Are We Too Predictable?

Our customers are always asking what is the next great thing?  What is the newest trend? What is the show we have to have a ticket for?  Could our problem be that we are leaving them with too many question marks?

Have we become too predictable? Maybe we need a live entertainment makeover.  As shows go on tour and their marketing hits us, I notice nothing really new, fresh, and exciting.  I know that shows have new themes but I am talking about a show and marketing campaign that wow’s people. Something they really have never seen before.

In the music world they currently have Gaga.  She played here in Boston last night. The buzz was awesome.  I have not seen that kind of excitement for a concert in a long  time.  But one singer can’t carry the music industry.  Who else is coming down the pike to re-energize the concert industry?

What is the next big thing in the family show business?  What are the kids excited about? It is commonly known that you really don’t have to change the format of a family show because as one generation of children age out, the next ones are coming in.  But does this still work?  What if mom and dad are not interested?  When I was a kid I would always go to the circus or the Globetrotters.  So it made sense that I wanted my kids to see them too.  But as our audience is shrinking, this means less future adults wanting to take the kids.

I believe we have become too predictable.  This goes for both the shows we produce and how we market them.  Let’s shake things up in the live entertainment industry.  Let’s get our customers excited.  Show them why going to see something live is a treat for all our senses.

Doing It By The Book

You know the saying “There is a time and place for everything”.  This is true.  There are times when you really have to follow rules, policies and procedures.  In the culinary business you have to always go by the book when it comes to food safety. There are other times when you can go outside the lines, for example when it comes to recipes.  Now that I am in the culinary biz it reminds me how you can sometimes leave the comfort of rules and procedures and do what you know best.  But you can’t do that until you really know and understand it.

When you first learn a new job, craft, or profession you have to go by the book.  The book was written for a reason.  You have to keep going by the book until you understand it backwards and forwards.  You think about them in your sleep! Once it becomes “second nature”, then you know how to go off roading.

Several years ago I was doing some consulting work for Feld Entertainment. I was hired to work on a Goosebumps Live date in Detroit.  Unlike the old days when I worked for them full time, they had everything spelled out on how to market the show.  I met with my friend Bill Lee from Olympia Entertainment.  Bill is the live entertainment marketing genius in Detroit. We looked at other cities where the show was on-sale and saw business was not good.  He and I decided that we were not going to let Detroit fall into that rut.  The tour was being promoted as a theatre show for children. We threw out the playbook and wrote our own marketing plan for the engagement.  We decided to promote the show as a family show that just happens to be playing in a theatre instead of an arena. 

When the show got to Detroit, Kenneth Feld was there for opening night.  He pulled me aside and asked why business was good in Detroit.  What were we doing that other cities were not?  I said “we didn’t go by the book”.  We went with our gut.  Bill and I knew the market.  We knew what would move tickets.

Did we take a risk not going by the book?  Yes we did.  But sometimes you have to let people do what they do best!

Dazed And Confused

There is an article in today’s Wall Street Journal about the number of different toothpastes for sale today.  It’s mind blowing!  According to the article 69 new toothpastes were introduced last year.  This is down from 102 the year before.  The focus of the article was all the confusion this has caused consumers when shopping for toothpaste.  Could the live event and entertainment industry ever have this problem too?

I don’t see us ever putting out that many shows that are so similar at the same time but I do think we need to be careful.  In the concert business we tend to bunch tours all into the same time of the year.  Summer is a perfect example.  Before anyone writes me, I am a big fan of summer shed shows!  I grew up with them!  However, if one venue books too many concerts with the same music format isn’t it possible we could have a toothpaste problem?

Let’s look at the family show business.  In the past I have marketed Ringling Bros. Circus at the same time that two other circuses were on sale in the same town.  Even though my show had the biggest brand name, doesn’t all the circus shows get hurt? 

What about the same brand name with several different themes?  We have this happening all the time.  I live in a TV market that has more than two cities as part of the market.  I have seen TV spots for the same brand name of a show but with a different theme running at the same time.  Is it possible that the consumer could get confused?

If the toothpaste companies can come up with 100 different versions, why can’t they just blend them into one great toothpaste?

Ringling Bros. Promoter Reunion

I spent this past weekend in Sarasota FL at the first ever Ringling / Feld Entertainment promoter reunion.  Over 70 past and current promoters attended.  The best way to describe the experience is a kid over-stimulated on Christmas.

The weekend was one non-stop gab fest.  As David Rosenwasser said “we could have a Guinness Book of Records for the most bull-shit artists in one room”.  The group represented 50 years of promoters.  Most of them I knew and the rest I knew their name because they were of legend.

One of the biggest highlights was learning what everyone has done since leaving The Greatest Show On Earth. Being a promoter gives you so many experiences over your career that you can do almost anything. Everyone was not only eager to share what they were doing, but was also open to networking and helping each other.  The common word used throughout the conference was “family”.  Being a Ringling/Feld promoter is a very unique fraternal club.  I compare it to the Freemasons.  Everyone is a “brother/sister” who will help each other. They also have rituals and love their secrets.

The event kicked off with a dinner on Friday night with Kenneth Feld as our guest speaker.  He truly seemed to enjoy being with all of us.  He made sure he spoke with everyone in the room and was interested with our post Feld life.

Saturday night we went to Circus Sarasota.  I’m sure you are thinking why would ex circus promoters ever want to see another circus.  I thought this myself.  But I have to tell you that it was a really nice show.  I consider myself very jaded when it comes to family shows but I liked this show.  This cute non-profit circus was founded by Dolly Jacobs. My friend Bob Collins is the Chairman of the Board. 

Speaking of Bob, he is now in the tourism business.  He owns Big Top Tours. He bought himself a bus and drives tourists around Sarasota showing its wonderful circus history.

After the show we all went to Showfolks Club.  This is a bar for circus people.  In all the years I worked at Ringling I had never been but knew of it.  The walls are covered with 100 plus years of pictures of circus performers and lots of cigarette smoke.  There were ex circus performers at the club who I had not seen in many years.  Everyone remembered everyone. They are like elephants, they never forget!

The one agenda item I wish we could have added was a meeting of the minds.  The 70 plus reunion members have the collective creative power to address and solve what is ailing our industry.  I truly believe that if this group would have tackled the lack of worldwide ticket sales, they would find the answers.

Once A Year Is Not Enough!

How many times a year do you do it?  Get your head out of the gutter.  I’m talking about meeting with your fellow live event & entertainment marketers?

As an industry, we need to get our heads together more often.  Meeting once a year at a conference is good, but it’s not enough.  I am proposing meeting once a month.  I’m sure you are saying, “no one can afford to get together that much”.  Who said I was suggesting flying off to some location once a month?  How about meeting online?  How about a monthly web chat? You can sit at your desk while eating a sandwich and interact with your fellow event & entertainment marketers (just make sure you use a napkin, we can see you).  Each month we could discuss a new topic.  One month could be advertising ideas.  The next month could be group sales issues.  The shows could offer ideas and hear your concerns.  Perhaps the folks at the Event & Arena Marketing Conference could be the facilitator?

The more we put our brains together, the better chance we have at success!

Speaking of getting brains together, I am off this weekend to the first ever Ringling/Feld promoter reunion in Sarasota FL.  As I mentioned in a previous post, this group does have the brain power to put butts in seats.  Even though this is a reunion, we are actually going to have meetings to discuss the current state of the industry.  I do plan to blog from the reunion. I’ll let you know what I hear.

The Battle Continues And Technology Wins!

I was wondering when I would hear about AEG battling back in the ticket wars.  There was no way they were going to let their competitor Live Nation control their tickets.  In today’s Wall Street Journal there is an article about AEG getting into the biz.

AEG has teamed up with Outbox Technology to sell tickets in all of their venues. This is about 105 venues.  Outbox is being led by Fred Rosen.  For all you young marketers out there, he is the man who made Ticketmaster huge in the 80’s and 90’s.  At the time, he was one of the most powerful guys in the live entertainment business.  Looks like he is on his way back!

AEG teaming up with Outbox is a good thing.  It is good for venues, promoters, and the public.  This is what the Justice Department hoped would happen.  Competition is always good.  While I’m not sure how this will affect ticket fees and service charges, I do believe this will advance ticket technology.  It will improve the way our customers can buy tickets.  This world today is all about the customer experience.  Anything that helps the experience is worth it. 

Ticketing today is so different than the old days.  When I first started in the business, most venues did not have Ticketmaster or Ticketron.  Most used “hard” ticketing.  This was paper tickets that were printed at a ticket printing company.  Each event and performance had to be printed separately with every seat printed.  You then had to count every single ticket to make sure they were all there.  Then you “racked” them and sold them. Think about 10 performances of just one family show. You either sold them in person or on the phone.  If you wanted to use an outlet, you had consignment tickets at the outlet.  You hoped they would account for them correctly.  At the end of every event or performance you had to count all the unsold tickets to make sure the money and the drop count matched. 

Aren’t you glad with have today’s ticket technology?

Are You A Team Player?

This week I saw a great example of what happens when someone you work with is not a team player.  This person not only didn’t help his fellow teammates, he didn’t do his own job.  The rest of the employees were pissed off and he really ruined the whole day for everyone.  It reminded me of the Bud commercial where the reporter tells the football player Leon “there is no I in team”. Leon responds with “ain’t no We either”.

In the event & entertainment marketing business you are only as good as the people who work with you.  This goes for co-workers, employees, vendors, clients, etc…  When one of them fail, it will affect the business.  It will also reflect on you! 

Whenever I work on a new project or job, I always try to assemble a team that not only works well with me but they also work well together as a team.  If your team is not getting along, it will show in your marketing results.  Hire the best people and let them do their thing!

Always listen to your team members.  They are with you for a reason.   I may not always agree with them but I usually will compromise at the very least.  Don’t disregard any of their ideas. I believe there is no such thing as bad ideas.  If it won’t work for that particular project, it may work for another one.  Write the ideas down and put them in an idea folder.

If a team member is not pulling his/her weight, try to get them back on track.  If this doesn’t work then jettison them from the team and find someone who can.  You cannot allow one person to pull the whole team down.

I know there are people who don’t believe in teams but I have never seen any successful show or event run with individuals.

This Is Why You Run Ideas By Others

The Boston Blazers of the National Lacrosse League found themselves with lots of local and national media attention the other night.  I think it’s the most press they have ever received.  Here is what happened:

For the half time entertainment they decided to give their mascot a birthday present.  Instead of just giving him a huge birthday cake, they gave him a few lovely ladies who gave him a lap dance.  I’m not kidding!  Right there on the field in front of lots of families and kids.  They even had sound effects (think about it).  Of course fans in the audience taped this on their cell phone cameras and the media had it in time for the 11:00 PM news.  Parents emailed and called in complaints.  The Blazers found themselves writing a written apology. The Blazers market themselves as “family friendly”.  If you are going to use that marketing term, then you have to live by it. 

When I was with the Atlanta Knights of the International Hockey League, I was responsible for the on-ice promotions and entertainment.  Events like this were always a fear.  We had a team of people that we called the “Fun & Games Department.”  We got together every week and planned upcoming promotions and entertainment.  There were many ideas that never saw the arena floor.  While they may be funny and entertaining to some, the goal was to make it fun and exciting for all in the audience.  Our committee was designed to play devils advocate with every idea.   

I understand that when you do something in front of a live audience anything can happen.  In this case, they planned the event. They knew what was going to happen on the field. The Blazers GM said in a statement that he didn’t know this promotion was going to happen this way.  He may have not known but other people in his organization did.  I wonder if they channeled PT Barnum that day.  He once said there is no such thing as bad PR.

I’ve Seen The Future

Last night I went to my local high school for curriculum night. This was for my daughter who will be entering high school in the fall.  What really amazed me was how the curriculum changed just since my son started there 3 years ago.  While I was sitting and listening to all the department heads, I realized that all of us in the live entertainment biz should be engaged in the schools.  All these kids in high school are our current or future customers. 

In past blog posts, I have discussed major & minor league sports teams supporting their respective youth teams.  We should be doing the same in the schools.  For example, our high school is offering a course called Live Stage Music.  In this class they are teaching kids how to take their talent live.  Teaching them stage presence and performing in front of a crowd.  As the department head said “how to be a rock star”.

The technology department and the English department discussed the use of new media.  They are teaching the kids not to just play on Facebook and Twitter but how to use it as a business communications tool.  These kids are the future of the internet.  Soon, they are going to get 99% of their info from the net.  As marketers, we should be helping them with this.  By helping them we are helping ourselves.  We need to stay current on what reaches our customers.  This will do it. 

Schools want to teach our kids the future but they don’t have all the money to do it.  This is a good investment for all of us in the live event and entertainment business. I know you would love to market into the schools.  How about helping them with our future?

How About Easy Way Out?

Let’s face it; all of us like to do things that are easy.  But is it always the right thing to do?

One of the many amazing things I learned in culinary school is that a recipe can change big time with the slightest alteration. Or how about when a restaurant cook suggests ”Oh, I’ll just skip making fresh Hollandaise and use a mix.  No one will notice”.  I’m sure many of you enjoy good food. Would you want the real Hollandaise or the fake powered stuff? These same thought processes are used every day in every business. The event & entertainment marketing biz is no exception.

Today’s event marketers are multi-taskers.  We juggle several projects at the same time and can’t wait to get one off our plate.  Because of this, we tend to skip steps.  These missing steps could mean nothing or could cost you lots of tickets.  Here is an example that happened to me 25 years ago:

I was a very young, new promoter with The Greatest Show On Earth working on the circus in Hershey PA.  In that market, we had a long track record of success with direct marketing. In other words, we sold a shit load of tickets in advance through direct mail.  We also mailed out a group sales flier.  I was given the idea of combining the two fliers to save time and money.  Mistake number one was not asking someone (my boss) if this was a good idea.  So the direct mail piece was produced and it was screwed up.  The combined mailer gave everyone the group discount and didn’t read like an advance mailer.

The venue marketing department suggested I just use the mailer for the groups and they would feature our show in their own direct mail piece going out.  We would be the lead event in a booklet of all their venue events.  I went with that idea. This was mistake number two. 

Mistake number three was still not mentioning this to my boss.  I thought I had solved the problem.  I’m sure you know where this is going.  Our advance business was so bad that everyone in the company noticed.  After I got my ass chewed  for an entire day (not exaggerating), and put on “double secret probation” I was able to market my way out of the crisis and save the engagement. 

Think about it for a second the next time you want to take the easy way out too.