Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Events Venue Operations topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Fishers venue reports strong merchandise and ticket sales; staff outline parking and event staffing challenges
Summary
Venue staff said recent concerts and sporting events produced strong merchandise and food-and-beverage revenue and that Ticketmaster data shows most purchases come from Indianapolis; staff also discussed parking complaints, staffing for graduations and large double-booked dates, and the recent death of the food-and-beverage director.
Venue operations staff reported that recent concerts and tenant seasons generated higher-than-expected merchandise and food-and-beverage sales and presented ticket-origin data showing the largest market for online purchases was Indianapolis.
Staff said a recent country music show by "Megan Maroney" (as cited in the meeting) produced a record amount of venue merchandise sold, driven in part by a plaza activation tied to the show. The presenter said social-media photo ops and promoter engagement helped drive merchandise and concession income. Ticketmaster-origin data for online and app purchases showed Indianapolis as the top market (about 65% of online sales) and, by county, Hamilton County accounted for an estimated 25% of online purchases. Two Fishers ZIP codes made up roughly 13% of online ticket sales, staff said; the presenter noted that season-ticket and suite sales were not included in that online-only data set.
Staff also reviewed event scheduling and operational issues: ice removal at the venue completed after a busy season, a mix of weekday and weekend event dates, private events such as fundraisers and graduations on the calendar, and plans for upcoming double-show dates that will test ingress and egress operations. Staff said they would staff up for a planned double bill in July to expedite exiting and incoming crowds.
Parking and access drew specific attention. Committee members and staff said early parking complaints have declined and that police and venue operations have been refining parking and egress procedures; staff noted ongoing coordination with the police department to adjust operations, track egress times and make iterative improvements. Staff highlighted that graduations and other community events are important even if they are not top revenue generators because they help familiarize residents with the facility.
Staff announced the death of the venue's food-and-beverage director, identified in the meeting as John Stockham, and attendees expressed condolences. Staff said the employee had a heart attack while on vacation and that the loss would affect operations; no operational or staffing replacements were announced during the meeting.
Discussion points included how to use successful concert case studies when marketing to agents and promoters, how to shift more tenant schedules to weekend dates to boost attendance, and how to balance discounted rental rates for community partners against revenue objectives. Direction included continuing to pursue private events to fill the calendar and to use sales and performance data to market the facility.
No formal committee action on venue operations was recorded in the transcript.
