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By Kelly Pedone
Communication
is the key to running any successful operation, so when things go wrong,
a breakdown in communication is the usual culprit. The concept of
communicating with staff, clients and event guests seems easy — simply
relay your message. But there are so many ways to get a message to all
parties, and effectiveness and timeliness are key. “It should all start
with a communications strategy,” says Steve Koss, flight controller for
Space Systems Loral, a manufacturer of satellite and satellite
technology. “You need to know what to do if you lose a network or lost
communications during an event. You need to know if you should rely on
twoway radios, cell phones or standard phones to communicate. And
everyone in your organization needs to know and understand that
strategy.”
 High-Tech
Communication
For many facility managers, risk management is a red-hot topic these
days, says David Schwartz, president of ABI MasterMind. Heightened
security measures, as well as the need to ensure that guests have a safe
experience at a venue, are at the forefront of many facility managers’
communication needs.
“It doesn’t do any good to find out about problems after an event or at
the end of a home stand,” Schwartz says. “Facilities need to have a
practice in place to communicate information and to solve problems as
they happen.”
Pager systems. One new wave of
communications technology is the use of a pager system similar to what
many restaurants give to diners waiting to be seated. The pager buzzes
the customer when a table is available. One such system created by
Florida-based JTECH gives facility staff the ability to contact various
stations for assistance. The handheld, one-way pagers have four buttons
on them that can alert a command center to contact a supervisor,
housekeeping, security or medical directly.
“In most circumstances, an usher would have to rush up to the top of
their section and search out a supervisor, who would alert the command
center via two-way radio,” Schwartz says. “By using JTECH technology,
the appropriate personnel can be dispatched more quickly. It’s virtually
instant — within seconds of the incident occurring.”
 JTECH
has its limitations, however. Currently the pagers can only be
programmed to specific stations. If an usher is reassigned during an
event, he must make sure to hand off his pager to the next person.
However, technology is moving toward implementing the fixtures with a
sort-of GPS system. That way, if an usher moves to another section, it
will register when he places a call to the command post.
Visual plotting. As the nerve center on an
event day, the command post typically receives calls seeking assistance
to clean up a spill, close a turn stile or send a medic or security. At
most venues, command center personnel typically fill out slips of paper
and make a note that they dispatched the appropriate people. But what
happens to those reports once the event is complete?
“Are the papers being filed and are the right individuals getting the
right information?” Schwartz asks. “Is the information being
disseminated and analyzed? Are the right people getting it to see hot
spots?”
By taking the information a step further, facility managers can use
visual plotting to communicate to personnel what sections need added
attention. “If you could predict certain things in an environment, you
can be prepared,” Koss says.
In its most progressive form, visual plotting allows security members in
a venue’s control room to see incidents pop up in one section as soon as
they happen. Via satellite technology and global positioning system
(GPS) technology, facility employees get instant information.
“The most advanced of these communication tools allow you to take a
photograph of the incident; then you can log it into a database,” Koss
says. “There’s a lot of paperwork involved, but the data collected
allows you to predict what takes place and ensure that the proper
measures are put into place.”
On a smaller scale, strategy and learning maps are forms of
communication technology venues use as a way to communicate to staff how
to be prepared.
While most of the advancements in communications technology tend to
focus on security, Schwartz says that it has trickled down to other
facility staff. “Security at most venues has received bigger budgets
since 9-11 so it has become a huge concern in buildings,” he says. “But
now facility managers are seeing that that same sort of communication
and training can be used in guest services.”
Low-Tech Communication
Many facility managers underestimate the power of their Web sites. Since
most households have computers and many Americans are connected to the
Internet, searching out a facility’s site to gain information has become
common practice. Updating information on the site — event dates,
directions, ticket availability, etc. — goes a long way toward creating
positive guest relations.
But beyond one-way information provided on the Web, facilities should
examine implementing message boards or blogs as a way to interact with
customers, says Judy Jernudd of Startegic.com, a leadership and
communications development company.
“Younger people, especially, understand the power of the Internet,” she
says. “Giving people the opportunity to interact is a powerful tool.
They feel as if they are part of what is taking place by creating a
dialog.”
Blogs and message boards can also benefit employees. “They can be used
as a newer version of comment cards,” Jernudd says.
 Blogs
are an alternative to e-mail blasts that are basically electronic
versions of direct mail marketing. Since many people have blocked such
messages from their e-mail boxes, the blasts tend to lose their
effectiveness, Jernudd says. By providing frequently updated and
promoted blogs, customers know they have a place to go to find out the
latest information.
Podcasts are another communication avenue, this one tapping into the
growing popularity of downloading music and messages onto home computers
or MP3 players. A podcast can be used to promote an upcoming concert by
giving fans the opportunity to download a band’s latest hit or a
soon-to-be released song.
Further, sporting venues can provide podcasts of press conferences with
players, coaches or other key team personnel so that fans can feel as if
they’re getting inside information. If a convention center plays host to
a major industry tradeshow, a podcast featuring that industry’s leaders
could be featured to give attendees greater insight into what to expect
at the event.
“By adding simple programs to the technology that’s already in place, a
venue can reach out in so many new ways to their customers and
employees,” Jernudd says. “All it takes is a bit of creativity.”
No-Tech Communication
No matter what fancy technology is put in place, no form of
communication will ever take the place of interpersonal skills, Jernudd
says. “It will always come down to the human element.”
Just as a communications strategy is important in disseminating
information, developing a communications culture within an organization
is important in ensuring your message is relayed in a professional
manner. A team spirit must be created within an organization and relayed
to guests during an event.
“You have to start at the top; then it permeates down through the
ranks,” Jernudd says. “If you have an abrasive person or someone who
lacks personal skills at the top, it will filter down. If the
rank-and-file don’t feel as if they’re a part of the organization, they
won’t have positive communication with the people who visit your
facility.”
 Training
is crucial in ensuring that employees develop effective communication
skills with customers, as it teaches them the basics of what’s
acceptable and what isn’t. “All you need is for one person to ignore you
when you’re looking for your seat or a parking area to make you have a
bad experience,” Jernudd says. “The most successful communication tool
is to talk to your customers or employees, listen to them and make them
aware of how valuable they are. No electronic scoreboard or computer
program will replace personal communication.”
Kelly Pedone
is a Houston-based freelance writer. She has more than a decade of
experience writing for newspapers, legal journals, health publications, and
sports, entertainment and retail magazines. |
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