ARENA PROFESSIONALS REFLECT ON INDUSTRY CHALLENGES AND GROWTH TACTICS
• Offering ice skating birthday party packages and ccorporate parties and/ or team building events (broomball and curling).
Kwasman:
• Created successful synchronized skating programs for skaters of all ages.
• Developed a successful theatre on ice program.
• Built a tremendous ice dancing curriculum.
• Encouraging skaters graduating from learn to skate to join our ISI Figure Skating Academy (bridge program to private lessons) to continue group lessons and competition and/or show participation.
• Incorporating ISI membership into our figure skating programs.
• Offering several “Try Hockey for Free” events during the year.
• Adding rookie adult hockey clinics to teach skills necessary to participate in leagues.
• Adding a bridge program from learn to play hockey to the leagues for youth not yet ready for house league.
• Putting capital into our equipment and facility.
• Working with area schools and libraries to generate public skating traffic.
• Offering skating and hockey programs to home school groups.
• Working with our ECHL team to get exposure during games, and often doing on-ice intermissions for youth hockey and figure skating exhibitions.
• Promoting at area chamber of commerce networking events to generate public skating traffic.
• Added curling and speed skating. 16 Hanson:
We continue to make sure that we are current with what the industry is doing; that our programs are well organized and staffed by high-quality coaches and instructors; and that our facility is clean, well-maintained, safe, friendly, and operated as efficiently as possible. We are consistently looking to start new programs or enhance existing programs, and we host a variety of events to help promote our facility and programs, such as “Free Skate” days, holiday skating shows, and national, regional and local skating competitions. We also self-promote via social and local media as well as gain exposure through having our skaters participate in area activities, such as “Light Up Night in Pittsburgh,” skate during intermission at the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey games and professional skating shows in PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh.
Bugenhagen:
Provide a great customer service model, develop skating paths for every age skater to be able to move to the next level in both skating and hockey, and run a successful skating school as that is the gateway to all other programming.
Corker:
Introducing as many people to the ice as possible, and offering diversified
• Hosting lock-ins (overnights) for youth hockey players, figure skaters and church youth groups.
• Enhancing ice shows to be all-inclusive for skaters of all ages and abilities.
programs to fit the demographics of the community. Providing programs that add value to the lives of the families that participate and looking for ways to continually improve in all aspects of the business. Marketing those programs within the community and beyond through competitions, tournaments, ice shows, games, and traditional and non-traditional outreach efforts. Due to our skating director, we had over 350 spectators at our most recent holiday show, and it was amazing to see the kids and their families getting so much back for the hard work they all put in. We are blessed with a tremendous group of coaches, staff and management that are driven to provide the best programs and willing to learn and improve each day.
Bologna:
Since we are a community center, we have the ability to offer a summer youth enrichment camp that exposes our youth to our facility and ice skating as well as other activities, such as swimming, martial arts, fitness and community service. We work in conjunction with the Line Creek Figure Skating Club to host an annual ISI competition. Also, our facility offers many special themed events with discounted skating fees throughout the year to draw in others outside our skating community. We offer “Discover Day” in the spring and fall to bring the community together and showcase our facility and the programs and activities we offer.
Hunt:
We constantly train and educate staff, focus on improving the quality of all programs through customer and staff feedback, remain current with social media trends and foster community within the rink and club to boost customer loyalty.
ISI EDGE SPRING 2017
E
& O
Industry THOUGHTS
C
I
H
A
R
L
L
E
H
G N
W T
S
T
G
A
C
T
C
S
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44