They’re our Reno/Sparks Events – but are they appealing to us?
Events represent a culture
When I was invited to attend the most recent A2N2 meeting, “Marketing Reno/Sparks Special Events: Tackling New Challenges in a Tough Economy,” I got excited at the chance to hear first-hand about those events that make our community unique – especially considering I’d just blogged about the communities (and cultures) I experienced on my recent trip to Europe.
During my trip, I felt that unique traditions and events within those European locales tended to strengthen the overall sense of culture I felt for each. On top of that, the stronger that sense of culture, the more I desired to experience that culture (especially the aspects of their lives that were new to me) and the greater lasting effects those cultures had on my perception and in my memory.
I concluded that, in general, such unique traditions create differentiation on a community scale and, assuming they are not overly caustic traditions, have a positive effect in marketing one’s community to visitors (which is exactly what I hoped the A2N2 talk would address).
The big events in Northern Nevada
That being said, the A2N2 panel members were:
- Bruce Walter, Executive Director/CEO, Hot August Nights
- Jana Smoley, Executive Director, Reno-Tahoe Open
- Beth Cooney, Executive Director of Marketing, John Ascuaga’s Nugget
- Michael Houghton, President/CEO, Reno Championship Air Races
These are not small events – these are the big boys (and girls) of our Reno/Sparks area. And the timing was perfect – we’re in an economic situation where analysts wonder if our events can (or perhaps must) step up as a major industry for our area as the casinos face increasingly uncertain futures.
Each panelist gave an overview of their event performance in 2010, and related that performance to previous years. Most were up in sales, despite the economy, and their attitudes were generally positive, despite minor differences. However, one theme stayed constant:
The impact of local attendees
Each event brings a steady number of visitors each year from out-of-market (an important aspect of generating income for the state). These out-of-market visitors tend to make up a large portion of overall visitors (with the exception of the Reno-Tahoe Open). However, what differentiates a good year from a great year is the extent to which the local Reno/Sparks community comes out to attend the events.
The panelists then talked about their marketing approaches, from cross marketing (especially with each other) to social media and iPhone applications. They remarked on what they saw as the future of their events and evidence of progress. The Reno-Tahoe Open has generated “official interest” by the PGA Tour, an IMAX movie will soon be released for the Air Races, Hot August Nights is appealing to a younger audience with the addition of new categories and competitions, and the Rib Cook Off is expanding its offerings while marketing heavily through social media. At the conclusion of the discussion, they again emphasized that despite their progress, community involvement is necessary if these local events are going to survive and encouraged the audience (and their respective businesses and organizations) to participate.
Do these events appeal to Northern Nevadans?
While I was happy to hear from these major events and learn how they were growing and expanding, I felt that one major aspect of their marketing was left unaddressed. If local support is so important and yet inconsistent, then are these events appealing to Northern Nevadans?
Don’t take this as my personal rant – I’ve been going to the Air Races since I was two, my first job was selling official merchandise for Hot August Nights, I love to eat ribs and while golf isn’t my greatest passion (I do play), I’m excited to have the big names of the PGA tour come to the base of Sierras to play at Montreux. But my personal tastes don’t change the fact that while these events are currently being pushed nationally and internationally as representative of the culture of Northern Nevada (or act as representatives by default), there seems to be inadequate focus on whether or not these events (and the culture they establish) truly represent, or appeal, to Northern Nevadans.
To be fair, I don’t work for any of these event organizations, and as such there could be many things they do to remain customer focused. Unfortunately, in my opinion this wasn’t adequately addressed by the A2N2 panel.
In an attempt to give perspective to the problem, one of the panelists remarked, “I come from a place where the whole town shuts down for an event. Here, there’s something going on nearly every weekend.” Everyone murmured in agreement, but no solutions were offered. Could we simply be marketing too many events?
A calendar that might be too full
Such over stimulus reminds me of Dibbs (our new Reno-based, likely-to-go-global, iPhone app that lists all the musical, artistic, or otherwise cultural events going on in our area for any given day). Sometimes I look at Dibbs, intent on finding an open mic venue where I can play my original music. Dibbs does its job well, and so what I find are many venues for nearly every day of the week.
Unfortunately, my inner demon of procrastination plays on my anxieties toward playing in front of a crowd and I often dissuade myself from going at all, because “there’s always another chance tomorrow.” This personal example leads me to wonder if the same occurs as a result of the plethora of big events in the Reno/Sparks area?
“Oh, you missed that event? Never fear – there’s another just around the corner.”
While the convenience of so many events would seem to increase sales, the opposite might in fact be true.
Tell us what you think
So please, tell me what you think. Are the events that have come to symbolize Northern Nevada the events that you, as a Northern Nevadan, want? If not, what would you change? Do you work for these events and have a perspective that I missed? Finally, do you think that having so many large events leads to a greater or reduced attendance for locals?
Feel free to comment on this blog. I’ve also created a forum for this topic on the Business Empowered (Be) Network at the Business Services Group website. If you don’t have a profile you’ll have to create on to comment (it’s free). Get there quickly by clicking here.
