Online Coupons

I get my daily offers from both Groupon and Livingsocial and I always chuckle.  Not because the deals are funny but because this concept was so… frowned upon just a few short years ago in the entertainment marketing world, and some still do. I was part of a concept in 2000 that was way ahead of its time with grouptickets.com.  These sites have taken our concept to the next level.  I was almost a dot-com millionaire!

I love these social coupon sites.  They have taken the idea of group sales and super groups to the mainstream.  You can get discounts for restaurants, car washes, clubs, bars, dental, etc…  The one participant I don’t see a lot is our industry.  Some are doing it, but they are in the minority. What is wrong with us?  Why are we always one step behind?  We should be all over these sites. I just read this morning that even the movie business is using it. Lions Gate Entertainment is offering a half price coupon on Groupon for an upcoming movie release.

Everyone always thinks that coupons make the product look cheap.  It’s all in how you market it!  If you market it cheap, it will be cheap.

If your show performs with empty seats then you should be looking at these sites. Why leave the seats empty.  Why do you try to fill them with comps?   When you paper the house you have no idea how many will cash in the comp. With these sites, the customer has to buy the coupon.  The chances they will redeem it are much greater.  

These sites offer minimum and maximum coupons that can be sold.  They offer time limits.  You can control the flow of coupons.  They do a mass email marketing campaign for you.  Do you realize how many million people get their daily emails?

No I’m not on Groupon’s or Livingsocial’s payroll, just a happy consumer who gets it.

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.

Why Wouldn’t You Sell Groups?

Last week I was asked to give some information on group sales to a venue that currently didn’t have a group sales program.  They were thinking about starting one.  Why did they have to even think about it?

It blows me away to think that there are organizations in our business that don’t have group sales.  If you sell tickets then you should have a group sales program.  I realize that there are events and venues that may not need group sales for every show and event.  Unless every single event is sold out all the time, you need a group sales program.

When I was selling groups for a casino cruise company with locations in Boston and Miami, groups not only filled open slots but were sometimes the life blood of a daily cruise.   Thank God for those senior buses!  Family shows have known for years the importance of group sales.  I just got an email today about the girl scouts having a scout day at Disney On Ice (my daughter used to be a girl scout).

If you sell tickets, would you rather sell 2 tickets to a customer or 30 tickets to one customer?  Pretty easy answer, right?  Yet I continue to hear about events and venues that don’t offer it.  Some smaller venues will say they don’t have the capacity.  Do they sell out all shows?  I know the answer is no.

If you don’t have a group sales program start one today.  Hire people who are not afraid to go out and make the sale.  Don’t let them just sit by the phone and wait for an order.  They need to go out and make sales calls.  We are in the personal touch business.  Make your group leaders feel special and they will do a lot of the work.

So…I ask again, why wouldn’t you sell groups?

Catering To Business

As event and entertainment marketers we are always putting all our efforts to selling tickets to single ticket buyers and to a few groups.  Unfortunately, groups tend to get the step child treatment.  When we do market to groups, we go after what is called in the business “SMRFS”.  This acronym means social, military, religious, fraternal, and schools.  Marketing to these groups makes sense but one key group demo is missing; business.

I’m sure I am going to get someone saying “how can we market to business groups when companies are laying people off or not rehiring”.  While many companies have pulled back over the last few years, this doesn’t mean they are dead.  Business still has to continue to move.  Companies that do have employees need to keep them.  Sales people that have clients need to keep clients and find new ones.

Last week I taught a private cooking class to a law firm.  The partners in the practice invited some other members of the firm to enjoy an evening of learning to cook, and good food.  This was a fun and relaxing evening that made for good employee bonding.  It was not an expensive event.  It was “affordable luxury”.

Go into any doctor’s office on any given day and you will find pharmaceutical reps.  Besides bringing samples of their newest drugs, they also like to bare gifts.  Some of these gifts can be tickets to events.  How many of you are pushing tickets to the pharmaceutical companies? How many of you have a sales manager list of all companies in your market?

What about marketing directly to company employees?  Amusement parks have been offering consignment tickets to HR/Benefit managers for years.  Movie theaters also offer this service.  Why not all of us in the live entertainment business?

I bet that if you sit and think about every business in your town, you can come up with a group marketing strategy for each one.

Groupon

A little over a year ago I mentioned Groupon in one of my blog posts.  Over the past year has the digital super group for anyone grown?  Oh you bet it has!

Last week on their Twitter page Groupon claimed that someone got the 10 millionth North American Groupon.  For a company that is only two years old that is mind blowing awesome. 

Groupon shows all of us in the event & entertainment marketing industry that we should be doing more with selling tickets in bulk.  The family shows have been using traditional group sales forever.  Concert promoters, not so much. Amusement parks would be out of business without groups.

It wasn’t that long ago that shows frowned on super groups.  They didn’t like the idea of “piecing together” a group.  They thought it was “cheating”.  I was never part of that thinking.  My attitude was always “sell a block of my tickets and I will reward”.

Ten years ago I was part of a dotcom called Grouptickets.  This was a B2B play for 1000+ employee based companies.  We were a one stop shop for individual employees to buy tickets at the group discount without actually going as a group.  It was one of the first “super group” concepts.  The gamble was that a large company would meet the minimum requirement for a group.  It was Groupon for business. The downfall of Grouptickets was timing.  We were ahead of our time.  We also needed more money when the dotcom bubble burst in 2001. I always joke that I was a dotcom millionaire for a day.

Today, Groupon is offering the same concept to anyone. Timing is everything.  Customers want a deal.  All part of the new economic world we live in.

How Much Is Too Much?

In the business of event & entertainment marketing the question of “how much is too much” comes up all the time.  It comes up in the planning and implementing of marketing.  It comes up with sales.  It comes up with sponsor/partner pitching.  Do you know when it’s too much?

Long before an event or show goes on sale you are planning the marketing for your event.  You have to come up with a budget and then make it work.  What you don’t know in advance is the result.  Today, I don’t think you can ever have too much marketing.  First off, you most likely cannot afford “too much”.  Your marketing plan should have a goal of reaching as many of your potential customers as possible.  In our business this usually means about one month of marketing.  If you have the opportunity to saturate the market you should do it. 

Sales is a different animal in the world of selling an event.  This is more personal.  You are contacting someone directly to ask for their business.  In group sales you are asking the group leader for the sale.  You might start with a direct mail piece followed up by a phone call.  Even better, you are meeting them in person to pitch them on the show.  What if they don’t give you a yes or no answer?  How much sales pressure do you put on them?  Too much and you run the risk of losing the sale.  No one I know likes an over pushy sales person.

Sponsor/partnership sales is even more dangerous.  In most cases, you are asking someone to give you lots of money for the partnership.  Good potential partners receive proposals every day.  You have to walk a fine line between standing out from the others and being annoying.  You also have to be careful not to involve too many cooks in the kitchen.  How many people from one event do they want to hear from?  The potential partner either likes your event or doesn’t.  If they like it and want to put a deal together, they will.  Most importantly remember, they are giving you something you want and they don’t have to.

Don’t Forget The Bus Companies

Anyone who sells group tickets for a living has lists.  These lists are for different demographics.  It can be schools, churches, seniors, military, etc… But do you have a list of bus companies? 

If you sell groups for a venue then you should be on a first name basis with all the local bus and tour operators.  They are a valuable resource and revenue source for your efforts.  Think about this, every time you sell one bus group, you sold 50 tickets.  A bus is truly a group sale. 

Bus companies are in the business of filling seats and running the buses.  They are just like you.  You are in the business of filling seats and running the venue, show, or event.  What a perfect marriage.  Many bus companies have their own sales departments.  These sales people are always looking for ways to sell seats on their bus.  If you put together a deal with them, they will act as an additional sales force for you. They have access to all the outside groups and conventions that come to your city.  Don’t you want to tap into that?

Sit down with your local tour operators and put together a package.  Remember that the package has to include the bus ride.  You may have to discount your ticket more then “normal” to make the package attractive.  Don’t think “normal”.  Nothing in this business is normal.  When we get stuck in the “standard”, “normal”, “that is how it is always done” mode we are going down the wrong road.  Put together a package that works!

If you can, join the American Bus Association. This will give you access to all bus and tour operators in the country.  This might work great if you have a national tour going out.  It also works well for sports teams, permanent or unique events.  You would be surprised how many national bus operators plan trips to your city.  They are always looking for stuff to do in your town.  Why shouldn’t you be a part of it?

Who’s Afraid Of The Big Bad Group?

This is the story of my adventure on the other side of group sales.  I was the group leader trying to book lunch for a group of kids.

Over the holiday weekend my daughter’s pee wee hockey team was in a tournament near Patriot Place.  For those outside the Boston market, this is the New England Patriots version of City Walk or Downtown Disney.  At Patriot Place they have shops, entertainment venues, and restaurants.  We all agreed this would be a great place for the kids to have lunch after their game.

The kids wanted to go to Red Robin for burgers. So a week before the event I called them.  The date of our event happened to be Black Friday.  They informed me they could not book our group because they expected a big crowd.  I received the same response from every other family restaurant also. 

I sent an email to Red Robin explaining our situation.  Guess what, they called and made it happen!  Red Robin explained to me that they don’t normally book groups or take reservations. When we got there, they were ready for us at the exact time we asked for.  The service staff was great!  They had all 35 of us feed and out in one hour.  That is very impressive with a group of 12 year old girls.  The kids were happy and the parents only have good things to say for Red Robin.  In the end, we had a good customer experience and I know they will get repeat customers from our group.

You should also know that Patriot Place management was very understanding and tried to help us too.  They get it. They want groups coming to their place. They also tried contacting a few restaurants for us.

Here is what I don’t understand.  Why would any organization turn down guaranteed business if they have the capacity?  All of these restaurants had no idea how much business they would get on Black Friday.  In fact the weather was really bad that day with heavy rain and chilly.  This was predicted.  Patriot Place is an outdoor area with indoor shops. As we walked around the area we saw how low the attendance was due to the weather.  If you can book a group, does it not help you when the walk-up customers stay away?  Is it not better to know what you have versus not knowing?  Why are some people still afraid of group sales?

Want To Move Tickets: Push Group Sales

Tickets to events are down and promoters and venues are scratching their heads on what to do.  One of the answers might be right in front of them: group sales.

Group sales have been a part of events and entertainment forever.  I believe they have not always received the respect they deserve.  Depending on the event, they have been a priority or a stepchild. 

Several years ago I was involved with a group sales dot com.  The response we received depended on who we were pitching.  If we pitched family shows or amusement parks, we were well received.  If we talked to concert promoters, not so much.  To this day, I still don’t understand the mentality of some concert promoters.  If your shows are selling out, great!  But not every show or tour does.  Why would you not want a group sales program in place to move tickets? 

Think about what group sales can do for your event.  It puts large quantities of butts in seats.  What is more important to you, moving single tickets or a bus load?  Yes, you do have to offer a package to groups.  Usually this is done with a discount.  If you buy anything in bulk you expect a price break, right? 

Group sales should be moved to the fore front of event and entertainment marketing for 2010.  Move marketing budget to groups.  This may involve putting more sales people on the streets.  This may include offering a little deeper discount for groups.  If you are not pitching bus companies and tour operators you need to start.  Many have sales departments.  They can become your extended sales force. 

Group sales today are more then school kids and seniors. Every one of us is in a group of some kind. What is your event target market?  What groups fit into it? The opportunities are endless and you might fill some cold empty seats.

A Few Marketing Thoughts From London

I just returned from a week in London.  As an event marketer I noticed two things while there:

1) They know how to market shows and events

2) Group sales is very big and very good

Marketing in England is a combination of traditional and non-traditional.  They understand that you need to “spread the word” any and all ways.  The Underground subway (The Tube) is used daily by millions of people.  They place advertising messages in The Tube anywhere commuters will be.  They used traditional posters on the walls that line the escalators.  You have no choice but to read them.  They use the new electronic transit boards.  They do grass roots marketing.  They hand out flyers in a proper way.  They are pushing the social network sites.  You don’t see a lot of TV ads for events but you do see PR on the TV morning news shows.  You do see TV promotions! 

Newspapers are still a very important communications tool.  Even the BBC and other TV networks discuss what the daily papers are saying.  It seems everyone has a newspaper in their hand.

Group sales are a part of everything in Europe.  They have tour operations down to a science.  All shows, events, and attractions have relationships with tour operators.  This is something that live event marketers here in the USA need to work on.  Amusement parks in the U.S. live and die with group sales and tour operators.  If you handle the marketing for an arena or live event, you need to cut deals with the tour operators.  Every bus group you sell represents 55 tickets.  We saw tour bus groups everywhere in Europe.  They provide groups with a very good customer experience and offer them very good package deals. Groups are given priority access.  Bus groups are dropped off upfront.  Group leaders have the relationship with the venue or attraction and use it to take care their customers.