ARENAS:
TEN YEARS LATER: LESSONS LEARNED By Becca Watters
I stayed to take that guy to the airport. It wasn’t more than three days later when conversations about my post-college plans started, and soon after I learned how to build marketing plans, buy media, and work with promoters. It’s been 10 ten years since my 24 hours with H-W-M-N-B-N, and I’m still here; no longer running for shows, but still burning the midnight oil when I need to.
Lessons: people are always watching you and analyzing your behavior –
don’t think for a second that they aren’t. Remain positive and professional no matter what. Treat others with respect. And remember, a healthy sense of humor is key to survival.
SOMETIMES, YOU JUST NEED A LITTLE SUGAR One of the most successful promotions in the history of the Spokane
Spokane Arena made Carrie Underwood one very happy performer. There I was, a 21-year-old intern running for a show at the Spokane
Arena. For the most part, the experience was what I had come to expect – laundry duty, cigarette and liquor store runs, and rides to and from the airport. Somewhere between the normalcy, however, the day had taken a turn for the interesting. 15-passenger van at 3:30 AM the following morning, waiting for the head- on his chartered plane to somewhere fabulous. Yet, there I was, sitting and a 24-hour Carl’s Jr., H-W-M-N-B-N, the guy who hums his own songs, was safely delivered to his plane, just as the sun was beginning to rise. That, my friends, is my origin story. That is how my career in this crazy
- ing at the Spokane Arena, I can’t help but think back to that night and all the lessons I’ve learned from a career spent marketing shows and loading in rock stars. There have been many lessons, and many stories to tell, but these are my
top three: ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS My 24 hours with H-W-M-N-B-N is a story I tell annually to college
students. I tell it for a couple of reasons: 1.
2. It’s just a really good story – better in person, of course.
It’s a reminder that your behavior, actions, and attitude speak more about who you are than any words on a resume or your ability to work a room.
My boss and longtime mentor, Matt Gibson, has often remarked that he learned a lot about my professionalism and work ethic from one simple act:
44 Facility Manager Magazine
Arena almost never happened because someone didn’t get it. The promotion was a fairly simple one: gift the artists sugar cookies. Why? Because we wanted to stand out in a sea of jerseys and framed posters. Ex- plaining the concept of “cookie art” was challenging at the beginning, and some folks questioned why we would even consider such a basic gift a good idea. So, the promotion almost died right there, before a single cookie had ever been baked, but when Michael Bublé unveiled a hockey-themed cookie sweet treats promotion went on to reach millions of people as Carrie Under- wood, One Republic, Pearl Jam, and countless other artists shared images of their personalized sugar cookies on social media. Lessons: Creativity is important, and it’s OK to think outside-of-the-box.
Never let anyone tell you your ideas are stupid. People might not under- stand, but it’s your responsibility to persuade them and defend your ideas. If you think something has potential, it probably does.
MAGIC IS REAL…IF YOU WORK FOR IT. There’s a moment when the lights go down and the entire audience goes
NUTS. No matter which artist or genre it is, that moment exists at every show. I call it the “magic moment.” For thousands of fans, it’s the moment they’ve been anticipating for months. For us, it’s the moment we’ve been working towards for months. Everything we’ve done – the announcement, the on-sale, the promotions, the load-in – has all been building to that mo- ment.
and seven shows, that magic moment truly felt magical. It wasn’t just that moment that felt special; it was everything. It was how several government ready, how 95% of guests were in line when we asked them to be, how our entire team kicked ass to clean and clear the building after every show, and how 82,000 people were forever changed by Garth’s energy and generosi- ty. It was the ultimate magic moment that never would have been possible without a hard-working crew who came together to make it happen. Lessons: It takes a village to do what we do and we all play an important
role in the success of our events. Be proud of your role and own it. Appreci- that you’re a magic maker for others. FM
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