Last week, our community delved into a variety of engaging discussions. A primary focus was on optimizing talent pathways, with members sharing strategies to enhance recruitment and development. The introduction of a game day incident command playbook template sparked interest, showcasing innovative approaches to streamline event management. Additionally, the transition to cashless environments during game days and the implications of live captions on strategy were significant topics of conversation.
This Week’s Hot Topics
Tightening our talent pathway
Members are debating how to refine systems to identify and nurture talent more efficiently. This topic is crucial for staying competitive in the sports industry. Read more here
Game day incident command playbook template
This thread offers insights into structuring a command protocol for game days, which is vital for smooth operations and safety. Read more here
Two-minute callback promise is working
A discussion on improving customer service with quick response times, highlighting real-world successes in our field. Read more here
Catapult crowned our coach
Exploring how data analytics tools like Catapult are shaping coaching decisions and enhancing team performance. Read more here
Mascot stole my run-of-show
A light-hearted look at managing unexpected disruptions, offering insights on adaptability and quick thinking. Read more here
Who pulled off the first fully cashless game day
A pioneering case study of the first fully cashless game day and its impact on operations and fan experience. Read more here
When live captions bench your strategy
Discusses the challenges and benefits of implementing live captions, and how they might impact game strategy. Read more here
Leverage points in rookie and short-term deals
Examining negotiation tactics specific to rookie contracts and short-term player agreements. Read more here
Dialing in midweek fueling for recovery
Insights into optimizing nutrition strategies during the week to ensure athlete recovery and performance. Read more here
Looking forward to another week of engaging discussions. Your contributions make our community invaluable.
And we ran our first fully cashless night in October; putting two ‘cash-to-card’ kiosks at the main gates and a roaming POS SWAT to swap dead readers in under 90 seconds made the difference — fans treated the kiosks like ATMs and the ‘I only have cash’ panic vanished. Small caveat: per @JamalR’s incident command template, pre-write a ‘1-line PA + QR to FAQ’ script for network hiccups and assign a runner for each bowl to avoid choke points.
Cashless went smoother for us once we baked a POS outage tree into the incident command playbook with one radio channel for escalations… @kstone98, moving the cash-to-card kiosk just past the main gates plus clear ‘no-fee’ signage cut confusion, but we still carry a few sealed ‘cash exception’ envelopes for seniors or ADA cases. One more tip: a pregame SMS with kiosk locations trimmed first-quarter lines by about 20%.
Quick add from our November pilot: we put a tiny “How to pay” QR on tickets and built a one-page cashless SOP in the new playbook template; questions at stands dropped 30% by halftime. Building on @kstone98’s escalation channel, we enabled 10-minute offline mode with a $50 cap so lines didn’t stall during micro-outages. Caveat: suite patrons balked at the tip prompt, so we hid gratuity on comped items to keep service moving.