I enjoy basketball. I find it to be fun, fast-paced, and energetic. But I go to see baseball the most, and I follow both baseball and soccer more. Why? I can see paying $40 for my family of four to get nosebleed seats to see the Orioles or Nationals, but it would cost me $100 to go to see the Washington Wizards of the NBA, or even the University of Maryalnd’s men’s basketball team play…
But by the way he is running the Washington Wizards, Ted Leonsis is making the NBA relevant in DC. Trade Show and Conference organizers, take note! You can learn a great deal from him about how to engage your participants.
If you look at Ted’s Take – The Wisdom of Our Crowds, you will see how Mr. Leonsis genuinely listens to his customers: the fans and attendees for the forty-one games/events which the Wizards play in DC.
All you #EventProfs out there, be like Ted! Trade Show Organizers and Conference Planners need to learn from Mr. Leonsis. He knows his attendees make his team into a Revenue Generator. Without them, ROI is zero, and the events would soon shut down. Isn’t that true of your trade show or conference? You can learn a lot from his methods of engagement and promotion.
Read up, learn, and Mr. Leonsis, if you are listening, remember, we want to like Pro Basketball. Keep listening, and we will pay to enjoy it.
