It’s About the Fan Experience!
It’s almost here! From 24-26 May 2022 at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, NV (USA), IIFX hosts its inaugural FANCENTRIC International Conference & Expo. We are so excited about our lineup of speakers and panelists addressing topics that appeal to operations, logistics, guest services, ticketing, parking, marketing, food and beverage, health, safety, security, and services.
Venues, event managers, staffing companies, vendors, and more are looking for innovative ways to enhance the fan experience and be FANCENTRIC!
What does it mean to be FANCENTRIC? In my view, sports and entertainment fans are customers, users, and guests. The fan should be the heart of eSports, athletic sports, festivals, concerts, or any other form of sports and entertainment.
After a lost year in 2020 with more than 20,000 cancelled events, 19 million fans with tickets they could not use, $200 billion in lost revenue, and more than 9 million furloughs in the United States, the sports and entertainment industry finally reopened to full capacity in the fall of 2021. And 2022 is looking even better!
In my view, the journey of the sports and entertainment fan begins with a ticket purchase. Health, safety, security, and service factors affect their journey, creating new pain points and exacerbating existing ones.
In my view, the fans have a voice that is not always heard because engagement surveys are normally limited to season ticket holders or those who attend an event in person. The fan base may be bigger than known, but what they are served is not enticing enough for them to make the journey to the venue to enjoy a full measure of the spectacle.
Fans entering a venue today are different than before March 2020 when the industry stopped. Fan expectations are different. Fan behavior at sports and entertainment events is different.
Today’s fans have little tolerance for pain points in their journey. These pain points include ticketing, parking, entry procedures, movement through the venue to their seats, and time spent in line for security screening, concessions, and even the lavatory. This diminished tolerance is reflected in fan behavior during events, their spending on food & beverage and merchandise, and in their decision making regarding future events.
In my view, fans want a frictionless experience, one that is meaningful and delivers value for every dollar spent. We talk about CX and UX, but in the sports and entertainment industry, the fan experience (FX) at each point on their journey drives revenue and can gain or cost you fans.
So, how will you use people, processes, and technology to innovate a FANCENTRIC experience? What is your strategy to create a FANCENTRIC experience for your fans? Your fans are waiting…