Corporate Brand Building: Premium Suite Outings

As you may have learned through some of my previous posts, there are a variety of ways to utilize sporting venues/events to build your business pipeline. In this article, I'll be discussing how some of my top clients utilize our premium suite areas to do just that.

At sporting venues, there is obviously the concourse where everyone with a ticket to the game has access to. However, if you are a guest of a premium suite outing, you can either come in a special entrance, or enter through the concourse where a game day worker checks your ticket to check your "credentials".  Having a suite ticket becomes a rite of passage per se and automatically makes you feel like a VIP.

At Victory Field, we have seven daily rental suites with the opportunity to entertain any size group. We have smaller, more intimate suites that hold 15 guests as well as larger "Party Terraces" that can accommodate parties of up to 160. Big or small, Victory Field has you covered.

Increasing Business with Key Accounts

I just renewed one of my long time suite clients yesterday who is in the auto finance industry.  His company has utilized our Party Terrace for the last several years to host car dealerships' key decision makers. I've been told that it's helped him build upon his portfolio of business. By rewarding the top decision makers, they have been more inclined to do business with him. This allows him to grow his existing accounts through forging stronger relationships.  The company doesn't have to spend valuable time and resources constantly prospecting for new business, but instead, this method allows his company to spend that quality time massaging their existing foundation.

The open atmosphere of the terrace also allows his attendees to network each year during the event, share best practices, and discuss their stories of working with the auto financier.  Putting his clients that you've had success with together in a relaxed, festive atmosphere helps strengthen his relationships with the clients as well.  As his attendees mingle, they share success stories on how my clients' company has helped their business. He's actually seen an uptick in business from his attendees in the month following his event each year.

Prospecting

Last season, I had a company, new to the Indianapolis market, host an outing for their key targets in the area.  My client brought in some very nice swag, and also handed out co-branded Indians t-shirts with his clients' company logo on the back.  Everyone appreciates free things.  I found this to be a brilliant strategy - not only does it commemorate their event, but it keeps my client's company top of mind with his prospects while hunting through their closet for something casual to wear and as they are wearing it around in public. 

The free gear was only one component of their suite outing, however.  As with my auto finance client, the new company put his prospects together in a collaborative setting and was able to talk openly amongst his future clients.  He was able to bounce ideas off his prospects and, due to the laid-back (and climate controlled!) environment, gained instant feedback from them on what issues they were facing and and learned how he could help them.  This would have been a lot harder to do in an office face-to-face or dinner meeting. 

The Mayor happened to be at the ball park that day, and recognized the company placard outside of my client's suite as he walked by.  He popped his head in and thanked the company for relocating to Indianapolis and mentioned how valuable he thought they would be to the city.  Boom!  I can't promise a mayoral visit during your suite outing, but I can say that it left a lasting impression on my client's prospects.

Entertaining a Top Client

Another way to utilize a suite at a sporting venue is to bring the key decision makers from one of your top companies to the ball park.  CEB has found that there are, on average, 5.4 key decision makers when it comes to a complex sale.  Getting pivotal company stakeholders out to an event is an outstanding way to build your relationship and foothold with your top client.

A client in the engineering industry put a nice twist on this one.  My client does contract work and was about to complete a multi-million dollar job for their #1 customer.  Knowing that the job was about to be completed, but also knowing that the customer had some other projects coming up for bid in the near-term, my client went all out.  Through their dealings with the customer, my client had forged relationships with eight different stakeholders whom he knew held significant weight in the bid awarding process.  He had also found out what their favorite beverage was and made sure it was stocked in the suite before arriving.  Upon entering the suite, each stakeholder opened up the fridge/wet bar and went right for their favorite drink of choice.  It may seem like a small gesture, but it went a long way.  I just spoke with my client last week about the upcoming season and he told me that he just won another job with his top client and he's looking at dates to bring them out again. 

Now, don't get me wrong - putting their drink of choice in the suite wasn't the deciding factor in my client getting awarded the bid, I'm sure.  But, it helped build the relationship and also let them know that my client is acutely aware of their wants and needs.

Departmental Outing

Team-building activities are something that most companies like to do internally every month, quarter, or year depending on their philosophy. It usually includes an educational segment as well as an entertainment portion as well. What I've seen provide great results for this category of outing, is a pre-game meeting in a meeting room in the ball park, followed by a picnic outing or suite event. The meeting length is entirely up to the group. At Victory Field, we can accommodate an all day meeting with a game to follow, or even a short hour to 2 hour meeting followed up by a game. 

Since we are talking about the premium suite side of things, we'll keep the focus there. The meeting space that includes a suite rental works really well since the meeting space at Victory Field is on suite level. Upon exiting the meeting, guests/team members can easily walk right over to their suite that game and enjoy the food and beverage package that is included. 

The companies I work with in this manner find great value in mixing work and play. Engaging your team in a new atmosphere not only builds enthusiasm during the training or informational portion but by following it up with a team-bonding outing with baseball as a back drop is the perfect recipe to spruce up your quarterly outings!

I would love to hear how you choose to entertain your clients, or how your clients entertain theirs! Please feel free to share your experiences and best practices. Either leave a comment, or send an email to me at [email protected]

Garrett