#we do a playoff every annual concert right

[antisocialgaycat]

oh my GOD you guys another tutor at my choir has left

i didnt know until she came onstage after the performane with a bouquet and i looked to the girl next to me and we both were like... shit

she got a standing ovation tho so that was lovely

[davewakeman]

2 Thoughts On Sports Business, Tickets, and Live Entertainment Right Now

Like a lot of folks, I’m curious about how long this shutdown in life is going to be and what the implications of this battle with the coronavirus is going to mean for our country going forward.

As a big Peter Drucker fan, I’m also not inclined to sit around and just wait for things to come my way, I’m keen to take action based on where I am today and the “future that has already happened.”

So I want to share a two things with you today about what I think the future of the world of tickets and entertainment heads.

What does the new normal look like? 

A lot of the conversations I have had over the last 10-14 days have had a general direction of, ���back to normal” or “live events will come roaring back.”

My thinking is: “what if that isn’t true?”

Out of any big change, a new reality is born.

One executive I spoke with highlighted the reality that since the 2008 financial crisis, the market for tickets and live events hasn’t ever recovered. Or, the recovery has been in fits and starts.

And, as we deal with a health crisis and a financial one, we are not doing our jobs if we don’t ask ourselves what the new normal will really look like.

There was a book that I read around 2010, I believe, called This Time Is Different. 

The book talked about, if I am remembering correctly, the folly of how each financial crisis looks incredibly similar and how prognosticators are always telling you that it is entirely unique.

Which, I guess, is a valid point even if I am missing the key takeaway from the book.

The point being that we are all likely trying to wrap our head around things in a way that is comforting, even if we were unhappy with the way things were going, with getting back to normal.

Why?

Because normal we can deal with, am I right?

The uncertainty is unsettling, absolutely.

But how can we be realistic in looking at this time of crisis and think through what the implications are going to be?

To create a complete thought around this likely requires an entire book, but I think it begins by questioning the assumptions that have held us up for the last decade or so and to question what we are dealing with, how it will change us, and what that means.

For the world of entertainment and tickets, I’ll point to three things I’m thinking about:

How is this virus and the economic impact of it changing us? 

First, it is obviously making us cautious about crowds in a lot of ways.

Second, being physically distant from others is strange.

Third, the financial repercussions are likely to be harmful to a lot of folks and we were already in an environment where people were being priced out of events and entertainment in a lot of ways.

1. Does this crisis change our business models?

One thing I know for sure is that most of the growth in the live entertainment business the last few years has been heavily weighted on the fact that certain events or sections were able to command much larger prices.

Why is that?

Consolidation, secondary market, corporate buyers, and more. But the financial impact of the crisis is likely to change that dynamic…how does that change our business models?

2. What are our non-customers doing? 

Let’s face it, using any metric you’d like, most folks aren’t our customer. In fact, I think it is safe to say that if you look at most events and entertainment options, the market share is incredibly small.

Why?

An incomplete list includes:

Value

Price

Marketing

Access

The reality is that before this crisis, 90%+ of folks in America likely weren’t paying attention to Major League Baseball at all. For that matter, the NBA, the NHL, MLS, or, minus the Super Bowl, the NFL.

Why?

This question and answer becomes much more important going forward because no matter what a crisis, economic or health, changes us. It changes how we engage with the world and it changes what we value, at least in the short term.

Does this mean folks will rush back to ballparks, arenas, and stadiums? Or, does rushing back into the community and finding ways to come together and be around people mean that folks are going to rush into parks, community gatherings, or other places?

Community has always counted: 

I’ve been preaching about the need to make our events and our buildings community gatherings for years.

I always felt like this was important because it brought out the best in folks and it elevated our shows, theatre, and sports to a point where they were visceral and positive expressions of the human condition.

Over the years, for a lot of reasons, this sense of community has been eroding.

It still exists in certain places like a Pearl Jam concert, a baseball stadium when your team is on a playoff run, or, even in the way that folks will stand online in Central Park to get tickets to see the annual summer Shakespeare in the Park shows.

When the entertainment world comes back, and it will, I think we have to rethink the value proposition of what we are doing and selling.

Last year, several Major League Baseball teams ran promotions for ultra-discount tickets that sold out the stadiums and brought a sense of connection and joy to the in-stadium experience that was needed.

Going forward, as the shadow of this crisis fades, this joyful expression of community is going to be more important than ever before.

So going back to the drawing board of managing by spreadsheet and pricing in a way that is meant to squeeze every nickel out of a customer because you’ve got them trapped might not be a great idea.

In fact, the old story of Billy Graham, the concert producer, when he said something along the lines of “he could charge more for this ticket tonight, but what if the person didn’t have any money to come next Tuesday” is likely something we should all be thinking about more often.

Because our connections and our communities are likely to become a lot more important.

I want to share these two ideas with you now because they have helped me start to open up my thinking around pricing, selling, marketing, and other aspects of the live entertainment experience.

If you are looking for someplace to connect with folks in the industry, I’ve put together a Slack Channel with all kinds of different discussion areas and people you can bounce ideas off of. You can also get my weekly ticket newsletter, ‘Talking Tickets’ where I share 5 top stories and quick analysis and some action items.

  Please follow and like us:

2 Thoughts On Sports Business, Tickets, and Live Entertainment Right Now was originally published on Wakeman Consulting Group

[junker-town]

Actually, Marshawn Lynch would make an amazing college speaker

Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images

The former Seahawks RB has always given smart advice, if you listen to what he says.

A lot of NFL fans would be thrilled to have a chance to listen to a speech from running back Marshawn Lynch. Well, that’s exactly what Princeton University seniors are getting for their annual Class Day. On Feb. 25, the school announced Lynch as the speaker, while citing his work off the field in both social justice and community service work.

A week later, several Princeton students wrote an op-ed in the school newspaper criticizing the decision:

We wish to express our thoughts on the choice of the Class Day speaker for 2020 and propose improvements that could be made to the speaker selection process. As seniors, we had been looking forward to the speaker announcement for months. Many of us were disappointed when we saw that this year’s speaker was to be Marshawn Lynch, mainly because we did not feel included in the process by which this speaker was nominated and finally selected.

The letter goes on to mention there were many Princeton students who didn’t know who Lynch was, and that they didn’t feel included in the selection process. They were also critical of Lynch’s famous “I’m just here so I won’t get fined” answer he gave to every question at Super Bowl 49 media day. But Lynch’s persona goes way beyond that.

While it may be true Lynch doesn’t have a specific connection to Princeton, or he hasn’t always been the most talkative with reporters, he’s given some great life advice that would benefit graduating seniors. Let’s take a look at the wisdom of Beast Mode over the years.

Be smart with your money

In late December, the 33-year-old Lynch came out of retirement and signed a contract with the Seahawks to help them during their playoff run. After Seattle’s loss to the Packers in the Divisional Round, he gave a quick lesson to the younger players:

Marshawn Lynch goes on at length about his advice for young players. The gist: “Take care of your chicken.” Chicken = money pic.twitter.com/dydj7NB0d8

— Joe Fann (@Joe_Fann) January 13, 2020

It’s a vulnerable time for a lot of these young dudes. They need to be taking care of their chicken right, you feel me? If it was me, or if I had an opportunity to let these little young (players) know something, I’d say ‘take care of your money, African, cause that (expletive) don’t last forever.’ Now I’ve been on the other side of retirement and it’s good when you get over there and you can do what the (expletive) you want to, so I’ll tell y’all right now while y’all in it, take care of your bread so when you’re done, you go ahead and take care of yourself.

Lynch’s point here is simple: spend your money wisely, because you can’t play football forever. The money you earn from the sport won’t always be the same, either. Being financially smart with your money is good advice, whether you’re an NFL player or not. That will go a long way when you retire.

The former kid out of Oakland grew up to be an NFL star, and he wasn’t even known to have spent much of his career earnings.

Make sure your body and mind stay healthy, too

In the same postgame speech, Lynch went on to talk about the value of both physical and mental health:

So while y’all at it right now, take care of y’all’s bodies, take care of y’all’s chicken, take care of y’all’s mentals. Because look, we ain’t lasting that long. I had a couple players that I played with that they’re no longer here. They’re no longer. So start taking care of y’all mentals, y’all bodies and y’all chicken, so when you’re ready to walk away, you walk away and you can be able to do what you want to do.

This is important for NFL players, who take a beating throughout their careers, but it’s also a message for everyone. Take care of your body, mind, and spirit. Keeping all three of those healthy is crucial to living your best life.

Give back to others in need

Throughout his career, Lynch has been considered a great teammate who doesn’t hesitate to help those in need. As a broke high school student, he took his offensive line to Sizzler after his last game as a senior. He has given extravagant gifts to NFL teammates, too.

The generosity also extends to strangers. He once gave $500 to a McDonald’s employee who liked Lynch’s shoes.

“If you’re serious about getting those shoes, here’s some money to help you get ‘em,” Lynch told the employee. “My job is to continue to see you grow.”

His work with his Fam 1st Family Foundation in his hometown of Oakland, California, has impacted young people for years.

“We’re just trying to empower our inner-city youth,” Lynch explained in a 2014 SB Nation profile of his foundation. “Not just in our community, but communities around the world. We take the approach with ... our foundation with just giving the best opportunity, putting our best foot forward with trying to give back to our community, to give opportunities to these kids that they don’t have. Just the opportunity for them to see us is really big.”

When he was with the Raiders in 2018, the foundation sponsored a concert that required attendees to be registered to vote to attend. The same year, he hosted 25 kids in London when his team played Seattle at Wembley Stadium. The Raiders nominated him for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award in 2018, which is given to players who are active in community service off the field.

Be there emotionally for others

Lynch places value on the little things, like greeting Seahawks defensive coordinator Ken Norton, Jr. at the airport after he lost a loved one:

Little known: When Ken Norton Jr. returned to Seattle last yr. after father's death 1 player met him at airport to support - Marshawn Lynch.

— Armando Salguero (@ArmandoSalguero) January 28, 2015

The gesture apparently made the coach cry, according to an ESPN profile on Lynch from 2018.

“He wanted to go sit with Ken and comfort him until he got on the airplane,” said Sherman Smith, Lynch’s position coach at the time. “That’s the kind of guy he was. He was always thinking about other people. He left our meeting and went to the airport, and Ken Norton, Jr. would tell you how much that meant to him that Marshawn would do that.”

Lynch also stayed behind in Dallas with Ricardo Lockette after the former Seahawks receiver suffered a career-ending neck injury. The injury happened during a road game against the Cowboys in 2015. Lynch didn’t go back to Seattle with the rest of the team, choosing to comfort Lockette instead.

“We were in there with Ricardo and everything was in a sad mode,” Earl Lockette, Sr., Ricardo’s dad, said via the Seattle Times. “A nurse comes up and says, ‘We don’t know much about football, Mr. Lockette, but there’s a guy outside who says he needs to be in here. He says he plays with Ricardo, and his name is Marshawn Lynch.’ I go to the lobby, and Marshawn has his bags. He said, ‘I knew it was more than what they told me when I saw him go down. I knew it was more severe than that and I could not leave him here.’

Lynch’s actions are a great example of how a little compassion for others can go a long way.

That’s why Lynch is *exactly* the type of speaker to have for a graduating class.

It is true that Lynch hasn’t said much to reporters in the past. He replied with “thank you for asking” to each question he was asked after a game in 2014. He told Deion Sanders that he’s “‘bout that action, boss” when explaining why he doesn’t like talking to the media.

But it’s clear Lynch actually does have a lot to say when you listen closely.

I understand why some Princeton students are perhaps confused by the choice to have Lynch as the Class Day speaker, but don’t knock Lynch until you hear his message. My guess is he’ll give you some pretty sage advice you can use in the future.

[tyleroakley-obsessed]

Ed. Note: Fall, aka the best time of the year in Memphis, is around the corner. Contributor Aisling has an updated event guide for fall 2017. We have separate guides for a) Halloween/Harvest events – coming later b) Oktoberfests/beer fests, and c) nerd-friendly events.   Did we leave something off? Submit your events here. AUGUST Indie Wednesday Film Series, Multiple Venues, Now Through October 25, Up to $10 Screenings of indie films begin at 7 p.m. Wednesdays, alternating between three venues: Malco’s Studio on the Square ($10), Ridgeway Cinema ($10) and Crosstown (pay what you can). Ballet Memphis Community Grand Opening Celebration, 2144 Madison Avenue, August 26, 12-4 p.m., free, all ages Everyone is invited to the company’s grand opening celebration at the corner of Cooper and Madison, which will feature complete performances, demonstrations, talks and hands-on fun for all ages throughout the day. Germantown International Festival, Agricenter International, August 26, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., free Authentic foods, live performances and more, celebrating the cultures of dozens of countries. Hosted by the Rotary Club of Germantown. Mid-South Renaissance Faire, USA Baseball Stadium Millington,  August 26 – 27, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., $10 adults/$12 kids 6-12//under 6 free The theme of this year’s faire, held in the Shire of Shelby, will be the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.  Learn Elizabethan dances, be knighted by the Queen herself, browse the merchant rows, enjoy the performers, sail the seas with the Mid-South Buccaneers, and cheer on your favorite jouster. Redbirds Games, AutoZone Park, August 28 – 31, times and prices vary, all ages/kid-friendly The final regular season homestand for the Redbirds is gainst the Iowa Cubs. Finish out the year with plenty of food, fun, and special offers. U of Memphis Tigers Football, Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium (home games), August 31-November 25, prices vary, all ages The Memphis Tigers football team embarks on their 2017 season at the Liberty Bowl. Click here for the full schedule. SEPTEMBER Indie Wednesdays film series continues Tigers football continues Delta Fair, Agricenter International, September 1-10, $10 adults / $5 kids and seniors The Delta Fair is a classic week of games, rides, livestock and homemaking competitions, exhibits, and other activities. The fair is open every day until at least 10 p.m. $25 wristbands for unlimited rides. 30 Days of Opera, September 1-14, Various Locations, Free 30 Days of Opera is exactly what it sounds like: 30 days of totally awesome, totally free performances by Opera Memphis held in locations throughout the city, including libraries, farmers markets and playgrounds. 901 Day at Railgarten, 2166 Central Avenue, September 1, noon to midnight, free admission, all ages (in certain areas) Kick off Labor Day Weekend early with Choose 901 and Railgarten, featuring  happy hour from 12-3 p.m., food and drink specials throughout the evening, live music, pop-up market, games, dance party and more. 901 Day! (Exposure), AutoZone Park, September 1, 6-8 p.m., free, all ages Celebrate your city with 150 awesome Memphis organizations – expect free samples of food and drink (plus more sale), an hilarious celebrity kickball game, Grizz Drumline and Beale Street Flippers and much more. Make sure you stop and take a photo at the I Love Memphis mobile mural! Read more here. Memphis Music and Heritage Festival, Center for Southern Folklore, September 2-3, free, all ages The Center for Southern Folklore’s annual Memphis Music and Heritage Festival features two days of southern-fried live music, dancing, cooking, storytelling and vendors over Labor Day weekend. The festival is completely free and family friendly, so don’t hesitate to bring everyone you know. Redbirds Playoffs Games, AutoZone Park, September 6 – 13, prices vary, all ages/kid-friendly The Memphis Redbirds have made it to the Triple-A playoffs! Yay. They’ll have home games in the first round on September 6 and 7, possible away games Sept. 8 – 10, and, depending on how they do, they’ll be back at home on Sept. 12 and 13. MLK Soul Concert Series, National Civil Rights Museum, Fridays in September, 6-8 p.m., Free In honor of MLK50, the National Civil Rights Museum is hosting a free outdoor concert series for music lovers of all ages. Music will include jazz, soul and oldies, and everyone is invited to boogie on the lawn.   Southern Heritage Classic. Photo by Steve Jones / Memphis Convention & Visitors Bureau Southern Heritage Classic Weekend, Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium (and other locations), September 7-9, priced per event The Southern Heritage Classic is so much more than an annual football game between Tennessee State University and Jackson State University. It’s also a weekend-long celebration that includes music, parades, marching bands, comedians and tons of tailgating. Art on Tap, Dixon Gallery & Gardens, September 8, 6-9 p.m. $30 – $40, 21 and up The Dixon’s annual beer tasting event features beer from around the world and a great selection of food from one of the best food cities in the world: Memphis. Wine is available for purchase.   28th Annual International Goat Days Festival, USA Stadium, September 8-9, $5 parking/free admission, all ages Millington’s annual celebration of the noble goat includes vendors, demonstrations, a petting zoo, kids’ area, BBQ contest, tractor shows, and much more. 2017 Outflix Film Festival, Malco Ridgeway, September 8-14, $8-$10 per screening This year’s 20th anniversary festival will feature a record 45 films. Presented by OUTMemphis: The LGBTQ Center for the Mid-South. 46th Annual Germantown Festival, Germantown Civic Club Complex, September 9-10, free You could go to the Germantown Festival for the crafts, demonstrations, live music, vendors, cornhole tournament, classic cars and overall sense of community. You wouldn’t be wrong to do so. You would, however, be wrong to miss the annual Running of the Weenies, an adorably chaotic dachshund race. Spillit Memphis Story Slams, Amurica Photo, September 9, October 7 & 22, November 4 and 18, $10, 18+ Memphians tell their stories at monthly events and compete for title of best storyteller. Some stories are funny, others are heartbreaking, but all are true. No notes allowed. The $10 admission includes drinks (but please tip!). Stories might be PG-13 and seats are first-come, first-serve, so get there early. The final event of 2017, The Grand Slam, featuring winners from the year’s story slams, will take place November 18. Levitt Shell Fall Concert Series, Levitt Shell, Thursdays – Sundays, September  – October, free, all ages Get your picnics ready – free outdoor concerts with bands such as North Mississippi Allstars and Southern Avenue start on September 7 and continue through late October in Overton Park.  There will also be a country blues fest and several free film nights, including showings of Mary Poppins and Beetlejuice. There are two tickets events “Stars at the Shell” in early November Zoo Rendezvous, Memphis Zoo, September 9, 7-10:30 p.m., $200, 21 and up Memphis Zoo’s largest single-night fundraiser of the year will feature fare from more than 80 Mid-South restaurants and bars, as well as entertainment on four stages. Cooper Young Fest Cooper-Young Festival, Cooper Young neighborhood, September 16, 9 a.m.-7 p.m., free to attend, all ages The annual Cooper-Young Festival shuts down the intersection of Cooper and Young (and several blocks in each direction) for a massive street fair and neighborhood celebration on the third Saturday in September. Repair Days, National Ornamental Metal Museum, September 21 – 24, free to attend, all ages Bring your busted, rusted, and otherwise damaged metal items to the Metal Museum for a little TLC. During Repair Days, the museum’s crew of blacksmiths and metalworkers will fix your items for a fee, which benefits the museum. The day also includes family friendly activities, workshops, and a dinner and auction. Mid-South Fair, Landers Center, September 21 – October 1, $10 adults/$5 kids and seniors, all ages Head to the Landers Center in Southaven for the annual Mid-South Fair to get your fill of funnel cakes, rides, games, live entertainment, talent contests and more. BreakFest, Memphis Medical District, September 23, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., $10 GA/$30 VIP This year’s fest has moved from Broad Avenue to the Medical District, with teams competing in five categories (bacon, omelets, breakfast sandwich, and more) to earn the title of breakfast and brunch food champion at the second annual BreakFest. There will be games, food trucks, and live music for the general public, and Old Dominic Distillery will sponsor a Bloody Mary contest  Proceeds will benefit Urban Bicycle Ministry. Memphis Japan Fest, Memphis Botanic Garden, September 24, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., $5 adults/$2.50 children/free for members Immerse yourself in Japanese music, dance, art, food, theatre, martial arts and more, surrounded by the beauty of Memphis Botanic Garden. Mid-South Pride Parade and Festival, Several Locations, September 29 -October 1, free The annual Mid-South Pride Parade and Festival has expanded to three days of events,including a concert on Friday night at 7 p.m. at Handy Park, the big festival from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Robert Church Park and a parade on Beale at 1 p.m. on Saturday. Sunday closes out the weekend with a brunch at Celtic Crossing at 1 p.m. and a T-Dance at 4 p.m. at Alchemy. GonerFest 14, Cooper Young Gazebo / Hi-Tone / Murphy’s / Murphy’s, September 28 – October 1, $5 – $25 individual shows/$75 festival pass Gonerfest, Goner Records’ annual four-day celebration of garage, punk and indie rock, is back for its 14th year. It’s time for more loud music, spilled beer and good times that bring in rock fans from all over the world. This one’s not for the kids. OCTOBER Indie Wednesdays film series continues Tigers football continues Levitt Shell free concert series continues Taste of Cooper Young, Cooper Young, October 5, 5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m., $45 before Sept. 1/$50 after, ages? (probably 21+) Be one of the 300 lucky tasters who can sample fare from eleven neighborhood restaurants at this evening benefitting First Congregational Church. There will be live music and a silent auction, too. Only 300 tickets will be sold. MEMPHO, Shelby Farms Park, October 6-7, 10 a.m. – 10 p.m., Tickets start at $40 Music, food and nature, with a lineup that includes The Cold War Kids, Jason Isbell, Southern Avenue, and Steve Cropper & Friends. This is a brand-new event this year. Best Memphis Burger Fest, Tiger Lane, October 7, 10:30 a.m. – 6 p.m., $10, all ages Best Memphis Burger Fest, now in its sixth year, is a day-long, family-friendly event featuring competitions, live music by Star & Micey, an inaugural bobbing-for-burger competition, and more. Teams cook throughout the day for the highest score in each category and the ultimate title of Grand Champion of Best Memphis Burger Fest, they’re encouraged to offer samples to festival attendees in exchange for a $1 donation. Proceeds benefit nonprofit Memphis Paws, Inc. Memphis Tequila Festival, Overton Square, October 13, 6-9 p.m., $34, 21 and up Sample 15 variations of tequila and chat with distillers while you enjoy tasty food, fun party activities, and tunes from local DJs at the Memphis Flyer Tequila Festival in the Overton Square Courtyard. Benefits Volunteer Memphis. Pink Palace Crafts Fair, Audubon Park, October 13 – 15, $9 adults / $7 seniors and military / $3 kids The 45th annual Pink Palace Crafts fair offers three days of outdoor artisan demonstrations in everything from candle making to metalsmithing), kids’ activities, eating and shopping at booths run by artists and craftspeople from around the country. Proceeds benefit the Pink Palace Museum. Cooper Young Beer Fest, 795 S. Cooper, October 14, 1 p.m. – 5 p.m., ticket info TBA (tickets go on sale September 1), 21 and up The Cooper Young Beer Fest gives beer lovers the opportunity to sample regional craft beers. A limited number of tickets are sold every year, which means that the lines are shorter, thus, there’s more time for beer tasting. Tickets will go on sale on September 1 and they’re likely to sell out quickly. All proceeds benefit the Cooper-Young Community Association. Memphis Food & Wine Festival, Memphis Botanic Garden, October 14, $200, ages TBD This festival, now in its second year, will showcase exceptional food, wine, and music from Memphis as well as regional and national chefs. Enjoy samples from nearly 40 chefs, wine samples from about 40 wineries, and tons of great music. The event will benefit FedExFamilyHouse, which houses out-of-town families with children receiving treatment at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital. Read about last year’s festival here. Time Warp Drive In: Shocktober 4: Legends of Horror, Summer Drive In, October 14, gates open at 7 p.m./movies begin at dusk, $10 Head to the Summer Drive-In for all night movies throughout the fall.. October 14 features horror classics Psycho (1960), Halloween (1978), Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Memphis Grizzlies Basketball, FedExForum (home games), begins October 18, prices vary, all ages Get ready to grit ‘n’ grind with the Grizz starting Wednesday, October 18 with a home game against the NOLA Pelicans. Here’s the schedule. Soulsville USA Festival, Soulsville (1130 College Street), October 21, 11 a.m. – 6 p.m., free, all ages In addition to the stellar music line-up, this year’s festival will feature 40 vendors and food trucks, storytelling inside Stax Museum of American Soul Music, demos from an array of visual artists, and a kid’s center with carnival games, face-painting, caricature drawings, and other fun activities. You can also expect interactive ballet, contemporary, jookin/b-boy, and hoola hooping dance demos. River Arts Fest, South Main Arts District, October 27 – 29, free Friday night / $5 Saturday and Sunday, free for kids under 10 During River Arts Fest, hundreds of local and national artists, craftsmen and bands pack the South Main Arts District for three days of vending, music, demonstrations and hands-on activities. It’s completely family friendly, and worth the price of admission, especially for the dozens of musical acts spread out on three stages. NOVEMBER Indie Wednesdays film series continues Tigers football continues Indie Memphis Film Festival, November 1-6, locations and ticket information TBA This nationally-recognized festival is a connecting point for filmmakers, musicians, artists and audiences bringing a broad range of independent features, documentaries and shorts to Memphis. India Fest 2016, Agricenter International, November 4, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., price TBD, all ages Organized by the India Association of Memphis, this festival showcases and promotes awareness and appreciation of the vibrant art, culture, music, cuisine, and heritage of India among people of the greater Memphis area. It helps foster cross-cultural interaction, awareness and education to provide a greater understanding and appreciation for the diversity of India’s culture. The food, shopping, entertainment and hospitality makes it one of the most fun and educational festivals in the city. Party on the Plaza with the Robert Randolph and the All-Star Band, Crosstown Concourse, November 4, 7-10 p.m., $150-$200 Featuring Robert Randolph and the All-Star Band and additional musical guests, this show at Crosstown Concourse celebrates everything they love about Memphis. Proceeds benefit Church Health. Memphis Grilled Cheese Festival, Hi Tone, November 5, 12-6 p.m., $5 general admission, all ages Five dollars gets you in, and teams will hand out samples during the cook off in exchange for a donation of any amount, which benefits ALIVE Memphis Dog Rescue. Hi Tone will be open with live music, two bars and a grilled cheese-eating competition.   U of Memphis Tigers Men’s Basketball, FedExForum (home games), begins November 7, ticket info TBA The Tigers kick off the 2017-2018 hoops season with an exhibition game against CBU game at FedEx Forum..Here’s the schedule. Memphis Comic and Fantasy Convention, Guest House at Graceland, November 17-19, $15 – $40 The Memphis Comic and Fantasy Convention is three glorious days of geekery. There will be panels, gaming, costumes (and a costume contest), and visiting artists and writers. Schedule TBA. Know of any more awesome events happening in Memphis this fall? Submit them to the ILM Events Calendar (very important) and I’ll add them to this list. I’ll be putting up a guide to Halloween in the Mid-South later in September. About the Author Aisling Maki is a freelance writer, editor, and public and media relations specialist with awards from The Associated Press, Society of Professional Journalists and Public Relations Society of America, as well as several awards for fiction writing. Her work has appeared in publications in more than 20 countries. You can usually find her cheering on the Grizzlies, doing outdoorsy things, or traveling with her daughter, Brídín. They live in Cooper-Young with a dog, a guinea pig and a pair of pet mice. Are you a home owner in Memphis, with a broken garage door? Call ASAP garage door today at 901-461-0385 or checkout http://ift.tt/1B5z3Pc

http://ilovememphisblog.com/2017/08/2017-memphis-fall-events-guide/

[yahoo-puck-daddy-blog]

How Nashville fans used NHL's wildest party to push Predators

NASHVILLE – Hockey fans are usually like a mood ring.

They reflect the disposition of the game being played, whether that’s elation or tension, back at the players on the ice. A good thing happens, the arena goes nuts, and more good things happen.

Or you get a situation like that annual pit of despair in Washington D.C., where the nervous sense of impending doom on the ice is amplified by fans who are also haunted by a history of devastatingly inventive disappointment. “You feel it in the crowd. It’s in there. You tell me in that Game 7 that you couldn’t feel it,” said Capitals GM Brian MacLellan recently.

The Nashville Predators fans inside and outside of Bridgestone Arena for Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final, however, were something different. Sure, they’ve had playoff disappoints, but not at a volume where dread trumps enthusiasm for the first Final round game on home ice.

And so Predators fans offered something rarely seen or experienced: They were a mood-altering narcotic, rather than a mood ring; rather than reflect the vibe, they created and sustained their own, and in the process propelled the Predators to their first Stanley Cup Final victory as a franchise.

The best example: That TV timeout after Jake Guentzel converted a fortuitous rebound into the game’s first goal at 2:46 of the first period. Down 2-0 in the series, down 1-0 on home ice, knowing your goalie is struggling and knowing the Penguins are 12-2 when scoring first. What did the Predators fans do? They cheered. Loudly, and then louder than that.

They cheered with purpose, attempting to maintain the sense of jubilation that had blanketed the area since around noon on Saturday. They cheered to lift the players up, change their mood and prevent the Penguins from adding another goal or two in a few-minutes span, like they had in the previous two wins. They got on their feet during a TV timeout and they cheered because they knew, at that moment, their team needed something beyond the norm.

“That doesn’t happen every day,” said defenseman Mattias Ekholm.

No, it doesn’t. None of this does.

Nashville is otherwise known as “NashVegas.”

While there are literal comparison points between the two cities – bountiful entertainment and nightlife, flowing booze and plentiful sin, marinated in kitch – one look around in the hours before Game 3 spoke to the intrinsic shared DNA between the two.

In Vegas, at any given moment, you’re surrounded by any number of groups and individuals, with any number of reasons for being there. And so in NashVegas on Saturday, the area around Bridgestone Arena had Predators fans and Penguins fans, and day drinkers and country music fans there for CMA Fest, and about two dozen bachelorette parties and, most strikingly and somewhat hilariously, “The Walking Dead” fans flooding the streets as they left a nearby zombie convention.

So you had someone carrying a catfish to throw on the ice standing next to someone in a faux wedding dress with plastic cup full of wine next to someone carrying a barbed-wire-wrapped bat they referred to as “Lucille.”

Such is NashVegas.

The confluence of these fans, along with the necessary dedicated space for NHL pregame concerts and events, made the sidewalks of Broadway slightly more crowded than Bourbon Street during peak Mardi Gras. Gold clad, sweaty people jammed shoulder-to-shoulder, squeezing through each other to open bar doors, or simply to the next block of them. Around 3 p.m., fans started setting up lawn furniture ahead of Game 3, in order to secure spaces for the outdoor party, taking up even more real estate. At one point I saw a couple notice a woman with a stroller and then acted as her lead blocker through the crowd so she could get to her car, like two fullbacks making room for a running back.

The postgame estimate by Nashville PD was that over 50,000 people converged around the area to experience Game 3. And if you think that party vibe and sanguine support didn’t imprint on the Predators as they arrived for the game, then you haven’t spoke to Frederick Gaudreau.

“You can feel it. The energy is crazy,” said the rookie, who blew the roof off the arena with a second-period goal that gave Nashville the lead and ended up as the game-winner.

After the Predators got through those crowds to arrive at Game 3, they had NHL Network on in their dressing room, watching the carnival of enthusiasm outside. “You see all the shots of what’s going on outside. It’s pretty amazing. Pretty amazing,” said coach Peter Laviolette.

What was happening inside the arena was equally amazing.

“We were aware of how crazy it was outside. You can feel the buzz,” said forward James Neal, who also scored in Game 3. “The atmosphere in the warm-ups and the buildup was unbelievable, right through the whole game.”

They were inspired. But perhaps no one was more inspired, and supported, by these fans than the longest-serving member of the team in Nashville.

You have to understand this about Pekka Rinne: The fans here have a very personal investment in him.

He was once a member of the franchise’s holy trinity of stars, who were basically the team’s identity from a hockey perspective. He was the one to commit to Nashville with a seven-year deal that kicked in back in 2012. The idea was that his contract would solidify the foundation for the future and, in turn, keep the trinity’s other facets – defensemen Ryan Suter and Shea Weber – intact. But Suter left for Minnesota, and life was never really the same again after Weber signed an offer sheet with Philadelphia. The long-serving captain was traded to Montreal for P.K. Subban last summer.

Rinne remained. And this postseason, through three rounds, he was the reason the Predators won the Western Conference. He was the reason they’re here.

Yet he had been mediocre in the first two losses of the series against Pittsburgh, and had never won a start against the Penguins in his career. There was talk that he wouldn’t start Game 3, although coach Peter Laviolette said after the game that his status was never in jeopardy and it was the media who put his status in question, which is what the media does when coaches choose to play reindeer games with the obvious.

Still, Rinne needed a boost. And the fans provided him one before Game 3, cheering him loudly during warmups and then offering the loudest roar of the player introductions when he was announced.

“That was unbelievable,” he said after the game. “Collectively, we came to the locker room, and everybody was kind of telling each other that we’ve never seen anything like that. It was pretty cool. For sure, as players, we are really proud to be part of it, just having our fans get a chance to get recognized. Being on a big stage now. Good showcase for the city of Nashville and for our fans.”

Rinne made 27 saves and was named the first star.

Game 3 was a showcase for what the Predators have built here in Nashville.

On the ice, it’s a team that can carry play for 60 minutes against the defending Stanley Cup champions; one that has constantly surprising scoring depth; and one that can be so adept on defense that it can hold Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin without a shot on goal, the first time both of them have been held at zero shots in a playoff game.

Off the ice, the Predators showed what the greatest party in the NHL looks like.

“The fans’ support through the playoffs and all year has been great,” said Neal. “Like Pekks said, the hockey world is starting to see it here.”

The goofy traditions like the catfish being tossed on the ice and the celebrities that fire up the “battle siren” during the game and the mascot rappelling from the roof. The hilarious traditions, like trolling the opposing goalie with chants of “it’s all your fault.” The fact that they play DMX’s “Party Up” to pump the crowd before power plays, which is as amazing as when the crowd sang along with Biz Markie’s “Just A Friend” in the third period. The fact that they play “Glorious Domination,” the theme song of NXT wrestler Bobby Roode, before the third period as some sort of hockey psalm.

And you know what it all led to on Saturday night, besides a Predators’ win?

Jealously. F.O.M.O. A feeling that the rest of the hockey world was outside the club, standing at the velvet rope, getting a peek inside at the dance floor. I defy you to find one hockey fan that experienced the vibe at Game 3, either on site or though their television, and didn’t yearn to be a part of something this kinetic and exhilarating, provided they weren’t a jilted Penguins loyalist or one of the few remaining dupes who think Nashville is, at best, a minor league hockey town.

“It’s the best atmosphere I’ve ever played in,” said P.K. Subban, formerly of Bell Centre.

“Our fans don’t get enough credit for knowing the game and knowing hockey. And they do know the game. And they understand the importance of these games. Regardless of what the score is, they’re going to cheer for us, because we work so hard to give them something.”

There was actually a moment when the Predators fans were like a mood ring for their team on the ice: At the end of the game, when the jubilation of the players was mirrored by the celebration in the stands.

They say you always remember your first time, and this was 19 years of constant mockery from the hockey establishment and potential relocation and playoff disappoints in the making. It was a party the city and the franchise had earned, and something they’ll always remember no matter the outcome of the series.

Although P.K. Subban believes it still won’t compare to what’s ahead for the Predators and their fans.

“You thought it was loud today?” he asked.

“I’m sure it’ll be even louder in Game 4.”

—

Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.

MORE FROM YAHOO SPORTS

[davewakeman]

Your new sexy ticket sales or experience idea is MAGIC!

Another day, another new subscription model idea or ticket package or experiential area that is going to reverse the trend of declining attendance in sports…

That’s what the past few months have felt like and it is tough to reconcile the myth and the hype around these ideas with the reality that most of them are hiding from the things that are most important and would actually help alter the trajectory of attendance and viewership decline that is at the heart of the impending crisis that could be facing sports and sports business.

But let’s think about this with a little more depth today because the big ideas that seem to be the new miracle drugs in sports business come from the vantage point of trying to tackle a vexing challenge.

Here’s a not complete list of some of the new ideas that are “Fire” right now:

Subscriptions

New decks and experiential areas

Virtual Reality

Augmented Reality

Chatbots

I could throw in terms like “social selling” and others that fit into the buzz word category as well.

The challenge with all of these things is that they are missing the bigger point at the heart of the decline of attendance, viewership, and passion that is at the heart of a lot of the ills that are becoming evident in sports business.

Or to put it in the tl;dr format of the modern Internet: good ideas to solve the wrong problem.

So what should we be looking at?

I think that the answer is much simpler than most of us are willing to admit.

In fact, the real way to address the attendance, viewership, passion challenge isn’t magic, but just good business.

Let’s take these ideas one by one, from last to first.

Passion:

Did you vote for Donald Trump?

That Hillary Clinton is a total loser, right?

Lock her up! Yeah?

Did you vote for Bernie Sanders?

He was robbed! Am I right?

Did you vote for Hillary Clinton?

The electoral college is a sham! Yeah?

You see what I did there, I stroked everyone a little bit and got everyone fired up in some way or shape, I can almost guarantee it.

Politics is the new sports.

A lot of people that can’t do it, don’t really know anything about a lot of it, and “know” everything shouting at each other.

Sure sounds like a lot of the sports I know when I was younger.

But the challenge is, while politics has gotten more overheated than ever, sports is pretty blasé.

Part of the fun of old Yankee Stadium during the mid-2000s was going to a Yankees vs. Red Sox playoff game. You had two rabid fan bases and an atmosphere that was so heavy with passion that you couldn’t help but get the aluminum taste of adrenaline from the moment you hit the stop on 86th Street and the train started to really fill with baseball fans.

Or, if baseball isn’t your thing, how about attending a college football game at the University of Alabama? Having the stands rattle with the video of Bear Bryant and the tradition of Alabama football?

How about attending an Orange Bowl game at the old Orange Bowl stadium in Miami?

Whatever your drug of choice, there was passion.

There were fans, deeply, emotionally connected to the teams, the game, the event.

Where is that now?

Largely it is missing.

And, despite the revenues being generated, it is destroying the products and events and teams we are trying to promote.

Why do I say destroy?

Because these kinds of things aren’t steeped in logic and analytics.

Attending a concert, a sporting event, any live event is about emotion, about connection, about humanity.

In creating cash machines that segregate every stratum of fan from the other, the humanity of the event is robbed, stolen, and lost.

Which leads to a loss of passion.

Losing passion is easy. It reminds me of the story of the rich man that lost all of his money.

How did it happen?

Slowly at first and then all at once.

Same thing happens with passion for your team, your product, and your service.

But the more relevant and important question is: How do you get it back?

That’s where we are now. Getting back the passion.

A few weeks back, the NY Times covered the challenges the NY Yankees are facing, despite winning.

Fans haven’t come back.

You can follow this trend to my hometown, Washington where the Nationals have one of the best records over the last 5 years, but attendance that is middle or worse annually.

Don’t like baseball?

Look at the NBA where if you aren’t the Cleveland Cavaliers, you are playing to a ton of empty seats pretty regularly, even if you are the Golden State Warriors.

Hockey, check.

MLS? Ha!

Football, of course.

It isn’t sport specific, its holistic.

So how do we get the passion back?

I think we have to start at the beginning and ask ourselves what place does sports hold in our customers’ and prospects’ lives?

If we are being honest in our assessment, we have made an assumption about sports consumption that states something along the lines of: “people really love and care about our sports, teams, events.”

And, if we continue this honesty, we realize that this just isn’t true.

In most instances, the assumption doesn’t reflect the reality that most of the people that are attending our events are using our events as background noise to their lives.

Partly, that was likely always the case, but also just as likely as that we have allowed our teams to cede the most value mental position in our fans’ minds from “sports” having its own unique marker to “sports” being lumped in with other forms of entertainment.

What a shame?

By being honest about the position we hold in our markets’ mind though, we can begin to rebuild the passion by correctly positioning and repositioning our teams and games.

Which is easier said than done.

But let’s take a crack at it anyway.

In Al Ries’ book Positioning, Al talks about the need to be first or to position yourself against the first thing that got to the spot you are trying to get to.

In sports business, we used to be first in many ways and now we have fallen into the one of many trap of “entertainment.”

Since we can’t reclaim first, how do we change our frame?

We need to compare ourselves in a way that others can’t compete with.

That’s easy because no burger at the corner burger bar can compete with the one visit Kevin Durant is making this year.

Or, the once in a lifetime chance to see a Game 7.

While this doesn’t seem to have a great deal to do with passion, it actually does. Because you can’t establish passion until you have people engaged.

Think of it like this, apathy is the opposition that you are fighting.

Once you have people’s attention, you have to make them care.

This is passion.

First, attention.

Second, connection.

Third, romance.

Fourth, passion.

Those are the steps.

Once you have repositioned your brand. You have to use that attention to gain traction for your relationship.

If I am trusting Bill Clinton, I know that a third of the people you deal with love you no matter what. I know that there are a third of people that won’t ever care and that the other third are in play.

I think in sports business the numbers are skewed a bit differently, but even so.

You need to build the connection.

This means that you have to take every touch point and every opportunity to communicate with your audience as a chance to build a deeper connection to your community and your fans.

In DC, the Nationals emails are pretty consistently bad about just dropping in with a sponsors’ offer and no real value add or push to connect more deeply.

The University of Alabama on the other hand is always trying to reconnect you with the University.

Each touch point is a chance to wow! To connect. To deepen the relationship.

Without the relationship and the connection, no passion.

Once you have a connection, you have to romance the community.

This is what is great about Alabama’s emails. They keep the romance alive.

Denny Chimes! Check!

The Quad! Check!

Bryant Denny Stadium! Check!

Coleman Coliseum! Absolutely!

That’s where so many of our sports properties fail. They take the romance for granted.

One of the most powerful romance tools we have in our arsenal is the power of nostalgia, which if you are following along, you see at play in the Alabama scenario above.

But the thing is, nostalgia is almost everywhere.

Even if you are a fan of a team with a less than rich history of success like the Mets, Jets, or Nets, there is nostalgia there because somewhere a family went to their first game together.

A young kid loved Mr. Met despite the play on the field.

A young kid remembers that first J E T S chant!

A kid remembers being fascinated by the Meadowlands and how their is an arena in a swamp.

All of these touch points are nostalgic and romantic and stoke the flames of passion.

Passion means that the team and the sport are your ride or die.

We see that a lot with kids and soccer now.

Kids have been raised on futbol.

Kids have not been raised on baseball and softball.

Football seems too dangerous or complicated.

Basketball is winning because love of the game starts early and kids can see themselves doing what Steph Curry does.

Passion doesn’t just start and explode like a supernova. You have to work at it.

You start by getting noticed. You walk through and build the connection. You romance the community. Finally you reach passion.

Its a long path that has no real short cuts.

But it takes an understanding that everyone matters and every touch point counts.

Viewership:

Passion should help drive viewership.

Viewership is down because there is no emotional connection.

Period.

Full stop.

Viewers were taken for granted.

Again, period.

Full stop.

We were told that sports was secure. It was the only remaining appointment television. That this would drive eyeballs as far as the eye could see.

Wrong!

Appointment TV watching worked, until it didn’t.

Why?

Because people didn’t care as much as we thought they did.

They were passionate until they weren’t.

Sure, we loved our fantasy football teams.

Sure, we loved the playoffs.

Sure, we couldn’t wait to check the highlights.

Until we didn’t care.

Then, the ratings started to tank.

I have a completely unvalidated hypothesis that this process of disengagement was driven in part by fantasy sports.

Which probably drove the era of big TV deals.

So it is a sort of be careful what you wish for scenario.

But the point is that fantasy sports was great minus the fact that people were attached to players, not teams.

Which is totally great except for what happens if your players don’t perform? Get hurt? Retire? Etc.?

You don’t have an attachment to a team, a community, a story.

You’ve lost your viewers.

Swoop.

Because they weren’t dedicated. Only there.

To fix the viewership issue is going to require a few things:

First, passion.

We have to focus on stoking the fires of passion.

The old model that we are struggling under right now seems to have been built on, we don’t care about you coming to our games as much as we want your attention.

Which has its limits.

If you never get to a game, you never get the full experience.

Without the full experience, you aren’t passionate.

This doesn’t mean that you have to see the Miami Heat to love the NBA. It means that you have to engage with and connect with the game on a deeper level than just watching it on TV or playing it on a video game.

You need to see the game in all its glory.

This is why soccer is winning a lot of attention.

My son has never been to a Tottenham game but he has been playing soccer for years.

He loves Tottenham to the point that he drug me all over London looking for tops.

Its because he is attached to the game and that attachment grows a passion for teams and the stories and history around them.

The new model of sports business really needs to be about driving viewership through engagement at the most basic levels.

Help support efforts in communities to get people involved in the games as early as possible.

Built up the concept of sport as a must, not a should.

Turn your  passion for playing into a passion for the game at all levels.

This will drive viewership.

Apathy or because it is live won’t win back viewers.

Only caring will.

Which brings us to the big point that I think has the ability to regenerate the entire operation: attendance.

Attendance:

In my POV, attendance is actually the biggest issue of the 3 because I think that attendance is one of those tricky things that does a few different things:

Empty seats on TV makes someone considering a game think that the event is not hot.

Empty seats when you are at a game makes the environment less exciting and makes returning less likely.

Empty seats give rise to raised ticket prices that are necessary to keep revenues up, but feed the narrative of pricing out casual fans.

Empty seats are terrible marketing for the sports in general because they don’t feed the narrative that you have to see what happens live.

Empty seats steal revenue from merchandise, food, beverage, and other revenue generators.

This goes on and on and on.

When you place attendance together in the context of the other aspects that we have been considering here: passion and viewership, you see something really incredible.

They all work together and they all need each other to keep the ecosystem healthy.

And, no matter what the inflated attendance numbers say.

No matter what the revenue numbers say.

No matter what the buzz, spin, and PR says…sports business isn’t necessarily healthy because even the reported “positive” stories have the hint of trouble there that should be throwing people into 5 alarm fire mode.

That’s where we are with attendance.

Where the first 4 alarms were largely ignored and now we are full on every firefighter in the world come and save us in need of rescue, but too many of the ingredients that we are using to solve the issue are stuck in the past, retreads that have been freshened up, or just should never be considered and deployed.

I mean the list of bad ideas that are used as innovative in sports business is as long as your arm. Here are just a few:

The only thing that matters is call volume.

We can’t fill seats, let’s discount.

Kids love Netflix, let’s do subscriptions.

Let’s inflate attendance because no one will notice.

Let’s do a giveaways on the nights most likely to draw the best attendance by course.

Again, on and on and on.

What is wrong here is that none of these things address the real issue of value in relation to cost, in relation to other options, in relation to doing nothing at all.

Attendance isn’t going to be driven by a new discount.

It is unlikely to be driven by a new subscription plan.

It definitely isn’t only driven by winning or losing. (Don’t believe me, look at the Yankees and the Nationals.)

What is likely to drive attendance is value.

Value in the form of an improve value proposition.

When I was in NYC recently, I had lunch with a friend that told me about a recent visit to Yankee Stadium. The term that came up about the visit to the Stadium was “raped.”

“I felt like they raped me for every dollar they could get.”

That’s not a good look.

The thing is that we have done this to ourselves because we make decisions based upon spreadsheets put together by MBAs that are removed from the games themselves as fans and as people that will go to events.

When was the last time you went to an event or a game and no one knew you were there?

I went to see Wilco at Wolf Trap about 2 weeks ago.

Fantastic show!

Fantastic venue.

Here’s what I remember about the whole thing:

The parking on the way out, needs to be fixed.

The staff, mainly volunteers, quite lovely.

The sound, really great.

The setting, incredible.

The distance from my house, more manageable than I realized. (This was a fact that I hadn’t known and which had kept me from going to more shows.)

The show, incredible.

This same sort of thing played out when I went to Wrigley last year:

Incredible atmosphere: cramped, dingy, crowded. But when you take the stairs to the seating bowl, my oh my. Is there anywhere else in the world you would rather be?

The crowd was on top of each other. You didn’t notice though because people were into the game, the atmosphere.

There’s a community around Wrigley. People love the Cubs.

Getting to and from the stadium, cool. We took the el.

I could go on.

The thing is, those two experiences are almost unique. Because I have been to enough stadiums and events that have felt like me attending is an inconvenience.

Take for example a recent baseball game that I took my son to, where 20 minutes into the game, the lines at every entrance where 40 people deep on a night when the stadium was maybe 50% full.

Does that make you feel like you want to come back?

So get into the idea that every game, no matter what is a chance to stoke the passion and create a memory.

Next, when you are pricing…don’t try to squeeze every penny out of every customer at every point.

Alan Weiss said, “you have to think of the fourth sale first.”

In sports business, we are too often obsessed by the need to max out every game.

Look at lifetime customer value.

If you are a customer today, how can I make you a customer for life?

That’s a huge challenge.

Much tougher.

But you have to do it.

If you make your customers feel “raped” they aren’t likely to come back.

If you make them feel loved and cared about, you have a chance.

We did this in nightclubs.

Its easy to charge an extra $1 or $2 a drink.

Its tough to charge less and get more sales.

But if you make $2 less tonight and the person comes twice a week, have you lost?

So the next thing about attendance is that you can’t look at each game like a zero sum game.

You have to look at each game as a chance to get someone to another game, to watch on TV, to sell you to a friend.

Finally, to drive attendance, we need to get back to the old school idea of holistic marketing.

Too much marketing isn’t really marketing anyway. It is an ad thrown together. It is an email blast, not targeted. It is noise.

The era of mass advertising and noise is over.

Done.

Finished.

What we have to do is look at marketing as what it is: everything we do.

Like I said above about lifetime customer value. You have to look at your marketing as lifetime customer conversation.

Not a one time thing, but a lifetime thing.

The way you introduce people to the sport.

The way you invite them in.

The feeling they get when they come to the ballpark.

The way that you follow up with them.

The way you ask them to buy.

The way you present TV broadcasts.

On and on and on.

Everything you do is marketing.

Without marketing, you aren’t going to have attendance issues be resolved.

You can’t expect that people are just going to find you.

You can’t expect that people are just going to come to you.

You can’t expect that people are going to just care.

None of these is true.

You have to market to raise awareness, generate interest, build demand.

That’s the key to attendance is marketing and selling like you care, not like the person is another number.

Which means, use the phone but don’t abuse the phone.

The biggest key isn’t call volume, its conversations.

The goal you should have is to generate the most relevant conversations, not the most dials.

It means don’t just blast out partner “offers” because that’s part of the activation, it means make the partnership and the activation meaningful to everyone involved.

It means follow up with your fans like you care how their experience at the game was.

Did you stand in line for 20 or 3o minutes? We are sorry. Here’s how we are going to fix it and let’s invite you out to the park to see how we’ve fixed it.

On and on and on.

Again, this stuff isn’t quick fix territory.

Its hard work.

Not all of it is going to be done right away or get immediate results.

The thing is, we have to play the long game or we won’t have any immediate results to worry about.

So, not really magical at all. Just hard, smart work.

What say you?

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Your new sexy ticket sales or experience idea is MAGIC! was originally published on Wakeman Consulting Group