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Expo sessions focus on group sales, financial growth
by Amanda Charney
| With tighter budgets and fewer discretionary dollars, there’s no better time than now to brainstorm creative ways to bring in revenue. This year at IAAPA Attractions Expo, operators, consultants, and industry leaders and innovators come together to share their successes, tips, and creative ideas to keep the money coming in and the guests coming back. Here’s a look at just a few educational seminars scheduled to address these areas. |
Group Sales
One key to all attractions is group sales: birthday parties, charity events, corporate picnics. If you’re looking to ramp up group bookings, consider the following sessions:
Driving Group Sales in a New Economy
• Monday, Nov. 16, 3:30 p.m.-4:45 p.m.
Robert J. Araiza of Mulligan Family Fun Centers shares insight on how to move beyond the group sales comfort zone and think creatively.
Stimulate This!
• Tuesday, Nov. 17, 12 p.m.-2 p.m.
Speakers offer tips and advice on revamping your current sales programs to spur renewed interest and boost the bottom line.
Group Sales: A 2009 Case Study
•Wednesday, Nov. 18, 9 a.m.-10:15 a.m.
A panel of experts and operators share case studies of successful sales programs, as well as dos, don’ts, and what is on the horizon for 2010.
Group Sales for the Resorts Industry: Tactics and Successes
• Friday, Nov. 20, 10:30 a.m.-11:45 a.m.
Casinos and resorts have employed new tactics to retain group sales business and put a fresh face on current programs.
More Money
Food and beverage. Games. Merchandise. Sponsorships. Drop into any of the following sessions to learn ways to bring in additional revenue:
Your Logo Here: How to Build a Win-Win Sponsorship Program
• Tuesday, Nov. 17, 5 p.m.-6:15 p.m.
Speakers will explore two different approaches to sponsorship management, plus offer tips on marketing, branding, and measuring return on investment.
Games and Redemption: The Circle of Profitability
• Thursday, Nov. 19, 3:30 p.m.-4:45 p.m.
Hear from FEC managers and consultants on setting up a successful redemption center, including tips on game selection, merchandise, and customer service.
Advice from the Experts
IAAPA Attractions Expo is also a great place to see how other operations measure success. Here are some sessions that will give you a glimpse into the worlds of others:
Business Tune-Up: A 10-Point Checklist for Financial Health
•Monday, Nov. 16, 10:30 a.m.-11:45 a.m. Neva Richardson-Larson of The Sims Group and Edward Bolluijt of Great City Attractions present a nuts-and-bolts checklist of areas to help operators gauge their financial health.
 “In our industry the nickels and dimes are critical,” says Richardson-Larson. “The proper controls and reports have to be in place to be able to make the necessary adjustments in a timely manner. Some of the areas we plan to discuss will include financial reports, expense controls, technology solutions, loss prevention, inventory control, cash management with the primary focus of minimizing risk and reducing cost.”
Industry Veterans Share the Secrets for Success
• Thursday, Nov. 19, 9 a.m.-10:15 a.m.
Charlie Canfield and Dick Knoebel, longtime small-park owners and operators, will share their success secrets running family businesses.
Contact Editor Amanda Charney at acharney@IAAPA.org.
Museums Need Money, Too
With grant and government funding harder to procure, museums need to rethink the way they raise money. During “Not-for-Profit Is a Tax Status Not a Business Plan: 7 Strategies to Increase Your Revenue,” on Monday, Nov. 16, from 9 a.m-10:15 a.m., speakers will share perspectives on how museums can incorporate revenue-generating ideas and features from the attractions world, all while retaining their educational missions.
 “What we’re seeing in the museum worl d is more and more reliance on earned revenue and less on endowments and government support and grants, primarily because they’re drying up,” says Jim Benedick, partner of Profun Management Group, which helps museums with business planning, pricing, throughput analysis, and other aspects of running a successful business. “We’re encouraging these museums to become more commercial and have a business strategy and not just say ‘we’re not-for-profit.’”
He adds entertaining guests doesn’t have to come at the expense of the educational aspect of the museum or science center and that it can help retention when viewing exhibits: “If you entertain, you’re taking a serious subject, making it interactive and entertaining so people are going to take much more away from it than if it’s passive and they’re just reading something. Many times guests will tire of that and move on and not get out of it what you want them to get out of it. We’ve seen that in museums over and over.”
To learn more, listen to Jim Benedick, Chevy Humphrey of the Arizona Sc ience Center, Bob Rogers of BRC Imagination Arts, and John Robinett of Economics Research Associates expound on this topic at IAAPA Attractions Expo 2009. |
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