seat magazine, published by the association of luxury suite directors

S E A TLEADING THE PREMIUM SEAT INDUSTRY WWW.ALSD.COM SUMMER 2011

P U B L I S H E D B Y T H E A S S O C I A T 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

Member Editorial:How Jake Bye & the St. Louis Rams Sell Suite Partnerships

PAGE 16

Member Highlight:“Rally Rob” and Tulsa’s

Entertainment WellPAGE 32

An Analysis of Best Practices Utilized by Suite Directors

PAGE 60

RELIVE THE ALSD CONFERENCE IN PHOTOS: Find Yourself at LA LIVE PAGE 46

THE DESTINATION SUITEPLUS: Why is the ALSD going to Minneapolis in 2012? PAGE 40

Cambria’s Design Studio at Target Field

#SEATSummer2011 | www.alsd.com | S E A T | 5

S E A TPublished by the Association of Luxury Suite Directors

COVER STORY

40 POLISHED BRANDING One company surfaces as a preeminent branded sports marketing partner. Visit the “facility” at Target Field, a destination suite that is a world of its own – Cambria’s Design Studio.PLUS: Learn why the ALSD is going to Minneapolis in 2012.BY AMANDA VERHOFF

FEATURES

46 ALSD 2011 IN PHOTOS This year’s ALSD Conference and Tradeshow at LA LIVE was one for the ages. In this year’s show recap, SEAT relives the memories of all the events through the lens of SuiteCaptures photography. See if you can find Waldo, or even yourself.

54 HOW TO WIN DESPITE LOSING Vince Lombardi once said, “Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.” But for many ALSD members, winning on the field is an uncontrollable variable. Instead, teams focus on what they can control – creating superior customer service and memorable experiences.BY RYAN MIRABEDINI

60 AN ANALYSIS OF BEST PRACTICES UTILIZED BY LUXURY SUITE DIRECTORS

ALSD members completed two surveys earlier this year – one for sales professionals; the other for service professionals. The results are now unveiled. BY HEATHER LAWRENCE, PH.D.

68 ALL CITIES ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL SEAT presents a summary of the four-part series, investigating suite pricing across a multi-variant landscape in the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB. The researchers then aggregate all teams and break them down by geographic location to further investigate the business of sports.BY DR. PETER TITLEBAUM AND DIANE BRANCA, MBA

74 CREATING PREMIUM SPONSORSHIP ENGAGEMENT WITH TECHNOLOGY

Sponsor presence in stadiums and arenas once consisted of simply splashing static logos around the venue. Not anymore. Welcome to the era of dynamic environments.BY JUSTIN WOOD

About the Cover: The Minnesota Twins and Cambria have created a unique brandingpartnership, highlighted by Cambria’s Design Studio at Target Field.

SUMMER2011

Contents continues overleaf

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ASSociATion of Luxury SuiTE DirEcTorS Chairman Bill DorseyExecutive Director Amanda VerhoffPresident Jennifer Ark, Green Bay Packers VP, Business Development Pat McCaffreyDirector, Sponsor and Partnership Development Dene ShielsEditor of SEAT, Website Director Jared FrankNational Sales Manager Scott HinzmanMembership Director Ryan MirabediniDesign Carole Winters Art + DesignDirector of Finance Dan LindemanFinancial Account Manager Vickie HenkeDirector of Interactive Media John Tymoski

ExECuTIVE CoMMITTEEChris Bigelow, Bigelow CompaniesBrian Bucciarelli, Hershey Entertainment & ResortsGreg Hanrahan, united CenterTom Kaucic, Southern Wine & Spirits Pat McCaffrey, ALSDKim Reckley, Detroit Red Wings & olympia Entertainment

BoARD oF DIRECToRS Janie Boles, Auburn universityNatalie Burbank, utah Jazz / Salt Lake BeesRichard Dobransky, Delaware North CompaniesTrent Dutry, uS Airways CenterChris Granger, National Basketball AssociationMIke Guiffre, Pittsburgh PenguinsAdam Kellner, Chicago BearsGerald KisselDebbie Massa, RoI ConsultingScott O’Connell, Minnesota Twins Baseball ClubMike Ondrejko, Legends Premium SalesRichard Searls, New York Red BullsTom Sheridan, Chicago White SoxPeter Titlebaum, university of Dayton

Published by Venue Pub. Inc. Copyright 2011. (All rights reserved). SEAT is a registered trademark of the Association of Luxury Suite Directors. SEAT is published quarterly and is complimentary to all members of the Association of Luxury Suite Directors.

Association of Luxury Suite Directors10017 McKelvey Road, Cincinnati, oH 45231513 674 0555 [email protected]

6 | S E A T | www.alsd.com | #SEATSummer2011

DEPARTMENTS8 NEW ALSD MEMBERS

14 ALSD STAFF EDITORIAL

Editor’s Note BY JARED FRANKThe Myth of Ownership (Page 18) BY BILL DORSEY

16 ALSD MEMBER EDITORIALHow Do You Ask for the Sale? BY JAKE BYE

22 ALSD MEMBER Q&A

24 INDUSTRY AND ASSOCIATION NEWS

Cleveland Indians devote suite to its social media initiative ALSD adds three members to its Board of DirectorsIs tailgating the next new revenue stream?

30 ON ALSD.COM

32 MEMBER HIGHLIGHTSEAT visits with: Rob GardenhireDirector of Marketing and Business DevelopmentTulsa DrillersBY JARED FRANK

80 COMING ATTRACTIONS

Please Recycle This Magazine

S E A TPublished by the Association of Luxury Suite Directors

SUMMER2011

SPORTS & eNTeRTAINMeNT ALLIANCe IN TeCHNOLOGyS.E.A.T. ExECuTIVE CoMMITTEEChristine Stoffel, Founder, S.E.A.T. ConsortiumChris Wood, S.E.A.T. Chief Technology Advisor/Coordinator

S.E.A.T. 2011 STEERING CoMMITTEE Bob Jordan, New Meadowlands Stadium Co.Casey Bookout, university of oklahoma Craig Neeb, International Speedway CorporationChip Foley, Forest City Ratners Chris Dill, Portland Trail BlazersDan O’Neil, National Hockey LeagueDennis Mills, Major Events InternationalJim Darrow, Ilitch Holdings/Detroit Red WingsJohn Avenson, Minnesota TwinsKevin Naylor, Indiana PacersLarry Bonfante, united States Tennis AssociationLorraine Spadaro, DNC Boston, Inc/TD GardenMike Morris, Major League BaseballNancy Galietti, National Football LeaguePeter Surhoff, Major League BaseballPaul DelGuidice, National Basketball AssociationPaul Barber, Vancouver Whitecaps FC Richard Searls, Red Bulls ArenaRoger Baugh, London 2012 olympicsSasha Puric, Maple Leaf Sports & EntertainmentSteve Conley, Boston Red Sox Shane Harmon, New Zealand 2011 World Cup RugbyTod Caflisch, New orleans HornetsWayne Wichlacz, Green Bay Packers

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Suite branding is not a new concept in the sports indus-try. Nevertheless, it has been met with somewhat slow adoption and relative ambiguity. Accordingly, few teams

or companies have truly strived to find the formula for success. Until now. One industrious duo, comprised of the Minnesota Twins and Cambria, has engineered one of the most prosper-ous partnerships in suite branding to date. Cambria, the fami-ly-owned, Le Sueur, Minnesota stone surface manufacturer, is refining its branding and has produced – and more importantly is utilizing it to its fullest potential – one of the most inventive branded spaces in the venue marketplace: Cambria’s Design Studio at Target Field.

Background Peter Martin, Executive Vice President of Marketing and Residential Sales at Cambria, explains that early on Cambria felt the need for more than mainstream marketing to promote its products. He says, “We wanted to get into a medium that allowed us to differentiate ourselves and also to a certain extent have some unique ownership of it.” That said, while still in its infancy in 2002, Cambria teamed with the Minnesota Twins to brand the Cambria Skybox Suite in the Metrodome. Since then, Cambria has installed not only countertops, but any sur-face ripe for its quartz surfaces in the Minneapolis market and beyond. In all, no fewer than 15 North American partnerships

exist. Coupled with the company’s passion for sports, particu-larly baseball, Cambria’s branding platform has morphed into a premier partnership model in sports marketing.

PerPetually Premium To appreciate a product’s quality, you have to see it, feel it and experience it. Cambria’s product and potential purchasers are both, in a literal and figurative sense, upscale and polished. For that reason, there is not a better place for clients to absorb a product’s appeal than on an exclusive premium level in a stadium or arena. Posh premium amenities further persuade high-end clientele to remain in the captive environment that allows for key demonstrations, networking and interaction, and reinforced aesthetic and performance opportunities.

At Target Field, the most posh premium space exists on the first baseline, in two 16-person suites that have been combined and built-out into Cambria’s Design Studio. Marty Davis, Cambria’s President and CEO and longtime advocate for the Twins organization, worked with Scott O’Connell, Twins Di-rector of Suite and Premium Seat Sales and Service, and Dave St. Peter, Twins President, to develop the concept for a party-sized suite with 32 external seats and 12 internal seats. From there, the Twins worked hand-in-hand with Cambria’s archi-tects and designers on the suite layout. The photos included in this article illustrate the finished product, a custom double

One company surfaces as a preeminent branded sports marketing partner.By Amanda Verhoff, Executive Director, ALSD

PoliShed Branding

cambria entertains 100-125 times a year in the design Studio, including all twins home games and numerous non-game day events. Food and beverage options are available for each event, and cambria personnel are on-hand for each game and non-game day event.

Branding Bullseye: Cambria’s activation at Target Field hits the mark for its guests.

a camBria client on the deSign Studio:Creative Surfaces, Inc., a national manufacturing company of custom store fixtures, signage and countertops for the retail, automotive and casino industries, is one such customer who, after experiencing the Cambria Design Studio, felt the product was the right fit.

“We have enjoyed the benefit of using the Cambria Design Center with our customers. The trips in their entirety are an experience, from the bus ride, where we mingle and get to know our customers to the amazing experiences at the games to the product knowledge gained by the plant tours and interactions with our Cam-bria representatives. Our customers get a sense of what Cambria is all about when they see the outpouring of generosity from our Cambria representatives during their trip. The experience has definitely turned a local custom home builder into a Cambria believer. A customer confided that after seeing the total Cambria package, he knew that Cambria was right for his high-end homes and demanding customers. As we follow up with our customers on the trip, we see a repeating pattern – it wasn’t any one thing that stood out, it was the ‘Cambria experience’ as a whole that is the resounding sentiment.”

– Jud Pins, CEO/President, Creative Surfaces, Inc.



suite with floor-to-ceiling Cambria finishings. Moreover, it illustrates branding at its best, as the suite replicates possible designs and fittings for commercial and residential projects.

PartnerShiP ParameterS In the 10-year lease contract, Cambria agreed to pay for the double suite construction and installation of materials. Upon contract expiration, Cambria will have the opportunity to re-up or terminate the lease. If terminated, the Twins can leave the suite as is if the team wishes, or the suite can be returned to its original condition, financed by Cambria. From the Twins’ perspective, the contract outlines few limitations, but of im-portance, advertising needs to stay contained within the suite and not extend into the hallways or exterior of the suite. One key contractual component is that the Cambria partnership includes signage behind home plate, supplementing the brand’s visibility to those in the stadium and to those in the television viewing market.

The Davis family, owners of Cambria and avid baseball fans, also receive tickets to the Champions Club as part of the agreement. The family seldom is not in attendance at home games. O’Connell believes that the synergy and long-standing relationship between the Davis family and the Twins made contractual and branding negotiations smooth and, in fact, entertaining. Davis was one of the first to select his space in the park, and O’Connell recalls visiting the two largest suites along the first baseline, and Davis remarking, “I want them both!”

duB it a deStination Decorating a suite with a company’s materials is only the be-

ginning of a comprehensive plan to promote brand awareness. Cambria has taken the following steps to ensure its brand is promoted efficiently and frequently. In no particular order:•Cambria refers to its party suite as a Design Studio. Draw-

ing on innovation in its truest sense, Cambria decided that “Design Studio” conveyed a more meaningful connotation than luxury suite. “A private-engagement, by-invitation-only studio that highlights our products’ capabilities” is Cambria’s intention.

•A Vice President of Sales for Cambria doubles as bartender in the Design Studio for Twins home games. Not only is he versed in the world of olives and twists, but he is fluent in the company’s lingo and product lines.

•Cambria offers educational courses in its suite. On the com-mercial side, architects and designers have yearly continuing education needs, much like doctors or lawyers. Cambria offers certified courses, often combined with stadium tours, which carry credits for associations in the market segment. Cambria holds instructional courses before games or during off days, the former with entertainment and hospitality to follow dur-ing the game.

•Cambria entertains 100-125 times a year in the Design Studio, including all Twins home games and numerous non-game day events. Food and beverage options are avail-able for each event, and Cambria personnel are on-hand for each game and non-game day event. The Twins are more than happy to accommodate distinctive food and beverage requests.

•The Twins often refer to the suite as a destination, as it is a cut above the rest in terms of luxury and amenities. Twins

Hospitality By Design: Cambria explains its designation of Design

Studio in place of luxury suite: The Design Studio is “a private-

engagement, by-invitation-only studio that highlights our products’

capabilities.”

• Enter into the partnership only when strong synergy exists between the client and the team.

•Whether considering a redesign or a new build, bring your best client in early and offer them the best space.

• Because brand visibility is the main objective, en-courage use on non-game days as well as game days.

• Put it in writing. Include as much detail as possible about the contractual items, payments and return of the suite to the original condition.

•Offer more than branding. Package the branding op-portunity with prime signage or club seats.

•Ask permission to showcase the branded suite. To a team or venue, branding is not a new idea, but to your clients and prospects, it might be. You will need a model to display.

• Because the suite holder will value the added visibil-ity, ask for authorization to leverage the suite for the team or venue’s benefit.

•Contract it at the customer’s cost if you must; offer it as a renewal incentive if you can.

• Encourage the client to do more than entertain. Holding educational seminars is a meaningful ap-proach to get potential clients into the suite.

•Use it as your own sales tool. Get your other suite holders’ creative juices flowing.

• Embrace a partner who embraces sports. A strong partner is never a stranger to the ballpark.

• Educate the client on how to leverage the branded suite. Remember, the team is the expert in the sports marketplace.

•Make it a destination, and brand it in namesake as well if it makes sense for the product.

• Look for ways the sponsor’s product can upgrade your venue, aside from the suite itself.

•Map out the client’s objective early on. For instance, if the client’s goal is exclusivity, ballpark tours through the suite are not appropriate.

• Recognize the right opportunity. Offer the opportu-nity to outfit all suites, a club area or an entire con-course with a client’s product if they want stronger market penetration. Help brand just the client’s suite or exclusive area if market penetration is already strong.

• If possible, showcase the product as it would be used outside of the ballpark.

Suite Branding For dummieS – tiPS For teamS conSidering a Suite Branding oPPortunity:



alums frequent the suite with Cambria’s permission, which they value greatly. Affiliation with Cambria from former players only strengthens the brand.

•The Twins utilize the suite, with permission, for non-game day events. O’Connell stated that MLB League Meetings were held in the suite, and Cambria is always open to permit-ting the Twins access to the suite for private functions.

•The Twins often incorporate the suite in the ballpark tours offered to guests. Cambria was hesitant at the onset as the suite was to be an exclusive experience, but Davis committed to the additional exposure and is open to the showcase.

recognize the return Return on investment is tough to track in any business. Sports marketing is no different, but Cambria recognizes that an “experiential” method works well. Peter Martin believes, “measurement sometimes occurs just from what we hear, feel and see in the marketplace. It is hearing from people who have had experience with your product.” That the suite is staffed for each ballpark event is of utmost importance, in accordance with hearing feedback from customers. Cambria also takes note of testimonials from customers who have viewed advertise-ments at the park or on television. A more concrete method of branding ROI is tracking new business that results purely from a hosted event in the suite, in a nutshell, utilizing the tickets and sponsorship opportunity the company has been given. Cambria, in its product and personnel, embraces the opportu-nity to be seen, and in doing so, keeps a finger on the pulse of the marketplace.

Another appeal for Cambria at Target Field is the baseball game itself. While Cambria prides itself on its presence in several professional sports venues, such as in the NBA’s Amway Center in Orlando and the NHL’s Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, the company realizes that baseball, for one, offers more games, equaling more exposure. What’s more, there is a bit more “downtime” during a baseball game, a slower paced game than say hockey or football. Finally, the absence of in-game and halftime events allow more time for entertainment to occur in the suite. By a gut feeling, Martin suggests that “the absorption rate may be a little higher in baseball.”

the trend to Brand The Cambria suite is truly a world of its own. Perhaps that is why Scott O’Connell affectionately calls it a “facility” when referencing it. Its wow factor was not initially deliberate by

Cambria or the Twins, but as is evident in the photos, it cer-tainly became a welcomed outcome. O’Connell recognizes it as a marketing opportunity and seizes it by allowing select suite clients and prospects into the suite. The Twins offer clients the freedom to decorate their suites, and they are clear about the financial and design responsibility from the outset – suite holders have to cover payment of the suite build-out and the suite’s return to its original state. Most clients and prospects understand, and some are warming up to the idea, namely the 10-year lease holders who see it as an investment.

The Twins exercise caution however when exhibiting Cam-bria’s suite, understanding that some will wonder “why can’t I have this in my suite.” The companies that “get it” realize that Cambria’s own products led to the result of the branded De-sign Studio. Those same companies were the first to have their creative juices flowing in their own suites. For instance, General Mills displays a giant Wheaties box in its suite. With built-in bat in hand, guests have the opportunity to pose for pictures “on the Wheaties box.” O’Connell believes the trend is growing as companies embrace the right opportunity to highlight their product or service. Ultimately, most companies do not offer surfaces to outfit a suite like Cambria does, but nonetheless, the best-informed clients discover they can too exploit their own products in a successful branding situation.

in the end For most teams, suite branding is not a new concept, but it comes with questions. Who will pay for the build out, the team or the client? What if a company defaults on its lease, and the team is stuck putting the suite back to its original form? What is the true ROI value to the client, and how can the team explain how it is measured? Yet some teams, like the Minne-sota Twins, understand that with risk comes reward. The Twins create branding partnership models that ensure long-term rela-tionships with its clients. In the situation of the Cambria suite, branding not only adds to the overall sponsorship package and the ballpark’s appeal itself, it helps strengthen the relationship between the team and Cambria, helping to alleviate many of the abovementioned uncertainties. Cambria realizes that the visibility at Target Field leads to brand association in the ballpark and beyond. In the end, the team reaps the benefit of a uniquely adorned suite, ripe for showing off, while the company reaps the benefits of potential clients regularly seeing, feeling and most importantly, experiencing its products. #

Do you have a client who you can approach with this idea?Write to Amanda at [email protected], and connect with her onLinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/amandakuntzverhoff.

The “Facility”: The Design Studio is a world of its own, serving

specific marketing goals of both Cambria and the Twins.

more on mlB on alSd.com:indianS conStruct model Suite at ProgreSSive Field

So Why minneaPoliS? The ALSD historically attempts to hold our annual conferences in the cities with the most state-of-the-art venues. Target Field, the new home of the Minnesota Twins, is, in our opinion, the best new ballpark to come around in a long time. The fact that it won the “Facility of the Year “ from Street & Smith’s Sports Business Journal helps substantiate our claim.

But there are more reasons for Minneapolis.The Minnesota Wild’s Xcel Energy Center is often cited as the model for new hockey arenas being built in North America, and some believe it will some day reach nearly iconic status, like the Wrigleys and Fenways of the sports world. It has got a few years to achieve that kind of status, but the building has clearly been the model used for so many arenas built in the past five years.

But there is more. The ALSD Conference is nomadic. The idea is to give regions a chance to host the ALSD show. It has been a while since we were in the Midwest, about a decade. This allows people who are regional a chance to travel more easily.

The cost. Let's face it – the Midwest is less expensive than New York and Los Angeles. For those teams on tighter budgets, you will find the hotel costs are around $100 less per room per night. Not only that, but the food is less costly and in most cases, so too is the flight in, because we are in the middle of the country.

Need more reasons? The ALSD is trying to reach out and grow our College and University Division. TCF Bank Stadium, the home of University of Minnesota Golden Gopher football, is state-of-the-art. It is quite possibly the best new college football stadium built in the last decade.

Tell me more.OK, we will. There are two seasons in Minneapolis – July 4th and winter. We are there over the July 4th week, in one of America's most beautiful cities during its short summer season. It is absolutely gorgeous, and the foli-age is breathtaking. About 40,000 people live in Downtown Minneapolis which hosts many summer festivals and has a “regionality” that is nearly unmatched. The city has been ranked the best bicycling city in the coun-try, so it is perfect for our active attendees, with 46 miles of streets with dedicated bike lanes and 84 miles of off-street paths. And for those who like the indoors – and more specifically shopping indoors – the renowned Mall of America awaits.

Give me more.Minneapolis is one of only 14 cities to have all four major sports. This allows league meetings to thrive, be-cause all four leagues call it their home.

What's not to like? Minneapolis offers great facilities, a Midwest location and affordable plane and hotel prices for the budget conscious. We are excited about Minneapolis, and we look forward to seeing you there.

– Bill Dorsey, Chairman, ALSD

coming uP neXt:Where’S Waldo?#alSd2011 recaP in PhotoScan you Find your-SelF?



WinAs many of our ALSD members can attest, winning is uncontrollable and often hard to come by. Discover how some teams overcome more losses than wins through creating superior customer service and memorable experiences.

By Ryan Mirabedini, Membership Director, ALSD

Sports provide a very simple concept: there is a winner and a loser. As Ricky Bobby would say, “If you’re not first, you’re last.” Just ask any Cubs fan born after 1908. Point being, people inherently love to win and/

or be around a winner. From checkers to the Madden NFL video game to the local 3-on-3 tournament and so forth, there is no better feeling that being declared a victor. Combine this natural human emotion with a team that represents a com-munity, and we have the microcosm that is professional sports. Considering this idea, fans want to watch a game or match where the organization they support is victorious. For any of a multitude of reasons (small market, bad drafts, injuries, etc.), some franchises have more success than others. This begs the age-old question: how can a franchise sell their product when the performance on the field is underwhelming?

As is common knowledge, the sale of suites and club areas brings into play several aspects for the company or individual leasing it. The obligatory statement is that a purchase of this inventory is a major investment for any client. With that in mind, a specific venue could have the highest rated customer service, concessions and facility in the industry, but if the team is being dismantled by a division rival, the check-ins of “How is everything today?” are often met with a solemn “It’d be better if we were winning.”

True. Winning is quite nice, but is it everything? It is clear that some of the larger markets in the country, e.g., New York, Chicago, LA and Dallas, have plenty of entertainment avenues other than sports for local companies, but coincidentally enough, these cities all have notably successful franchises to call their own.

On the other hand, take a smaller market like Cleveland. It is no secret that the city by the lake does not necessarily have the equivalent incentives as the aforementioned larger markets, and residents can only visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame so many times before it loses its luster. That leaves companies like KeyBank, Huntington and other larger companies in the area with local sports teams as their resource for employee awards and client entertainment. Take the Browns for example. Reborn in 1999, they have the second worst record in the NFL since that time, yet nearly sell out every season. As part of their submission in the 2010-2011 ALSD Reference Manual, the Browns claimed their suites to be at 80% capacity which is quite admirable considering the still lingering effects of a down economy and poor team performances. When asked as part of the survey what kind of effect the economy actually had, the Browns responded, “The economy hurt renewal rates, and paired with a losing season, made us have to add more value-added programs.”

DeSpite LoSing

How to


Added value options should not be overlooked as they are a fantastic way to alleviate some of the lackluster on-field perfor-mances. Offering suite holders and high-value customers with access to premium options such as private concierges, exclusive golf courses, transportation services, major event opportunities and trips to destinations like Las Vegas create an ability for customers to see the value in being part of the “club” at no ad-ditional cost. This is a beautifully ideal way to remind someone that may be disappointed by a team’s record that while it would be great to win a championship, it is not a terrible thing to have gratis accessibility to such rewarding incentives.

The city of Pittsburgh, while often rivaling in competi-tion with Cleveland, is a very similar marketplace. According to www.cesus.gov, the population of Pittsburgh in 2009 was roughly 311,647 compared to 239,760 in Cleveland – close enough to have several parallels in market size and corporate dollars. This brings us to the Pittsburgh Pirates. For the previ-ous 18 seasons, the Pirates have not been able to finish the season above the .500 mark, but that does not stop the front office from being successful. “We typically do not sell wins and losses but instead focus on the things we can control,” says Chris Zaber, Senior Director of Ticket Sales & Service for the Pirates. “Providing excellent service and quality entertainment are just a few.” A valid point when considering how highly regarded PNC Park, the Pirates home, is considered through-out the industry.

Zaber also notes, “Outside of that, having the right structure in place, a well-trained and motivated staff, and utilizing best practices can go a long way to maintaining your current client base as well as growing your business regardless of how the team is performing.” The main point here being that by the nature of sports in general, there is always a winner and a loser. That cannot be changed. But a customer can still have a memo-rable experience if the service is at a high level.

Winning is also cyclical. A team may lose for several years, but in that time, they also stockpile draft picks and young talent that in some cases leads to a team’s success. This point leads to wondering how customers are convinced to have the necessary patience. Granted, it would be fantastic if every suite in the inventory of a venue was occupied on 10-, 15- and even 20-year leases, but those days, minus some rare instances, are long gone. It does not take a certified genius to decipher that customer service is an integral, if not, all-deciding aspect to re-tention. What does take true intuition is exactly how to provide the service necessary to keep morale in a desirable place.

Greg Hanrahan, Senior Director of Premium Seating at the United Center, has seen the highest of highs (The Jordan years and the Blackhawks Stanley Cup in 2010) and the low-est of lows (Post-Jordan/Pre-Derrick Rose and no hockey on local TV), but no scenario has ever altered his approach to

making sure his premium seat clients continue to return each year because of hard work and dedication. “We try to provide the best service possible at all times,” says Hanrahan. “So no matter what is going on the court or ice, we know our premium seating guests are having the best time possible at the United Center.” This type of positive attitude helps the United Center maintain one of the most respected levels of service on an an-nual basis in the industry.

According to Hanrahan, “The United Center Premium Seating Department tries to touch our premium seating cus-tomers over 100 times a year, not including telephone calls and emails. We want to be in front of our customers at all times.” This outlook has served Hanrahan and his staff sufficiently for 17 years now.

Another approach to keeping fans in the stands while the losses are adding up is to focus on promotions and pricing. For example, popular bobblehead nights often boost attendance by up to 10,000 fans. While these priceless, plastic replicas with springs for necks rarely look like the player they represent, people will show up in droves to get their hands on the latest release. Nobody is quite sure why these trinkets work, but they do, and if it’s not broke, don’t fix it.

The Kansas City Royals have implemented this kind of thinking to battle recent losing records but even more so to reward their passionate and loyal fans. According to Steve Shiffman, Senior Director of Ticket Sales & Services with the Royals, they have created wildly popular “Buck Nights.” It is no secret that food & beverage prices hurt the common fan, but

“the United Center premium Seating Department tries to touch our premium seating customers over 100 times a year, not including telephone calls and emails. we want to be in front of our customers at all times.”

– Greg Hanrahan, United Center


on these “Buck Nights”, the Royals offer hot dogs, soft drinks, pretzels and popcorn for $1 each. Shiffman claims this promo-tion has provided a “huge spike” on Fridays, so much so that they often outsell Saturday night games.

As for the Royals premium clients, the staff harps on the fu-ture of the team, a bevy of young, talented players and hosting the 2012 All-Star game, which can be seen as a major benefit for premium customers. By creating an atmosphere such as this, the Royals put themselves in a position for when that one magic season finally arrives, they will be ready to cash in on the goodwill they already embedded throughout the community and Kauffman Stadium.

So what have we learned thus far? Well, yes, winning does help quite a bit as we might suspect but by no means defines the success of sales and services departments of the teams less fortunate in the standings. Bottom line is the ability of a professional franchise or a collegiate program to provide a venue for entertainment and unique business opportunities despite wins and losses. Having said that, the winning teams and schools do not stay the same each year. To this point is exactly why it is integral to have a plan in place to attack when that special season does arrive. Once that opportunity comes, which can be quite rare for smaller market teams, it is a battle to capitalize as best as possible initially, and then be prepared to maintain the following year(s) if the record happens to go back to mediocre or less.

Just ask Tom Sheridan, Director of Ticket Sales with the Chicago White Sox, who was part of the sales staff when the Southsiders won the World Series six years ago. “We are still hanging onto our 2005 success,” Sheridan says. “Our formula has been to continue to give as much season ticket holder value-added experiences, swag, renewal prizes, gifts and pric-ing consideration as possible.” Sheridan’s comments express an ongoing theme of the ability of teams to create such an atmosphere for their suite holders, club seat holders and gen-eral season ticket holders that is one with a plethora of team involvement, return on investment and outright enjoyment.

One area where winning and losing plays much less of a role is in the minor leagues. Baseball and hockey both have strong representation in diverse markets across North America, and because of the liquidity of player movement for these franchis-es, fans have come to enjoy the games not for the devoted love of the team, but because the sport is enjoyable to watch, and the venues charge less money and provide more discounts and giveaways to make the entertainment value more festive. Again, this is not to say winning is irrelevant, but for teams like the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees (Triple-A Baseball), it plays considerably less of a role. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre President, Kristen Rose, certainly sees things this way. “The consistency of the team is different from other sports,” says Rose. “The

game itself, the family entertainment factor and value become the draw.” She continues by adding, “Fans come to see various players as they move around, knowing they will be seeing some of them in the majors in the future.”

This is one of the more beautiful aspects about minor league sports. The entertainment can range from seeing who will be the next big star for fanatics, kids areas and on-field entertain-ment for the tots, and picnic areas in some venues for families to more casually spend a night at the ball game. But Rose is also sure to point out that, of course, winning is nice too. “We have been fortunate to have a record four International League North Division Titles, and we won the Governor’s Cup in 2008,” she remarks. “We certainly play to win.”

So there you have it. Winning is good, losing is bad and cus-tomer service trumps all. The moral of the story ultimately rests with the ability of an organization and a venue to consistently create an experience at an event that is so memorable and enjoyable that even when the inevitable losses begin to pile up, the smiles on the faces of those in attendance last long after the final whistle blows. #

How does your team or venue achieve sales success despite a losing team record?Write to Ryan at [email protected].

“our formula has been to continue to give as much season ticket holder value-added experiences, swag, renewal prizes, gifts and pricing consideration as possible.”

– Tom Sheridan, Chicago White Sox

CoMing Up neXt:pReMiUM SeAt SALeS AnD SeRViCe BeSt pRACtiCeS


Creating Premium SPonSorShiP engagement with teChnologyIt was not too long ago that sponsor presence in stadiums and arenas consisted primarily of small, now seemingly inconsequential signage, merely splashing logos around the venue. Not anymore.

By Justin Wood, Vice President, Dimensional Innovations

Brands today expect more for their investment and an opportunity to showcase their commitment to the team and to the community. Interactive experiences are providing just that opportunity. By utilizing

technology to add sponsorship value and fan engagement, brand presence is greatly increasing.

In the past, the “make my logo bigger” strategy often led to an organization’s brand being completely lost in a sea of a million other logos. In facilities where nearly every square-inch of real estate is a potential asset for the team or venue, there is a real challenge for a brand to separate itself from the rest of the visual noise that exists. Logos and static signage become a textural background that, over time, is more difficult to get noticed. Fans are so oversaturated with the same old stimuli that it simply gets blocked.

So where is a brand to go to gain the presence they are seek-ing for the dollars they are spending? How do they insure that their message does not become background noise? And how can they make certain that their message can be constantly and affordably updated with relevant information?

Technology integrated into the built environment goes a long way towards meeting these challenging goals. In 17 years of designing, branding and building these experiential spaces, Dimensional Innovations has seen a tremendous shift to one of interaction, as opposed to static branding. Especially in facilities where there is a large season ticket holder base, the opportunity to use technology as a way to keep content fresh and enticing is extraordinary.

DynamiC environmentSIn recent years, the term “dynamic environments” has been used quite heavily. What it means in our world is that the built environment can change and can change easily and frequently. It also has the ability to respond to users. It simply turns architecture into a living organism that has the ability to tell an ever-changing story. Dynamic environments are broken into several categories with varying levels of functionality and com-mitment. They each have their own characteristics, deliverables and, of course, cost implications. Most dynamic experiences fall into three different categories: Autoactive, Interactive and Reactive.

autoaCtive exPerienCeSThe simplest and least complex of dynamic environments falls into the category of autoactive experiences. These experi-ences are characterized by simple digital content dominated by animated text and graphics. These are incredibly reliable in delivering targeted messaging for a brand, conveying informa-tion and invoking an emotional response from visitors. These can be readily delivered using very simple back-end systems and re-purposing existing brand content in new ways.

This deployment method was used heavily at Sprint’s East Gate Sponsorship at Lucas Oil Stadium. With over 25 LCD monitors in the space, existing messaging for the Sprint brand, NASCAR Sprint Cup, the NFL and the Indianapolis Colts was easily deployed and constantly updated to keep things fresh. In combination with simple static graphics and a strong in-venue activation, this space has been a very effective way to convey a constantly changing brand message in a very cost efficient manner.

interaCtive exPerienCeSSince the early 1980s, we have been bombarded with memo-rable experiences from technology like Pac Man and Space

Sponsorship zones, such as this one at CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh, draw in users and speak directly to them, providing a personal experience.

Invaders. The nostalgia still compels us to engage in today’s modern games, such as the experiences we get from the Nintendo Wii or the Xbox Kinect. These kinds of experiences provide real-time feedback in a game-like environment. They are frequently used as a way to provide fun and engagement, while often adding an educational component to the fun.

At the Booth Hall of Athletics at the University of Kansas’ Allen Fieldhouse, low tech and mid tech interactives were used to tell some of the many stories of Kansas basketball. Interac-tives include, “On the Air with Max”, which features the game highlight calls of Max Falkenstein, the longtime voice of the Jayhawks and “Think You Can Stop Me”, a reaction time game, which utilizes modified basketballs to test your defensive skills. The experiences provide a clear connection to the team while allowing fans to have a great time, and more importantly, encourage fans to enter Allen Fieldhouse 20 minutes earlier than they might have otherwise. The cost commitments here can be relatively modest with the use of LCD monitors and self-contained CPUs with dedicated IP addresses that allow for what we call “plug and play architecture”. With a simple elec-trical connection, a wireless internet connection and, of course, the floor space, great, dynamic stories are told and created.

reaCtive exPerienCeSIn the most sophisticated of experiences, the digital media

is enabled to react directly with the surroundings in the venue. Through the use of cameras, sensors, etc., the reactive experi-ence gathers real-time information about the surroundings and reacts accordingly. This technology has the ability to draw in the user and then hold them. If correctly done, the experi-ence “speaks” directly to the user and makes for an incredibly personal experience.

One of the best examples of a reactive experience is the in-stallation at CONSOL Energy Center for the Pittsburgh Pen-guins. The Penguins’ sponsorship activation with Highmark,

Top: With over 25 LCD monitors and simple static graphics, the Sprint East Gate Sponsor-ship at Lucas Oil Stadium is an effective way to convey a constantly changing brand message.Bottom: The Booth Hall of Athletics at Allen Fieldhouse uses low tech and mid tech to engage fans and tell the stories of University of Kansas basketball.



a Pittsburgh-based Blue Cross Blue Shield affiliate, includes six different high tech interactives and four different low tech interactives, with the most unique being the “Put Your Game Face On” interactive. The augmented reality-based program allows a user to utilize the 52” touchscreens (magic mirror) to manipulate his or her image to include a new updated image, displaying anything from a favorite player’s bobblehead to the Stanley Cup beard of a favorite player. The screen shot is sent to a user’s smart phone, keeping the viral nature of this kind of interactive in full swing. It also provides the impetus for users to supply their personal information (email or phone number) to the sponsor to receive a worthy takeaway from engaging with the experience.

Recently, the collegiate scene has begun to participate in the premium activations that can be delivered with these sorts of reactive experiences. At the University of Missouri’s MATC building, Mizzou Athletics has created an experience that acts as a recruiting experience, a donor experience, a current athlete experience as well as a game day fan experience. The interactive 4’ x 15’ touchscreen wall tells the story of all 21 Mizzou sports in an incredibly interactive experience. The reactive portion of this experience entails the use of infrared cameras in the ceiling that force the animated and rather intimidating Mizzou Tiger to engage each user very specifically as they engage the touchscreen wall. Mizzou Athletics’ willingness to undertake a project with such bleeding-edge technology made for an in-credibly exciting and fulfilling project. The potential for donors and sponsors to use this sort of experience to tell their stories is indescribable, and as this technology grows and becomes more and more affordable, we are going to see it being used for many different purposes and budgets.

the FutureWhat we see for the future of technology in sports venues is congruent with much of what you have already read in SEAT Magazine. Everything from in-suite ordering for food and beverage to interactive cameras like the Penguins’ YinzCam to enhance the fans’ views of the game will become more and more common. Branded experiences and sponsorship zones will continue to grow in interactivity in their nature as fans and users continue to expect more and more from their in-venue experience. #

Would you like more information on the case studies included in this article? Write to Justin Wood at [email protected].

Justin is the Vice President of Business Development for Dimensional Innovations, a Design- Build Experience firm based in Kansas City.

Top: Mizzou Athletics has created a reactive environment that acts as an athlete recruit-ing, donor and game day fan experience.Bottom: Interactives, such as “Think You Can Stop Me” in Allen Fieldhouse, provide real-time feedback in a game-like environment.

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