June 25-27, we journeyed to Portland, Ore. for another exceptional VenueConnect conference. From inspiring educational sessions to Voodoo Doughnuts, here are our top five takeaways from #VC14:
1. Data is playing an even bigger role in venue decision-making.
From deciding which acts to book and how to make operational decisions to how to value sponsorships and sell more tickets, data is becoming increasingly important to venues.
2. All venues need shows, and there are smart ways to attract more.
Live Nation drew a large crowd for their Sunday panel, but a far more nuanced and—in our opinion—realistic view of how venues can book events took place later in the afternoon at “The Ins and Outs of Booking Entertainment,” presented by our friends Ty Sutton (Wagner Noël), Mike Thrasher (Cascade Tickets), and Tim Higgins (ShoWare Entertainment).
3. Marketing, especially digital, is more important than ever.
From selling more tickets and sponsorships to selling more food and beverage, we started to see a familiar trend in the panels. Fortunately for us, this year’s VenueConnect brought a number of bright marketers offering new and innovative marketing solutions.
4. Good ol’ face-to-face conversations never go out of style.
Because many of the challenges that venues face are complicated, we proudly sponsored the Arena Town Hall meeting and sat back, listened, and learned from a packed room of experts. Thanks to Adam Cook for moderating!
5. Portland rocks.
We didn’t get a ton of time for sightseeing, but our walks on the esplanade, visit to Voodoo Doughnuts and dinner at McMenamins’ Kennedy School are all great reasons to come back to PDX soon.
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