It’s hard to give an artist a gift they’ll have an emotional connection with. After seeing dozens of backstage trade shots with the same old tired jersey presentation, Marketing Manager Becca Watters came up with a novel idea to honor artists who play the Spokane (Wash.) Arena.
“A couple of years ago, I started working with a local bakery on developing themed cookies, starting with hockey-themed cookies for Michael Bublé in 2011,” said Watters, whose quick thinking, hard working attitude and creative approach helped the 26-year-old earn this year’s Generation Next award.
“With a little research we learned that (Bublé) loves the sport and is part owner of a WHL Hockey Club called the Vancouver (B.C.) Giants. Our primary tenant at the arena just so happens to be the Spokane Chiefs, a competitor of the Giants. We had some fun with a Giants/Chiefs theme. We had hockey jerseys of both teams, hockey sticks, pucks and maple leaves,” Watters said. “He was so impressed with them; he took the cookies on stage and then passed them around to the audience.”
Finding the perfect cookie takes a lot of research — Watters considers everything from song title to quirky hobbies when choosing her cookie theme. Country singer and American Idol winner Carrie Underwood received a Louisville Slugger-shaped cookie, a nod to her 2007 breakup revenge hit “Before He Cheats.” Underwood sent photos of the cookie to her millions of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram followers, which has led to a big bump in followers for the arena. In the last six months, Spokane has been able to raise its social media follower numbers by a staggering 10,000 fans.
As an employee of the Spokane Public Facilities District, Watters handles marketing for Spokane Arena, Spokane Convention Center and INB Performing Arts Center. It was during her junior year at Gonzaga University, where she was studying for a degree in public relations and marketing, that she first applied for the internship.
“Her written submission was over 12 pages,” said Arena General Manager Matt Gibson. “At first, I couldn’t believe that someone had found that much to write in response to our questions, but then found her answers were well-thought out and personal. She immediately stood out from the other candidates.”
Watters was offered a part-time marketing coordinator position at the arena after graduating, and then hired full time in the role in September 2009. She was promoted to marketing manager in February 2012.
“Becca has shown herself to be very resilient in a job where she’s pushed in many directions,” said Kevin Twohig, CEO of the Spokane Public Facilities District. “She also is very committed to the facility and to the district. She does the best possible job she can, and it shows in everything she does.”
In response to slow ticket sales for a 2011 Kiss concert, Watters arranged for four Spokane Shock arena football players to dress up as members of the band and pose for promotional posters, which served as giveaways at the game prior to the concert.
“Ticket sales did pick up,” Watters said. “The posters and overall promotion were distributed just at the right time. The social response was amazing, week-of sales were great, as was the walk-up.”
Kiss front man Gene Simmons was so impressed after seeing the posters on Facebook, that he had Watters ship him one for his Kiss memorabilia collection.
“Becca comes up with ideas that are further out there than anything that I’ve come up with, and that’s saying something,” Gibson said. “She takes what she does personally and cares about the work, which isn’t what I’ve experienced with the majority of Millennials that we’ve welcomed through our doors.”
Watters said a sense of humor is essential to fit in with the many big personalities in the entertainment industry. It’s also important to have a strong work ethic and great communication skills and to be open to creative ideas from others.
“There is always pressure to outdo yourself and stay fresh,” Watters said. “I push myself to be unique and offer something different than other facilities, although we learn a lot from what others are doing.”
Looking ahead, Watters said she possibly sees herself going more into the booking end at the arena.
“I feel I have a great read on what works in Spokane, since I stay current on trends and live entertainment,” she said. “I love helping bring shows to Spokane, both on a local and national level.”
Watters is currently working on a national marketing campaign geared to bring more shows into town.
“I want to show promoters and planners that Spokane is a great market to come to and that we have the ability to sell tickets,” she said.