VT RISE 2016 will again be held in Long Beach and 2015 attendees pledged to be there and bring a friend. (VT Photo)
REPORTING FROM LONG BEACH, CALIF. — Building a community around a venue might mean having a web page in a second language, Spanish for example, and not a translation, but a dedicated second-language page, said Uri Geva, Infinity Sport & Entertainment. Too often, venues miss the second-language piece, he said, an observation confirmed by the audience at the second annual RISE (Raising the Industry in Sports & Entertainment), a summit produced by Venues Today and held here Aug. 28.
Geva joined Vanessa Kromer, Nederlander Concerts, and Jack Lucas, TicketsWest, on a panel about building a community around a venue. Lucas shared his experience promoting Broadway in Honolulu, where he succeeded by involving the community. He had the stage blessed by locals, sought testimonials from locals rather than the traditional spots shot in New York, and basically embraced the culture, creating Hawaiian ambassadors to bring the audience to his production of Lion King.
"When you go into a community to promote a show, you have to understand the people," Lucas said.
Kromer built a community around #We Are the Greek to bring attention to Nederlander's long-running management of the venue. "We went door to door and were completely transparent," she said. "We figured out who our ambassadors were."
"It really works to know your community and keep them interested and passionate about your venue," she said. "They got to know us as people."
Though management has been tentatively transferred to SMG, Nederlander will continue to promote shows at The Greek and will continue to build its L.A. community.
Most often, business ethics discussions revolve around taking things that don't belong to you or engaging in conflicts of interest, but what about what's on your computer, asked Robyn Williams, Portland'5 Centers for the Arts, Portland, Ore., introducing the panel on ethics.
"Of course you use your work computer for personal use," she said. "And what about your cellphone?" Many in the audience responded that they had two cellphones, one for personal and one for business use. Others looked at their phones as personal property that had company email and messages on it. The question really is how your employer views that phone and that computer, particularly if you leave the company.
In researching the topic, Williams said the panel noted some things considered unethical in the past are a way of doing business today. It is a discussion that needs to be revisited annually.
Mentors are enjoyable people who help propel your career, noted Cheryl Swanson, Alerus Center, Grand Forks, N.D., during the panel on Reverse Mentoring.
Mentoring, received and given, goes on through life, added Barbara Hubbard, ACTS. She looks to the next generation to teach her a lot of today's technology tricks.
Mentors may also be outside the industry, noted Jason Blumenfled, Canalside, Buffalo, N.Y.
Could mentoring go bad? asked Karen Totaro, noting she lost all respect from her nine-year-old niece after asking for help with her cellphone. It's taken time to recoup the loss.
"Don't limit yourself to one person as a mentor," added Kim Stone, AmericanAirlines Arena, Miami.
"Manage up respectfully," added Jane Kleinberger, Spectra Ticketing & Fan Engagement.
Discussion throughout the day was lively and participatory. For further coverage of RISE, see Venues Today September magazine.