The American Idol TV program has become a phenomenon that has garnered a lot of interest from all over the country and provides a good platform to draw marketing correlations to be applied to facilities.

 

The approach to marketing a new facility versus that of an existing one is different. So we shall explore each separately. The various types of public assembly facilities appeal to different types of audiences but the marketing methodology is very similar. To prevent moving around from facility types for example purposes we shall use a convention center initially to apply our methodology.

 

Let’s say that the Investors in American Idol are the communities as they are risking their capital to gamble on the show’s success. The judges, Randy, Paula and Simon are the people who have the knowledge to guide the participants to success They are the consultants feasibility study, architects, owner’s representative, operations and marketing specialist who have the knowledge of previous facilities. The next elements are the contestants, let say that they will be the final building product. Through the competition the consultants constantly try to define the final design of the facility. There will only be one winner and that is the facility that will be built. Now the last component is your client. Let’s assume that your client is “America.” After the facility is built America will vote and determine the winner.

 

When the concept of American Idol began the producers had to determine to whom were they going to market the show. If American Idol’s demographic audience were 49 to 65 instead of 13 to 39 how different would the entire presentation be?  Marketing a new facility begins the day the investors buy into the project. The consultants chosen will have a critical impact on the level of success the facility achieves. Trying to design a property to be all things to all people is the surest road to failure. Niche marketing is much more successful in today’s marketplace. The first critical step in the design of the facility is to design the facility to the market you wish to attract.

 

Here are two examples of different markets that would guide two different end products. First a demographic rich area that has 20 million square feet of class "A" office space with high-end demographics and potential high-end social and corporate business. There are 400 of the top Fortune 500 companies that have offices in this community. The market has great highway and air access. The local corporate base will book local events first and then state, regional, and eventually national if the facilities are conducive to their events. The next is a community with a population of 125,000, good highway access, limited daily flights and 200 miles away in every direction from major cities or airports. The first larger market’s design should be toward 4 star level finishes, and the client base will be high end corporate and social, political etc. The latter community’s customer will be basically local, and regional drive-in business, which will have a client base of price sensitive SMERFE business.   You can readily see how the design and finish levels will be different in these two properties.

 

The next order of business has to do with branding your product. “A brand is a promise.” “A brand is the most valuable piece of real estate, a cornerstone on the mind of your client.”  What are you going to promise your client? In one property we chose the promise to “ Create a Masterpiece Experience.” All of our marketing, imaging, and collaterals carried a message that to create a work of art such as your event, we will create a masterpiece experience for you the client.

 

It has been a common approach to marketing new facilities to use a shotgun approach and shoot for a wide range of targets and see who all is attracted. The most successful facilities today use a rifle approach and by example, say that the highest rated pieces of business are corporate and upscale social so let’s shoot for that specific type of client and focus on that market segment. If you were in the smaller community given as an example you would shoot for the local and drive in market segments and not waste marketing dollars chasing high-end corporate business.

 

As the competition unfolds and the contestants get fewer the consultants, Randy, Paula and Simon evaluate the contestants. It is important what Randy and Paula say but they usually parrot what the contestants want to hear, but everybody pays attention to what Simon has to say because he is most often the most critical and the most accurate because he says what everybody is thinking but afraid to say. So therefore Simon is the best of the three consultants. If I were building a new facility I would pay more attention to Simon because the future success of my investment depends on the caliber of consultants I have.

 

When marketing a new or existing building always use a rifle not a shotgun approach. This more clearly goes after you target markets and does not waste valuable dollars. To market to an upscale client chose the publications and tradeshows that specialize in hosting and attracting those types of clients. Also include the services of a public relations firm to get your story out to industry publications that will write articles about your location. A public relations firm is one that will get coverage of your facility without having to pay for it.

 

Each year American Idol goes out to search for new contestants. They analyze what they did and who they drew to the competition. Each year they go back out and determine if they overlooked someone, is there someone better out there, how could we have had a more successful season? Existing building should do the same thing. Feasibility studies are a great tool at the beginning but have their limitations. They will generally compare like-size, like-type facilities in similar markets. The truth is each market is different and has different demographics and dynamics. Once the facility is opened and you expose it to the visceral marketplace all conjecture ends and reality sets in. Analyze your menu of events in several ways. Analyze the number of events you are doing, how many have food service associated with them, and how many events are you doing at various attendance and revenue levels. Analyze the number of times each space you have to sell has been rented individually and with the various combinations the spaces can be set in. Determine the kinds of events based on market segment, and event types such as trade shows, consumer shows, social, corporate etc.

 

When American Idol gets to the final few contestants they normally have a an Icon in the music industry critique them. This allows them a new set of eyes in which to view the contestants. It is always wise to bring in new people who can see things a different way than the original team to keep ideas freshly flowing.

 

Remember if you are marketing a new facility or an existing one when you take all these things together you will be in a better position to develop a marketing plan that could make you the next American Idol of public assembly facilities. It is always important what Randy and Paula have to say but it is most important what Simon says. Your choice of consultants will make a difference when “America” (your client)  votes.