Author: Jim Wynkoop, CFE
FM Issue: May/June 2017
I was speaking to a colleague this week who has taken over my position at Saint Louis University’s Chaifetz Arena. He was working through a date challenge for an agent for a concert in January, but the entire month is on hold pending the Men’s and Women’s Basketball Conference schedule. That schedule will not be out until mid-September, which is a long time to put off an agent. While we had worked out a process with Athletics, where they would go back to the conference to confirm or release a date when challenged, there has been some employee turnover on both sides which has clouded the process. A meeting is now scheduled to revisit the process and hopefully clear up the date one way or the other.
So how do you keep a full calendar when you aren’t allowed to book anything during basketball season? How do you keep your promoters and agents engaged with your venue when you have over five months until the schedule is released? They are usually working on too tight a timeline to wait, so you must figure out a way to either manage through the process, or give up on booking other events until the schedule comes out. Since no one wants to be passive about booking, I believe there are three keys to working through this challenge. These are developing relationships with your booking stakeholders, obtaining complete knowledge of the booking and scheduling policy, and learning how to pick only the best spots to dig in and fight for a date.
Venue management is a business that has always been about relationships. We develop relationships with our tenant teams, the coaches, our contract administrators, promoters, and agents. We build these relationships to be able to get answers quickly, and maintain them by being transparent about our abilities and challenges. Of course, not everyone is going to be your advocate, and not everyone is going to be able to help you when you need it, but good relationships help you get issues resolved and questions answered quickly. Even an unwanted answer that is timely is better than leaving the question hanging out there.
If the only time you talk about anything with your Athletics scheduler is when you ask for dates back, then they are not going to be very interested in helping you. This is a critical relationship since you are often depending on them to negotiate dates with the conference for your events. The relationship with the Athletic Director is equally important. You may find yourself occasionally needing to go over your scheduler contact’s head, and this is a lot easier and effective when this is not the first or only time you speak to the AD.
What do you talk about if you don’t know them very well? How do you “develop” a relationship? You can always keep track of their programs’ results on the field. You can find articles on the website highlighting wins, milestones by players, etc. Use this to have a brief conversation during games when you catch them walking around the building. It is an easy conversation and something that shows you are interested. It’s an old observation that you make a lot more friends by being interested rather than interesting, but it still rings true.
But what about promoters and agents? How do you develop a relationship with them, especially when you rarely see them? It’s a little more difficult, but you need to make the most of your opportunities. Get in front of them at conferences you attend. This is a difficult time for them because they are dealing with lots of venue managers clamoring for attention, but it is still an opportunity. Follow up with a thank you when you get back. Also, a hand-written note after an event will help you stand out a little. If you get information about their family, hobby or favorite college football team, then occasionally follow up with a link to an article they might be interested in. Finally, if you can afford it in the budget, visit them outside the conference windows. They will have more time to visit with you and will be in a better position to share their insights about your market and their artists. It does cost a little more but is well worth the cost.
Of course, no matter how good your relationships, you may find yourself needing to come back to a promoter or agent with bad news about their date request. If you have a good relationship, then this is an easier conversation. Being honest is the best way to operate and keep you from being skipped over for the next opportunity. Don’t hide the fact that the dates are blacked out for the team, and be able to tell them when that schedule is likely to come out. Also, suggest any dates or times that will be available near the date they’ve asked for. These can be tough conversations, but having them is part of the business, and handled well can help further the development of your relationship.
In addition to good relationships, you must fully understand the university’s policy on booking their venue. If the agreement is you cannot book events the day before conference games and that is a hard and fast rule, then you almost never come asking for one of those dates. If the first two weekends of the season are sacred so they are playing at least one of them at home, then you don’t come back looking for one of them back unless it is a major event opportunity.
In addition to the written policy, you want to be clear on what the exceptions are, if any. Are there events that take priority over practices? Are any dates always sacred while others are less important? When is the conference in the final process of working out the schedule, and is it too late to go to them with a date challenge? When is it appropriate to involve university administration?
Consider having a joint meeting with your contract administrator before the season when you anticipate issues. Discuss the process and try to get an answer to the above questions, as well as others that may be relevant to your specific venue. In St. Louis, we hosted an annual Valentine’s Day show which does well. When the booking policy changed, we were at risk of losing an annual event that usually sells to 80 percent capacity, and often sells out completely. While we could not get a specific guaranteed date, we were able to get the team to commit that each weekend either Friday or Saturday would be available. This was enough for us to place holds, and the show has remained a consistent annual event.
Finally, after you clearly understand the policy you need to learn how to pick your spot, and be sure the show you ask for is the one you want to win. You can only go once or twice, so you want to make sure it is the right event before you try. The first part of this is to determine if the promoter is ready to challenge a date, or is just feeling you out with no intention of confirming right now. Even if just feeling you out, giving a heads-up to your athletics scheduler is helpful to get them ready for a possible challenge later. Again, this helps build the relationship and gets them thinking about the process in advance of an officialchallenge. Then, when the promoter is ready and officially challenges the date, and you believe that this is the event you want to push for, make the call and ask for the date.
If you are hesitant or unsure, then reach out to your contract administrator and talk it through. They may have a different perspective than you about the event, and they may also be aware of some conversations being had in the administration that might influence your perspective, too. Further, they might have a different take on the booking policy, especially if you have not gone through the challenge process with Athletics very often. Use them as a resource, a way to clarify your thinking, and to make sure you are picking the right spot.
I remember when I started in the business, we lost two Rolling Stones shows to a tenant game. It was a professional team, but it was still a disappointment to the entire staff at that point and was a good early lesson for me. Negotiating this process is often the most frustrating part of your job. Like many, I have experienced failing to get a date cleared for a big show only to see it confirmed in another venue down the road instead. Then, when the conference schedule arrives, the date in question goes unused. While it is important to realize that you are not going to completely avoid frustration like this, you can maximize your chances of successfully challenging dates by developing your relationships with all your booking contacts, fully understanding the booking policy of the university, and picking the best spots to make a stand and push for dates.
Jim Wynkoop, CFE, is general manager of Atlantic City’s Historic Boardwalk Hall.
