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Back to Facility Manager
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After marketing events for more than five years, I have learned that I am SO not an expert at marketing events. I have also learned that being an expert means doing my homework. I learn how to do something a little better every day by 1) reading all I can (i.e. Facility Manager); 2) networking with other professionals; and 3) stealing ideas from the first two. At this rate, I should be an “expert” by the time I retire. In the work we do, there are times when some of the variables are simply beyond our control. But it is amazing how much easier things become when we take the time (which we never seem to have enough of) to learn our markets, maintain relationships with our media representatives, and know the events we’re attempting to market. Every event season in Spokane brings with it new challenges and opportunities. Any time I learn something about what I do, be it “good” or “bad” (I would argue that anything learned is a “good” thing), I make sure to write it down so that I can reflect on my ongoing education. I am extremely fortunate to work with a number of great people. Our marketing department in Spokane consists of less than 10 people who coordinate and market three separate facilities: a marketing director (me), a booking manager, a sales and booking assistant, a group sales coordinator, a member services coordinator, and three college interns. Each of these folks contributes something unique to the organization. Still, there never seems to be enough time, energy, or staff to pull off marketing miracles these days. This seems to be true for a majority of the friends I’ve made at other buildings too. You know how it is: graphic design of event and promotional ads, web site production and maintenance, information posts on the building marquee, production of special program collateral, media invoicing, settlement documentation, media buy negotiation. The list goes on and on. I have found the following items to be very helpful in our line of work. They are simple, concise, and more than a little obvious. Hopefully one, several, or all of them might help you somewhere down the line. If not, then call me with your ideas so that I can find out what I’m missing.
The Plan Drives The Budget The truth is that a solid marketing plan should drive the budget, not the other way around. Planning what each event requires in terms of advertising, public relations, and media production, then using that planning to come up with a reasonable budget number is much more cost effective than to come up with an arbitrary budget number which dictates the ad campaign. Sometimes this planning requires taking a look at what the event has done in other similar markets; or researching how much press and attention the act has garnered lately; or asking your local retailers how much product the act has moved lately, be it albums for a concert or merchandise for a themed family show. Planning also means something I mentioned earlier: getting your media reps involved. But get the ones involved that you trust, not the ones that are looking for part of the media buy. This means working with the ones with whom you have had the longest relationship. The last thing you need is for the show that might be coming to town to be announced on the evening drive home weeks before the actual event announcement, which then causes the show NOT to come to town. Media reps that you trust and who really know their business can be extremely useful. They are the ones that can give you the insight that may be the deciding factor in making a successful show. At the end of the media campaign, a successful marketing plan is one that has carried the show advertising through with no surprises. It documents where the advertising budget has been spent. It explains which promotions were placed on which stations, how much everything cost, and how many comp tickets were used. If the marketing succeeded, it provides a blueprint for next time. If it didn’t, it provides an indication of what needs to be improved. Relationship Mojo First, there is the matter of the media buy. When a solid relationship exists with the media salesperson as well as the promotions director and the on-air personalities, the business of putting together a buy and promotional campaign becomes a lot more fun and less of a chore. It’s more like getting together with a bunch of friends over lunch to talk about what you are going to do for the weekend. The creative process is enhanced which makes for better media, which (hopefully) makes for higher ticket sales. Secondly, there is the market. The relationships made with solid media people are key because they are out there in the market day after day working their tails off. They learn what’s ticking more quickly than I do because of the nature of their jobs. It takes most of the guesswork out of figuring out who is doing what and where. So while I’m in my comfortable, air conditioned office banging on the keyboard and planning the next event, the people that I work with at the television and radio stations are getting an incredibly solid idea of what’s going on in the community. I think of them as my personal secret agents. Not only that, but they take me out to lunch! It is a little mercenary, but hey, it works. Finally, there are the tools that can be used to gauge how media is performing in the market. Arbitron, Media Audit, Nielsen; all of these systems are extremely expensive. It doesn’t make sense for a facility to subscribe to any of these…that is what the media reps are for! And they love punching numbers into their systems and having computers spit out results. I have yet to find a rep that doesn’t like to talk about how they did in the latest ratings period. If they don’t want to talk, it’s usually a clue that I probably shouldn’t place a buy with that rep. Interns, Interns, Interns Our internship program works like this: We hire interns at the end of their junior year in college. They generally major in marketing, communications, public relations, or a combination of the three. After an intensive interview process, they commit to a period of one year (the two or three months that internships usually last teaches them nothing and makes for a frustrating continual training process), and are trained by the former interns at the end of their commitment. Interns are paid minimum wage (at the very least) with the opportunity for an increase upon proving themselves. They are included in planning and events meetings, idea sessions, and given special projects to complete on their own. At the end of their internship, we do the best we can to find them employment in the industry. Our interns have happily surprised me with their talent and drive to succeed. It is these qualities that lead me to trust them with tasks important to what we do. The greatest thing about interns is the symbiotic relationship they bring to the process. They fulfill a college requirement along with earning a few bucks and gain some essential experience. I get a team of young, hip marketers ready to do whatever it takes to get the job done. I think I’m getting the best end of the deal but if everyone is happy, then so much the better. Networking IAAM features some of the best conferences in the industry from Oglebay to the Senior Executive Symposium. It really is worth your while to check out some of these functions not only to learn something, but also to say hello to old friends and meet new ones. These people really make this career worthwhile! Along with borrowing (okay, stealing) ideas, networking gives you access to a highly complex job market. Let’s face it–our industry is fairly unique. By getting your name and reputation across to friends at other buildings across the country (and globe), you are already setting yourself up for promotions and other opportunities. Networking is crucial to what we do. Wackiness I worked with a radio station that helped me put on a “WWE RAW Meat” promotion. Listeners would travel to a butcher shop when a specially produced WWE radio spot aired featuring a herd of cow moos. Lucky winners received tickets to the WWE RAW event along with their choice of meat packages from the butcher shop sponsor. Tasteless? Yeah! And it got a huge response for us. Obviously you couldn’t do this with Disney on Ice(I guess you could depending on which show you have that year – Monster’s, Inc., maybe?). The point is that crazy ideas, in the context of the event, get noticed. Make sure that you use the most creative agency you can find or hire the most whacked out graphic designer you can. There will definitely be times when What must be kept in mind is that your best ideas are only as good as your last ad campaign. They are going to have to evolve and change as the market does to stay fresh and interesting. If your advertising cannot continue to attract attention, you will lose your clients. Make sure that crazy graphic designer or agency you have hired continues to have the freedom to develop ideas that will attract attention no matter how bizarre. You can always soften up the details–but a brilliant, central idea could be the one to land that next show. Even if you don’t have enough time, energy, or staff to pull off incredible marketing feats (who does these days?), hopefully you will have read this with a little enthusiasm. Simple, concise, and more than a little obvious? Yeah, but all of these things have worked for me. Hopefully, you will all give me a shout so we can discuss other obvious ideas that can work for all of us. Matt Gibson is marketing director for the Spokane (WA) Public Facilities District. He can be reached at mg@spokanearena.com. |
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© 2004 International Association of Assembly Managers 635 Fritz Dr. Coppell, TX 75019 USA Phone: 972/906-7441 Fax: 972/906-7418 |
A few years back, I was under the horribly mistaken impression that the challenges I faced every day were unique to what I was doing. My eyes were opened quite a bit after attending my first professional conference. I learned that there was an entire country full of folks that not only struggled with the same challenges that I did, but also had a lot of ideas about how to face them. Now when I have an annoying issue that is holding up what I’m doing, I have a list of great people that I can call or e-mail that I know will give me the best advice around.
you have to rein them in, but more often than not you will be surprised at just how cool things can be when the boundaries are pushed. We should be having fun at what we are doing. Crazy ideas make us laugh and look at what we are doing in a different light. That makes all the difference between a solid marketing campaign and a fantastic, wacky, talked-about marketing campaign.