Today in the entertainment industry, concert venues, including major stadiums and arenas, are trying new and creative ways to make the in-venue experience as enjoyable and valuable as possible for customers. When a concert can be easily streamed a day after it occurs and on-demand television services now cemented as the norm, teams, performers, and venues are going out of their way to provide the best quality of service for fans in attendance. When any small mishap can prevent a ticket purchaser not to return to a venue, the stakes are higher than ever to create a positive experience from beginning to end.
With a major need waiting to be filled in this market, San Francisco-based live event solution provider Vendini is projecting to make the largest impact. Many venues will have a wealth of customer data at their disposal thanks to Vendini, which recently released Patron Connect, an app that culls internal data from event venues and analyzes it to give employees insight into their most loyal fans’ behaviors and preferences. It’s the first CRM to be designed specifically for live event venues and is currently available on iPad for Vendini Members.
Customer profiles can be viewed through the app, including information such as purchase history and purchasing patterns to help venue employees create more efficient strategies. “We’re not only giving venues an immediate understanding of the customer at a glance, but we’re giving them data presented in a very actionable way,” said Mark Tacchi, Vendini CEO and founder. “It’s allowing venues to pull up information and, within seconds, know their customer’s buying habits, likes, dislikes, general information and more.”
Creating customers segments is made easier through the app, as specific tasks or service efforts can be made accordingly. Sharing information on these segments is easy, whether it needs to be shared across a team or can also be restricted to a need-to-know basis for different users. Personal touches, like having a portion of the venue staff notified by a text message to alert employees when a VIP enters the building, can be critical to having an entire staff on the same page for important customers.
“We wanted to create an app that acts as your own personal assistant for day-of-show,” explained Tacchi. “Along with giving users a detailed dashboard on your top customers, users can take notes that can be shared across your staff and also assign tasks and see if they’ve been completed or not.”
The app also aims to be beneficial for non-profit organizations using major venues or arenas for events, as NPO’s rely on donations and the personal touches can be a difference maker. As Stephanie Phipps, who serves as Thalian Hall in North Carolina’s Development Director, explains: “The donor cultivation process is complex. It’s a bit like dating someone before marriage. You want to establish a solid relationship before you make any kind of ask, and Patron Connect makes it easy to do that,” said Phipps. “It also allows me to easily connect with house managers and other employees when I’m not there. I’ll receive a text that a VIP has scanned their ticket, and can assign a task for someone to bring them a glass of champagne to their seat. It makes it easy to make your patrons feel special and appreciated.”
The development of the app is only positive news for fans, as the door is being swung wide open to have better experiences with venues, especially ones where they are considered VIPs. The in-seat service for fans will only progressively grow towards better quality when employees are using more knowledge regarding specific patrons. One can imagine sitting at their local stadium or arena to take in a performance by their favorite band or artist and being brought their favorite drink or food selection to the seat without having to ask; or even wanting, or not wanting, to hear about special merchandise promotions or other deals throughout the stadium on the specific night. As more information is being exchanged between customer and employee, the experience quality can grow exponentially.
“The word-of-mouth review has gone digital, especially with services like Yelp and Yahoo Local. It’s more important than ever to be giving your attendees the best possible experience and a lot of that comes from this heightened VIP experience,” said Tacchi. “Where one negative fan experience can have a serious impact, one truly great fan experience can quickly turn into new fans, more exposure, and more tickets sold.”
The live event industry can be affected in a big way, and Patron Connect has the potential step in and take on the challenges. With the creation of long-lasting relationships being more critical than ever, Vendini is en route to getting fans off the couch and into venues with this tool.
