Social Media Use In Sports And Entertainment Venues

Introduction

The aim of this paper is to uncover how social media is used, managed, and perceived by sports and entertainment venue (SEV) managers. While there has been much written about the pervasiveness of social media in our culture, and there is scattered evidence of companies, politicians, and charitable organizations reaping the benefits of social media, not much is known about how venue professionals use and manage social media to market their facilities, events, and gatherings within them.

Ultimately, this paper reveals how social media is administered and perceived among managers of various types of facilities in the USA, including arenas, stadiums, performing art centers, and convention centers. It begins by discussing the pressures faced by SEVs as they are called upon to not only rent their facility, but to also promote and co-promote events, during a turbulent time in the live event and music industry. Social media is then defined and suggested as an alternative to traditional marketing strategies due to its growth among consumers and effectiveness in some businesses. After reporting the methods and results of a survey of 383 venue managers, the paper concludes by discussing the main findings and implications for venue managers.

Literature Review

SEVs under pressure

Effective marketing is no longer an option for SEVs; it is a necessity. More and more venues are taking on the role and associated risks of promoting or co-promoting events. According to industry experts, the world's largest booking agencies are looking for (and leaning toward) venues with a highly competent staff to fulfill an integrated marketing strategy that includes the resources of the talent, the promoter, and the venue.

While such an arrangement is beneficial, only 32 NFL stadiums, 30 major league baseball franchises, and 57 arenas host major professional sports teams (e.g. NBA, WNBA, NHL, AFL, MISL); the remaining SEVs, including small market venues and performing art centers, do not benefit from league marketing. Having a major league anchor tenant however, does not guarantee success for large market arenas, stadiums, or amphitheaters. To maximize capacity and offset debt and overhead, SEVs have to fill available dates with concerts, events, and gatherings; quite a challenge given the current state of the live entertainment industry.

The attention-grabbing headline on the cover of an August 2010 issue of Billboard magazine summarized the pressures facing live entertainment, and the venues that host these shows: "Cruel summer: tickets sales down, tour dates cancelled, can the concert business bounce back." Emblematic of the woes facing the concert business, industry executives reported that 13 of 32 shows on the Lilith tour were cancelled due to soft ticket sales. The world's largest promoter, Live Nation, also reported a 12 percent decline in unit (ticket) sales in the first half of 2010, while also warning investors that ticket sales could be down as much as 15 percent in the second half of 2010 (Petouhoff, 90).

Social Media

self-described "general" definition of social media is a "group of internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological ...