbaseball.com Wayne Boydstun khobbs@sprintcenter.com Coo Chad Collard Fusion Imaging Mark Fasching Director of Group and Suite Sales 601 Boro Street Suite Sales Manager Tampa Bay Rays Kaysville, uT 84037 Minnesota Wild/MSE one Tropicana Drive wayneb@fusion-imaging.com 317 Washington Street St. Petersburg, FL 33705 St. Paul, MN 55102 P: 727-825-3238 Tamala Levin P: 651-602-5739 ccollard@raysbaseball.com Client Service Manager – Premium Club mfasching@wild.com TD Garden Brian Richeson 100 Legends Way Brittany Hilton Vice President of Sales & Service Boston, MA 02114 Premier Gameday Experiences Tampa Bay Rays P: 617-624-1825 Chicago Cubs one Tropicana Drive tlevin@dncboston.com 1060 W. Addison St. Petersburg, FL 33705 Chicago, IL 60613 P: 727-825-3193 Marissa Guziec P: 773-404-4142 bricheson@raysbaseball.com Suite Services Coordinator bhilton@cubs.com St. Louis Rams Justin Buck 901 N. Broadway Linda Deckard Suite Sales Account Executive St. Louis, Mo 63101 Publisher Tampa Bay Rays P: 314-425-0513 Venues Today Magazine one Tropicana Drive mguziec@rams.nfl.com Po Box 2540 St. Petersburg, FL 33705 Huntington Beach, CA 92647 P: 727-825-3361 Marc Sandoval linda@venuestoday.com jbuck@raysbaseball.com Director of Suites & Hospitality Kansas City Chiefs Greg Sweeny Leigh Castergine Arrowhead Stadium Design Director Vice President of Ticket Sales and Service one Arrowhead Drive Rossetti Architects New York Mets Kansas City, Mo 64129 Two Towne Square, Suite 20 Citi Field P: 816-920-4815 Southfield, MI 48076 New York, NY 11368 msandoval@chiefs.nfl.com P: 248-262-8300 P: 718-559-3134 gsweeny@rossetti.com lcastergine@nymets.com Jackie Norrie Manager of Partnerships Tony Reiner Trade Centre Limited Senior Designer 1800 Argyle Street, Suite 416 Rossetti Architects Halifax, NS B3J 2V9 Two Towne Square, Suite 20 Canada Southfield, MI 48076 P: 902-421-1302 x2246 P: 248-262-8300 jackie@tclns.com treiner@rossetti.com 8 | S E A T | www.alsd.com | #SEATWinter2012
  • 11. b o n i ta
  • 12. nEW ALSD MEMbErS WinTEr 2012 Matt Hathorne Christina Brandt Brian Sandy Senior Designer President Senior Director, Premium Sales and Service Rossetti Architects Service Ideas, Inc. Portland Trail Blazers Two Towne Square, Suite 20 2354 Ventura Drive one North Center Court, Suite 200 Southfield, MI 48076 Woodbury, MN 55125 Portland, oR 97227 P: 248-262-8300 P: 651-730-8800 P: 503-797-9656 mhathorne@rossetti.com tina@serviceideas.com brian.sandy@trailblazers.com Dima Daimi Andy Krawczyk Jared Kozinn Junior Designer Regional Sales Manager Manager, Ticket Sales & Service Rossetti Architects Service Ideas, Inc. San Francisco 49ers Two Towne Square, Suite 20 2354 Ventura Drive Candlestick Park Southfield, MI 48076 Woodbury, MN 55125 490 Jamestown Avenue, Suite 400 P: 248-262-8300 P: 651-379-3139 San Francisco, CA 94124 ddaimi@rossetti.com andy@serviceideas.com P: 415-494-0518 jared.kozinn@niners.nfl.net Tony Giacco Joe Krawczyk Junior Designer Director – Multi-Channel Sales Rob McCalebb Rossetti Architects Service Ideas, Inc. Director of Suite Sales & Service Two Towne Square, Suite 20 2354 Ventura Drive Palace Sports and Entertainment Southfield, MI 48076 Woodbury, MN 55125 4 Championship Drive P: 248-262-8300 P: 651-379-3127 Auburn Hills, MI 48236 tgiacco@rossetti.com joe@serviceideas.com P: 248-375-4062 rmccalebb@palacenet.com Sarah Bentley Melinda Coyer Restaurantware Director of Sales and Marketing David Frieberg 360 W. Illinois St, #605 CenturyLink Center/SMG Systems Administrator Chicago, IL 60654 2000 CenturyLink Center Drive oakland Athletics Baseball Co. P: 800-851-9273 Bossier City, LA 71112 7000 Coliseum Drive sarah@restaurantware.com P: 318-752-6730 oakland, CA 94621 mcoyer@centurylinkcenter.com P: 510-638-4900 Richard Rinella dfrieberg@oaklandathletics.com President Jake Wood Restaurantware Marketing Coordinator Arthur Bartell 360 W. Illinois St, #605 CenturyLink Center/SMG Group President Chicago, IL 60654 2000 CenturyLink Center Drive Proforma Big Dog Branding P: 800-851-9273 Bossier City, LA 71112 6550A East Bayaud Avenue rich@restaurantware.com P: 318-752-6731 Denver, Co 80224 jwood@centurylinkcenter.com P: 303-953-8104 Declan Duggan artbart@msn.com CEo/CMo Lorna Pierno Ellickson uSA Director, Marketing Programs Louis Pullano 9518 Deereco Road xirrus Assistant Professor Timonium, MD 21093 2101 Corporate Center Drive Johnson and Wales university P: 215-219-9203 Thousand oaks, CA 91320 8 Abbott Park Place declan@ellicksonusa.com P: 805-262-1652 Providence, RI 02903 lorna.pierno@xirrus.com P: 401-598-1358 Josh Goodman lpullano@jwu.edu CEo/Coo Nicola Meti Ellickson uSA D. English Tonatiuh Mejia Moysen 9518 Deereco Road 2520 St. Joseph Boulevard Managing Director Timonium, MD 21093 East Montreal, QC H1Y 2A2 Estadio de Futbol Monterrey josh@ellicksonusa.com Canada AV. Fundidora #501, Col obrera P: 514-890-1745 CINTERMEx Suite 43 Chris Blum nicola@denglish.com Monterrey, Nuevo Leon 64010 VP, Business Development – West MExICo Ellickson uSA Mario Struffolino P: 14481900 9518 Deereco Road D. English tonatiuh.mejia@femsa.com.mx Timonium, MD 21093 2520 St. Joseph Boulevard chris@ellicksonusa.com East Montreal, QC H1Y 2A2 Bob Beasley Canada Director of Sales Lindsay Valenty P: 514-890-1745 Indianapolis Motor Speedway Marketing Communications mario@denglish.com 4790 West 16th Street Service Ideas, Inc. Indianapolis, IN 46222 2354 Ventura Drive P: 317-492-6550 Woodbury, MN 55125 bbeasley@brickyard.com P: 651-379-3123 lindsay@serviceideas.com 10 | S E A T | www.alsd.com | #SEATWinter2012
  • 14. Editor’s notE by JarEd Frank Don’t accept decision science at face value T his first issue of SEAT in 2012 is what we’re calling our Trends Issue. Connect with me on Instead of addressing the State of the www.linkedin.com/in/jaredfrank Industry within the confines of 700 and follow me on words, as is normally done with this note this www.twitter.com/SEAT_Editor time of year, we’re summarizing those notewor- for daily updates. thy changes and new additions worth checking out in the marketplace throughout most of our Here is a sampling of my tweets: editorial and feature articles. A broad swab of these changes is found in Bill’s editorial (Trends in the Venue Market- The San Jose Earthquakes are selling suites for their place from 2011: Changes You Can Believe In?) proposed new stadium. The 12 field level suites will starting on page 14. Branching out from there, be a first in MLS and international football. we have articles on food and beverage trends, facility trends, social media trends, sales trends University of Louisville Athletics grew over 30% in and technology trends. I should point out that the past three years. The increase is largely due to we are not separating the wheat from the chaff luxury suite revenues at the KFC Yum! Center and in each story. Trends are meant to be tested, as Anything that contributes to the deterioration Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium. the quality of all of them is yet to be determined. of imagination should be handled with care. To an extent, we’re throwing them all up on the Understanding that a prospect that scores a five wall, and we’ll have to wait and see what sticks should be solicited before one that scores a two, Atletico Madrid unveils plans for new 70,000-seat as the year unfolds. Or as Bill likes to say, we in but not understanding the theory of how the stadium to replace Vicente Calderon starting in 2015. the industry need to “kick the tires” before any statistic is derived, or in some cases, why it is trend can be considered a best practice. derived doesn’t cut the mustard. How and why TD Ameritrade Park opens to profitability in its first I’d like to discuss another specific sportsbiz we do what we do is more important than what year. The new home of the College World Series trend made popular in 2011 – Moneyball. The we do. produced a $5.6 million net operating profit for the term, and the practice for that matter, isn’t new. So what’s the lesson here? Don’t use analyt- 2010-2011 fiscal year. Moneyball, the book, was first published in ics? Of course not. But don’t only take analytics 2003. But movies starring Brad Pitt have a way at face value. Use automated technology as an of achieving greater mainstream success than accelerator of business, not an igniter of busi- STAPLES Center was the top grossing arena in North books written by Michael Lewis. Now everyone, ness. Decisions should remain a blend of art and America in 2011 and the 7th highest in the world. including my mother, knows what Moneyball is. science and of human judgment and algorithms. In addition to its main tenants, the arena hosted 36 My take on the popularity of Moneyball – the Else our ability to reason and see beyond the concerts with 30 sellouts. practice, not the movie – is decidedly unpopular. superficial is lost. It glamorizes “decision science” – the belief that So be careful. If you have the magic bullet, The Texas Rangers are raising ticket prices for the analytics alone make the best business decisions. if you have the recipe for the secret sauce, you 2012 season. Club level seats are increasing to $66 Empirical gauges are very helpful in a number won’t forever. Old problems will always be for regular games, $74 for premier games. of ways. For example, for any business reliant on replaced by the same problems in new forms. sales for success (which is all of them), analytics And if we get to the point where we only know are vital for “scoring” leads and determining what button to push and when to push it, but we Cambodia’s first indoor stadium nears completion. those prospects most likely to buy. Any salesper- don’t know why we’re pushing it, when we “kick It includes a mezzanine level with lounge bar which son will tell you that they can’t survive without the new tires,” we won’t know what we’re even flanks a VIP box. picking from the low hanging fruit first. What testing for. bothers me is the thought that analytics alone USL’s Pittsburgh Riverhounds announce new 3,500- are increasingly responsible for decision-making. seat, multi-sport stadium project in Station Square. Eliminating bias and subjectivity from impor- How do you balance human judgment with analytics when tant decisions usually leads to positive outcomes. making decisions? I am the first to admit this verity. However, the Email me at jared@alsd.com. ALSD is going global! The ALSD will launch a new shine of Moneyball blinds us from an unstated global division and Premium Seat Seminar in admonition – numbers have a way of diminish- Also connect with me on social media (See Sidebar). partnership with TheStadiumBusiness Summit 2012 ing human curiosity. Accepting the numbers in Turin on May 15. isn’t enough for me. And frankly, it scares me. 12 | S E A T | www.alsd.com | #SEATWinter2012
  • 15. statE oF thE associaton by amanda vErhoFF The more we stay the same… The more we have to change A ssociations appear to outsiders to living in a vacuum. We have to recreate our own steadfastly stay the same. Year after touch point calendars and reinvest in our own year, it’s a show and membership improved benefits. It’s a balancing act for us, like and publications. But what outsiders it is for the teams, to not only hear all our clients don’t know is that the more things do remain but actually listen to them. the same, the more they actually have to change. And the reason is to keep you engaged. The overall PICTure It’s true – the ALSD will run a conference The association is healthy. Sure we’re tighten- this year; we will continue to produce SEAT ing our belt like anyone else these days. But we and Between the SEATs; we will continue to are on track for a great year. It’s up to us, at the ask for your venue’s contribution to the refer- ALSD, however to become the change we want ence manual; we will further develop our Venue to see. It’s why we send member questions; it’s Technology Group; and we will have all the why we have reinvented our technology division; leagues in attendance this year at a kick-ass it’s why we reach out to you even though we Minneapolis show. So what changes? Well noth- know you’re in-season and have more club seats ing… except everything. to sell than minutes in the day; and it’s why we Let me explain something first. An associa- will attend enough meeting planner shows to tion’s goal is two-fold: 1) To be the source for stay ahead of the curve. The goal is to exceed as- industry trends and best practices and 2) To sociation status quo, to reinvent our association be the leader in event planning. The ALSD for your benefit year after year. could put on a helluva fun show but fall short In the end, the change we’re after is going on content, or we could research all the right to knock your socks off. And contrary to what material but put on a bone dry event. The point weather reports are telling us now, you really is we have to master both and to do so, requires "sure we’re tightening our won’t need them in Minneapolis in July anyway! change each and every year. belt like anyone else these Think of the association this way: days. But we are on track The ConferenCe for a great year… The goal What other changes would you like to see in your association? The ALSD recreates dozens of conference ses- Write to Amanda at amanda@alsd.com, and connect with sions each year. Figuring out the most relevant is to exceed association her on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/amandakuntzverhoff. content comes first; finding fresh speakers fol- lows. Placing sessions into timeslots that make status quo, to reinvent our sense seems like an easy next step, but it’s a jug- association for your benefit gling act deciding which renewal session should compete with which loyalty session, and which year after year."  food and beverage session should compete with which new technology session. We reinvent the show’s structure and content each year; if you look closely, it’s hardly ever the same. Add to that, we have to change the venue tours each Service departments are pining for client loyalty year; admittedly, that’s the fun part though! We and turning to technology for customer man- love picking new cities, and the best venues tend agement tools. Food and beverage companies to lead us in the right direction every year. are encouraging patrons to order from digital menu boards and pay on mobile devices. Venues The IndusTry are transforming unsold suites into all-inclusive Something’s going on. It’s like the next genera- clubs or loges. tion of premium seating has arrived. Gone are Ultimately, the way teams are operating is just the days of sold-out suites and waiting lists for different than only a few years ago. Perhaps it’s 50-yard line seats. What’s going on just might the economy and its struggle to rebound from CoMInG uP neXT: be the paradigm shift we’ve been talking about 2008, but it seems as though the industry is try- The IndusTry Trends for a few years now. In 2012, suites and sponsor- ing to work smarter not harder. The ALSD has To TesT ouT In 2012 ships are becoming one department for some. to embrace that axiom too, and we can’t do so by #SEATWinter2012 | www.alsd.com | S E A T | 13
  • 16. EdiToriAl by bill dorSEy Trends in the venue marketplace from 2011: Changes you can believe in? C hange often sneaks up on you. Un- important because, as mentioned, many venues less a major event occurs, change do not have enough broadband capacity. has a way of slowly moving forward On premium levels, companies such as Xirrus step by step. Then, almost out of have added bandwidth for the club levels at the nowhere, something happens that everyone home of the New England Patriots, Gillette notices – a tipping point occurs. The Berlin Wall Stadium. By adding this additional streaming falls. So do Twin Towers. And change comes out power, club seat holders can now access in-game of the rubble. content and instant replays from multiple angles Change is very much like that in the venue on their mobile devices without worrying about and sports marketplaces. On the team side, having to buffer. It’s a terrific customer service teams keep changing players until out of the and one that appears to be the future for many rubble of a bad season, comes a winning com- venues across the country. Additional informa- bination. tion on Xirrus’ work at Gillette Stadium can be On the facility side, change happens found on page 48. incrementally too. But it might not be called “change.” Rather, on the facility side, it’s called TICkeTInG a “trend.” But what is a trend other than a series The Skinny: Ticketing is undergoing a renais- of incremental changes? sance. There are so many new things to consider: The following article takes a look at those paperless, phone tickets, seat upgrading, etc. incremental changes, or trends, which began There are new primary companies that have occurring in 2011 and which are occurring as we emerged, and mergers that have occurred. There write. There is no guarantee that the trends will are new secondary companies that are making continue in 2012. Trends are like tires which are inroads in primary space. There are a fair number kicked on a car; they are tested out before they of new value buys like Groupon, Goldstar, are driven. Entrepreneurial companies are always ScoreBig, etc. There are pre-sells, package deals kicking tires. for VIPs, fan travel companies, suite sharing and That’s how to view the following article – as wants to be connected. Everyone is tweeting, fractionalization. In a word, ticketing is confus- trends that are making headway into the sports facebooking, texting and emailing, and there are ing. It’s also complicated. But a couple trends venue marketplace. It’s good to know them be- too many places and too many times where this seem to be catching on. Consider: cause you may want to “kick some tires” on your can’t happen. own. But then again, they are trends, not dogma. The situation is worse when the teams them- dynaMIC PrICInG Read on and decide which trends you believe are selves rely on apps for their fans to order food, to The primary ticketing industry, as opposed to worth testing. purchase tickets, to view replays, player updates the secondary market re-sellers, leave a great We’ve broken up the trends into categories: and other scores from other games. If there is deal of money on the table by pricing their tick- Technology, Ticketing, Food & Beverage, a trend that is nearly a certainty in the coming ets too low or too high. It’s extremely difficult to Architecture/Design, Social Media, Sales and year(s), it is the need to increase bandwidth in judge supply and demand curves before a season Customer Service/Retention. venues across the country. And there is a race to begins. But that’s what most primary ticket sell- do so within the big infrastracture companies: ers have to do; they have to decide on the price TeChnoloGy Cisco, Harris, AT&T, Xirrus, etc. of the game far in advance. The Skinny: Technology is becoming the major There are many examples of successful Dynamic pricing – the ability to price a game topic for the venue marketplace. Nearly every companies and/or venues adding broadband or ticket based on a game-by-game demand – is part of the business requires technology, and IT/ Wi-Fi services to their venues. One example: clearly becoming more popular with teams. For CIO types are prospering in the space. And if LIVESTRONG Sporting Park, Sport- one, by getting the ticket price more connected there is one area that affects all other areas, it is: ing KC’s new stadium, has generally received with reality, it increases team revenues and de- rave reviews for its many innovative ideas. So creases (at least theoretically) the demand on the BroadBand for The Masses much so that the team recently formed its own secondary side. Barry Kahn’s Qcue is perhaps Having trouble getting your cell phone to work technology division called Sporting Innovations. the best known of these types of companies, and in large venues? You are not alone. This is clearly Reportedly, many teams and leagues have visited they claim a fairly high percentage of upsell. It’s a case of broadband technology not being able the facility to see the latest and greatest in something that has started slowly but is clearly to keep up with the huge number of people in technology. One area that has drawn particular gaining momentum. venues. Think about the enormity of the issue interest is Sporting Innovations’ ability to pro- these days. The games are long. And everyone vide broadband to the masses. This is extremely 14 | S E A T | www.alsd.com | #SEATWinter2012
  • 17. food and BeveraGe The Skinny: Food and Beverage is a $2.5 billion line item for just the premium seat marketplace alone. Big F&B companies, the really big ones, are larger than the leagues they service. There is probably no one area that potentially angers fans more than bad customer service, or bad food, or long lines, or outrageous pricing. This affects how teams keep their customers happy. So F&B is a huge deal. Below are the trends we see continuing to develop in 2012… There are a lot of F&B innovations with no one area that clearly is the leader. In general, the F&B innovations tend to revolve around increasing customer satisfaction. Companies like Grin On and Niagara Fast Tap speed up the number of drinks that can be served thereby decreasing wait times. Bypass Lane is another company that helps speed up food ordering by enabling fans to place food orders with their smartphones and bypass the concession lines. Food ordering systems in suites on mobile de- vices and on video boards assist with helping the consumer which makes processes quicker, more efficient and easier. Perhaps the major trend that has made its way into most venues in some form is all- inclusive food and beverage in premium areas. This usually does not include alcohol except in the most expensive sections. Some other new trends include: 1. Andrew Shipe, VP of Culinary & Market- ing at ARAMARK, says the company keeps a very close watch on what is popular in a can create a great hanger steak versus a more Top: If a venue has enough broadband capacity, fans can use their particular part of the country to try and please expensive cut. mobile devices to talk, text, tweet and access exclusive content only their audience. For example: See what the local available at the live event, and not at home on the couch. Bottom: Many venues are adding or have plans to add club areas food trucks are doing, and try to either create 3. There is also a trend to go to comfort food accessible to all fans, providing some kind of premium experience something similar inside the venue or bring in "with a twist,” says Shipe. For example: Mac and for all only available in the stadium or arena. the actual brand itself. ARAMARK has brought Cheese with lobster, or grilled cheese topped in popular trucks that make wood fire pizzas or with short ribs, or bread pudding combined with tacos in particular markets. They capitalize on tasty cakes. the trend to go open-air cooking as well, says Shipe. The key is tracking what is popular and 4. Food trends also change depending upon then re-creating the experience. who is being served. For example: Millenni- als have grown up with flavored waters and 2. There are trends in the actual food served craft beers. As for wine, they like both reds as well, says Shipe. For example: With high and whites with a sweet tooth. For reds, they commodity prices, it's clear that many are cut- are trending away from traditional Pinots to ting back on expensive food costs. According Malbecs, and for whites, to Moscatos. "This is to Shipe though, if prepared properly, a chef what the Millennials are buying," says Shipe. #SEATWinter2012 | www.alsd.com | S E A T | 15
  • 18. at all. And further, many new buildings have already been constructed, so there isn’t as great a need for them. But the architectural industry is the ultimate creator in the space. There is not one other group that pays attention to new developments more than Big Architecture. Their livelihood depends upon it. So what is new in the space? Read on… The Brave new world of renovaTIons With new stadium referendums not passing these days, many new stadiums are choosing to upgrade their existing venues with renovations. This has been going on for several years now, but if there is a trend in the business now, it is that the renovation work is getting better. In many cases, if not most, the refurbished space is better than the original. Witness the recent renovations in Kansas City for the Chiefs and the Royals – beautiful new concourses and beautiful new spaces in the same building. The Tampa Bay Lightning are in the midst of completing a similar terrific renova- tion, as outlined in the Fall 2011 issue of SEAT. It’s not only entire buildings and huge reno- vations that are taking place in the space. There are a number of new design/build firms who are making their mark in many buildings. These are companies who might be hired by teams, F&B companies or even sponsors of spaces to build out areas in the venue. Leaders in this space include Dimensional Innovations, Rip Bang and Top: Teams, such as the Cleveland Indians and their “Social Suite” “We continually check with restaurants, wine Mortenson along with the usual suspects from seen here, are embracing social media to generate new sales, new and spirits stores to see what is selling.” the architectural companies: Populous, Rossetti, uses for excess inventory, and new experiences for their fans. Aecom, DLR, HKS, 360, Brook Beynon Mur- Bottom: The design side of the marketplace is being driven by 5. F&B companies are increasing the number of ray, HNTB, Heery, etc. renovation. Large-scale projects as well as smaller areas, such as the chefs they are hiring. one seen here at Lucas Oil Stadium, are being built out by teams, soCIal MedIa F&B companies and sponsors to engage fans. 6. Teams are using F&B as a loss leader to sell The Skinny: Reaching the world’s customer base tickets. has changed, and sports, only in the past year or two, are catching up. There’s still a long way to 7. There has been a growth of “Every Man’s go, but clearly, the best teams are those who can Clubs,” giving the average fan a place to meet, navigate these social media trends: have a drink and watch the game from this club rather than in arena bowl seats. The rIse of soCIal MedIa Social media usage to fill seats is on the rise and arChITeCTure/desIGn is truly becoming a great way to generate new The Skinny: The days of multiple major building business. For example: The Cleveland Indians openings have been over for the past four or five not only keep an active Twitter and Facebook years. The public, in most cases, will no longer presence but also created the “Indians Social cover a majority of the financing, and in some Suite.” In this suite, six fans and their guests get cases, they won’t contribute to a new building to attend a game for free in exchange for posting 16 | S E A T | www.alsd.com | #SEATWinter2012
  • 19. Create a suite experience. Swirl Tables®, created with an original handcrafted artistry, are the perfect solution for sophisticated and linenless luxury suite settings. Designed to enhance the most memorable events, Swirl Tables® add a unique element to your décor. caster tables serpentine tables cocktail tables lighted XCube tables www.southernaluminum.com/golinenless
  • 20. mium seat customer and expect to retain his or her business is no longer a sure thing. Teams are becoming more and more creative – especially on the premium side of the business – to provide customers with real added-value programs. Most of these programs revolve around access to the team’s players or access to events such as the Super Bowl or other major events within the team’s sport. Indeed, in an effort to justify high ticket prices and to combat against 21st Century high-definition TV, there has been an experien- tial component added for the fan at game time in which only the fan who attends can partake. Lightning Rod: Added-value amenities continue to be used by teams to divert attention away from high ticket prices in a still slow economy. L.A. LIVE, site of the 2011 ALSD Conference, The Tampa Bay Lightning provide jerseys with a micro-chip embedded in the sleeve that provides merchandise and F&B discounts. is a leader in this area by adding in an entire “city” of restaurants, bars and entertainment op- their great experience to their personal online ouTsourCInG sales tions for fans before and after the game. Inside communities – an innovative use of excess Time was, most teams relied on their in-house the venue, fans willing to pay a few dollars more inventory for sure. To read more on the Indians sales teams to control ticket and premium sales. (or a lot of dollars more) have access to exclusive Social Suite, revisit the Summer 2011 issue of But a new trend, especially prominent in the dining areas far from the madding crowd. SEAT. college market, brings in outside sales teams to The Tribe is not the only team latching onto assist in the process. The service makes a great added value: aMenITIes Grow uP the social media craze though. At the New deal of sense for colleges who previously relied and Grow ouT Jersey Devils’ Prudential Center, they have on untested or untrained young salespeople to But there are other added-value programs created a social media “Mission Control” room. make the calls. These outside groups specialize that have been developed by teams that go far Within the confines of this room, the Devils in this process. beyond this. For example: The LA Dodgers al- manage, observe and evaluate the club’s online Companies such as The Aspire Group from low club seat holders access to the teams empty brand engagements. It is run by a team of 24 Atlanta, Playbook International, IMG and suites a couple of times a year. And at Amway socially adept fans who use outlets like Twitter, Legends utilize their own sales groups to sell Center, suites include an audio-visual set up for Facebook and others to reach out and expand a specific product or service. One of the most presentations before, during or after the game. the Devils brand. established of these firms, Leerfield, with a Also, the Tampa Bay Lightning provide seat Our final example, but certainly not last in recent capital injection from investors, is also holders merchandise and F&B discounts if they the industry, is the activation of the New York making inroads in this space. Even the leagues wear a team jersey with a mirco-chip embedded Jets social media outreach. According to Neilson are getting into the act with Major League Soc- in its sleeve. research, the Jets rank tops in the NFL with an cer starting its own sales training center. Most 11.9% share of all NFL-related social media of its graduates end up selling for MLS teams. So there you have it – an overview of the trends activity. This is due to dedicated content on their Additional information on the MLS National to test out this year. Now go kick some tires. official website and daily interactions with fans Sales Center can be found on page 60. via Twitter and Facebook. CusToMer servICe: sales reTenTIon and renewals What new trends are you seeing in the venue marketplace? The Skinny: Not much happens in the world The Skinny: Did you notice that college bowl Write to Bill at bill@alsd.com, and connect with him on until someone sells something to someone else. game attendance is down? Did you notice that LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/pub/bill-dorsey/6/125/76a. Nothing is more important to an organization teams are worried about the high price of tickets than sales – ticket sales, sponsorship sales, F&B in a bad economy? The answer to gaining at- sales, premium leases, radio and TV rights sales, tendance is adding value for the customer. It’s national broadcasting sales, etc. It is the engine a huge trend and it takes on many, many forms. that drives Team Machine. So it goes as no Here are some of them: surprise that sales is always the top priority for any team, and that teams can and do pay for the eXPerIenTIal MarkeTInG: CoMInG uP neXT: best salespeople. There is always something new keePInG fans haPPy alsd MeMBer Q&a in the sales area. This year, we select… The days when you can provide a jersey to a pre- 18 | S E A T | www.alsd.com | #SEATWinter2012
  • 21. always the best seat... Find the perfect seat for every venue at Dauphin! Advanced in form and technology, we provide innovative furnishing solutions to meet a variety of changing needs. Offer everyone superior comfort while catering to different styles and price points through our product offerings suitable for multiple settings. innovative furnishings for dynamic spaces 800.631.1186 • www.dauphin.com
  • 22. AlSd MEMbEr Q&A Question Topic: how nBa TeaMs are A: • It starts with communication, which we’ve handlInG The end of been active doing, making personal calls and The loCkouT setting appointments, so we can have face time with the clients. We want to let them Q: talk. It’s important for us to remain positive and show excitement for the upcoming Regarding the sales and service of suites and season. club seats: • We moved forward with the loyalty rewards • How is your team/venue regaining the program for partnerships, suite holders and loyalty of your customers? season ticket holders. Some of the items we • What make-goods, new incentives or ameni- offered were food & beverage credits, suite ties (if any) are being offered? nights and money towards their 2012-2013 • Did you have to give any money back or renewal. credits for lost games? Explain. • [Money back/credits] is an option accounts • How much concern is there moving forward that made payments to us have. regarding the retention of clients post- • For the number of clients we have, the dam- lockout? • We continue working on our make-good age control has been minimal. The feedback recommendations. Due to the wording in we’ve received from our loyalty offers has A: • We did not lose loyalty during the lockout. our suite agreements, we have to see how many playoff games are played between the Bulls and Blackhawks to determine credits been very positive. Our front office staff is more than willing to speak with clients who we feel may benefit from speaking with the We continued to sell based on last year’s and refunds. Thereafter, we will discuss fur- decision makers. excitement along with lowering prices, ther with our management team some of our guaranteeing money back for lost games and potential make-goods for all our clients. do you have a QuesTIon you would creating events for our season ticket holders • Each of our clients is different – suites will lIke To ask The alsd MeMBershIP? to keep them engaged. receive license fee credits depending on Let the ALSD help you reach all your fellow • For suite accounts, we provided four compli- how many playoff games are played in 2012; members at one time. We’ll help you find your mentary SRO tickets for all events through Harris Club and Theater Boxes will receive answers. That’s the true benefit of membership December 31, 2011. We created events at a 2012 playoff credit if games are played; – not ALSD Member Questions, but ALSD our building for our season ticket holders otherwise, they will receive a credit for the Member Answers. (basketball clinic, movie night, Halloween 2012-13 season. Here’s how to submit your questions: event), and we treated them to the other • Two years ago we started a Charter Member • Send your Member Question exactly how events we have at our building like concerts program for our long-time suite holders you want it posted to members to Amanda and University of Memphis Tigers college who have been with us for all 18 years we Verhoff at amanda@alsd.com OR basketball. have been at the United Center. Now we are • Visit us on the web and submit your Mem- • Contractually, we were obligated to deduct building on this program and adding a new ber Question at www.alsd.com/content/ varying amounts for each Grizzlies game recognition program for 5/10/15-year suite member-questions. Please note - members missed. holders, somewhat like a rewards program, must be logged in to www.ALSD.com to • We are in a bit of a different situation be- but we don’t like calling it one. We are submit questions. cause there is still so much excitement from still working on the amenities list for each • When submitting a question, include all last year’s incredible playoff run. We are in category. contact information, including your Name, the top three in new season ticket sales, and • We hope and believe with our great cus- Organization, Title, Address, Phone and our team is basically intact from last year. The tomer service and, hopefully, with the success Email Address, so respondents can reach you real damage control will be if the team does of the teams, we will continue to have a high in the way most appropriate to completely not perform to expectations. renewal rate like we have had in the past answer the question. years. We will meet individually with all of • ALSD tracks all responses and archives A: • We have had the good fortune of the our suite holders up for renewal this year and go over any concerns they may have about this season and the future. We are always answers on www.ALSD.com. • Member Questions are sent to TEAM AND VENUE MEMBERS ONLY to Chicago Blackhawks playing here at the communicating with our clients, so we avoid solicitations. start of the season as well as having some shouldn’t have any surprises when we meet great special events/concerts. Our customers with them in the spring. CoMInG uP neXT: have been here but just not for NBA games. TICkeTMasTer enhanCes Therefore, we continue receiving their loyalty, fan eXPerIenCe wITh and we continue servicing the heck out of all faCeBook feaTure our accounts! 20 | S E A T | www.alsd.com | #SEATWinter2012
  • 23. While your team is winning the game, Agilysys helps you win the crowd. Wants a beer but doesn’t want to miss the action. Use mobile POS to pre-order and bust the queue. Halftime starting in four minutes and stadium network has just crashed. Still serve three times as many customers off-line with easy-to-use POS. Pre-ordered four vegetarian plates for luxury suite. Automatically adjust catering inventory. Agilysys solutions provide you with total control of your retail and food & beverage operations—so you can simplify management and improve revenue stadium-wide. Provide faster, more accurate service in luxury suites and club sections with mobile POS devices. Speed up concession lines and increase sales volumes with easy-to-use POS terminals. Maintain accurate inventory of every concession, bar, restaurant, caterer and fan shop—in real time— during your events. And improve planning with in-depth analytics and superior reporting capabilities. It’s everything you need to simplify operations and boost your bottom line—only from Agilysys. Find out what Agilysys can do for you. Call 1-877-374-4783 or email hsgsales@agilysys.com | www.agilysys.com Agilysys solutions include:
  • 24. industry and association nEws TD Garden chef has championship taste, p.26 Member Highlight: Andrew Silverman, p.30 Ticketmaster facebook feature enhances fan experience The interactive seating map allows fans to control social aspects of the online buying experience Editor’s Note: Special thanks to Chuck Salter, Senior key is to think of social media investments in according to Ticketmaster, Writer, Fast Company (www.fastcompany.com) terms of the fan’s motivation to do four things*: each time a ticket buyer A 1. Connect side from fan passion, what is the biggest 2. Create influence on a fan’s decision to buy a 3. Consume shares with facebook ticket? No, it’s not the price, the venue, 4. Control friends that he or she the date or anything related to the event. Effective social media strategy motivates fans With a qualified prospect willing, able and to connect with others, create content, and to is attending an event, interested in buying, research tells us the biggest consume and control their online experiences. factor is whether or not others close to the fan Each of these can be measured and linked to the mention to others want to attend. Over 98% of fans attend games purchases. Now there is an even better way to generates an average with at least one other person. If no one else marry social media strategy with actual purchase wants to go, neither will even the most passion- behavior. additional $5.30 in ticket ate fan. Ticketmaster’s new Facebook interface allows With the advent of digital social media, social fans to connect with friends, create content to revenue. effects are readily observed as fans post a Face- post, and control social aspects of the online book status update (e.g. “Who else is going to buying experience. The interactive seating map the game?”), upload pictures with others at the is available for events in over 300 entertainment Mr. Salter, whose article “Ticketmaster teams event to Facebook or Flickr, and text or tweet venues. Chuck Salter, Senior Writer at Fast with Facebook so you can sit next to your about the fun they’re having to impress others. Company, says Nathan Hubbard, Ticketmas- friends” recently appeared on www.fastcompany. The question is, “How can sellers of sports ter’s CEO, expects the Ticketmaster Facebook com, we are able to present features and discuss and entertainment capitalize on social media?” interface to be more widely used with sporting ways to make the application work for all teams Expenditures on social media have uncertain events, because the seating maps don’t change and venues. returns unless clear metrics are established. The the way they do with concerts. Working with ConversIon According to Ticketmaster, each time a ticket buyer shares with Facebook friends that he or she is attending an event, the mention to others generates an average additional $5.30 in ticket revenue. Not unlike sporting events, such as Major League Baseball, an estimated 40 percent of live event tickets go unsold. No mat- ter the level of unsold inventory, the enhanced Facebook connectivity increases the fan’s ability to connect and control more of the social experi- ence of attending an event. This digital word of mouth converts into measurable incremental revenue. ConTrol According to Debbie Hsu, Ticketmaster’s Director of Product Management, the interac- tive seat map allows fans to choose exact seats instead of relying on “best available” options. That level of control benefits Ticketmaster, the venue and the customer. By connecting to Face- book, fans can see where friends have purchased tickets, if fans tag their seats. Through social media campaigns, teams can encourage fans to connect and post as a way to demonstrate pas- [continued on page 76] *Hoffman, Donna L. and Marek Fodor (2010), “Can Under Control: Fans view a list of Facebook friends attending an event to the left of the venue's seat map, which displays Facebook flags in you measure the ROI of your social media marketing?” the sections where friends are sitting. MIT Sloan Management Review, 52 (Fall), 41-49. 22 | S E A T | www.alsd.com | #SEATWinter2012
  • 25. What’s your Wi-Fi done for you lately? AT&T Wi-Fi Services provides the KEY to a complete integrated Wi-Fi infrastructure providing smooth, continuous connectivity throughout your stadium to keep your fans connected and offer the ultimate alternative to “Home Theater”. What’s your Wi-Fi doing for you? Let AT&T Wi-Fi Services take care of your technology needs—you focus on your guests. Customized wireless design based Quality of Service (QoS) & on a proven methodology Bandwidth Management • Fully managed service model • Access policy enforcement • Site survey, design, and installation • Network security for POS • Operation and support • WAN/LAN traffic management • Backhaul transport Dedicated client services Application enablement • 24x7 Customer Support Center • Mobile application development • Venue customer support • Co-branded splash pages • Nationwide repair & maintenance • Loyalty program integration Contact 877-397-6931 for more details on how AT&T Wi-Fi Services can help improve the experience at your facility. Visit wi-fi_sales@att.com for more information. ©2011 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T, the AT&T logo and all other marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. All other marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.
  • 26. industry and association nEws alsd evaluates fanvision in Cleveland’s dawg Pound Ryan Mirabedini reports on his Cleveland Browns game experience with the fan-friendly handheld device r arely for better and usually for worse, I am a Cleveland Browns fan. It’s no secret regarding their on-field struggles. Having said that, I love the team, and I love the City of Cleveland. When I knew I would be attending an October matchup against the Se- attle Seahawks, I began to wonder how I could improve my experience at the stadium. While on the nerdy side, I have a fantasy football team I care quite a bit about (they actually win), and as many in this day and age do, I need to know what’s happening across the league at all times. Considering this, one name came to mind: FanVision. After a few email exchanges, Matt Lukens, Vice President of Business Development at FanVision, very kindly coordinated my use of their handheld unit at the game. Upon receiving the FanVision from Natalie Zamora, FanVision Regional Manager, I was instantly mesmerized. With a 4.3-inch LCD display, it fit comfortably in my lap and was easy to hold in my hands. While I had previously seen the product at the 2011 ALSD Conference and Tradeshow, this was my first in-game experience with one. As I settled into my seat in the Dawg Pound, I began to notice the several features available. With concern for the aforementioned fantasy team, I was thrilled at what I saw. On the unit, I was able to find each player on my team and, subsequently, save them as my roster. My assumption was that the stats would update, which they did, but that’s not all. Throughout the day, anytime one of “my players” scored, the FanVision would buzz an alert, similar to a cell phone notification. Complimented by access to NFL Network’s Redzone, I was successfully able to know what my players were doing and then watch them do it. Talk about instant gratifica- tion. While the fantasy feature was great during be true for a suite holder or club seat patron Bring the House Down: FanVision’s camera angles and instant those pesky TV timeouts, other capabilities of whose client he or she is entertaining is having replays are only available through a FanVision unit in the venue, the FanVision were useful during the game, a great time but desperately wants to know if providing stiff competition for the ever-improving home viewing including FanVision’s customized cameras. the rumor is true that Matt Ryan just broke his experience. Not only could I watch instant replays of the ankle. While others struggle with lagging cell action between the lines immediately after they service, the administrator simply reaches for happened, but I could also look at shots of the their FanVision and shows that all is well with sidelines as Colt McCoy wished aloud that he the Atlanta QB1. was six inches taller or as Pete Carroll ran the So while the Browns 6-3 victory that day was sidelines like Andy Dufresne running to free- widely considered a setback to modern football, dom outside of Shawshank State Prison. Bottom my personal experience was one of enjoyment line: I felt like I was sitting in every seat of the and entertainment. Roar with the crowd: Check. stadium at once plus on my couch at home. Watch replays while the guy next to me scratch- The home viewing experience seems to be a es his belly: Check. Have a fun fall afternoon by common excuse for dwindling ticket sales where Lake Erie made that much better by FanVision: they exist, but with FanVision, those objections Signed, Sealed and Delivered. begin to disappear. I contend this would also – Ryan Mirabedini 24 | S E A T | www.alsd.com | #SEATWinter2012
  • 27. GIVE YOUR FANS 10 MORE REASONS TO CHEER. FanVision enhances your fans’ game-day experience by turning your venue into a smart venue. Now they can tap into ten channels of instant replays, multiple camera views, statistics, commentary and out-of-market games at your venue, the moment the action happens. Which means they get closer to the action than ever before, stay in their seats and return season after season. For more information, visit FanVision.com Welcome to the Inside.