To understand AEG, you have to first take a look at how AEG describes itself... The Ultimate Fan Experience. Although AEG does many things in the sports and entertainment world, including owning sports teams, promoting concerts, and producing movies, it's primary focus is on the fan experience, and therefore, on the venue. Their list of venues is growing, but two of their most prominent are located here in LA so I've had a chance to experience them firsthand. The Staples Center is home to the NBA's LA Lakers and LA Clippers, as well as the NHL's LA Kings. The Home Depot Center is home to MLS' LA Galaxy and Chivas USA.
The HDC certainly put its best foot forward on Saturday. Beckham's debut was part of a doubleheader called the World Series of Football. It's not often that the Galaxy sell out, but as you can imagine, it was absolutely packed for Beckham. And like everything else that AEG has done around his arrival, it was another well executed day on all fronts. Here are a few examples...
The signing and participation of top flight sponsors such as Samsung & Best Buy...
...and adidas was there in full force as well with a strong presence outside the stadium.
Inside the stadium there were tents that allowed the 27,000 attendees to interact with the sponsors.
And perhaps my favorite... getting LA Sheriffs to hand out Simpson's masks that were used for an in-game promotion for tickets to The Simpson's Movie premier.
Special room was made for the extraordinary amount of media, with ESPN's broadcast studio out in full view.
The outer concourse of the stadium is filled with food and beverage concessions, and is more than adequate to service a sell out...
...oh, and they had a few Beckham shirts available for purchase (both inside and outside the stadium).
There was even a celebrity or two (or twenty) on hand to add to the media buzz.
AEG has designed a superb stadium complex in the HDC. It's perfectly sized and laid out for soccer (though they host other events, such as the X Games, HBO Boxing and concerts, and the adjoining tennis center host a WTA event while the track & field center is home to a Major League Lacrosse team), and it's operated in a way that reeks of class. They truly are delivering an "ultimate fan experience" by utilizing all their assets and executing with excellence. Heck, the day even won over curmudgeon sports writer Bill Plaschke!
3 comments:
Very interesting. I normally go to games on the East Coast, and you are lucky if you get a Hello from some of the staff at events. I have only been to the Home Depot Ctr once and the Staples Ctr once and BOTH were EVENTS!...You certainly felt like your were welcome and the surrounding / venues were made to reflect that feeling...Grins on the ushers faces etc...AEG delivers a unique and consistent effort at all their events...Well done!
Hey Dan,
Nice Stadium. I've noticed a lot of the newer stadiums are incorporating that 'Family atmosphere' and making the event, an EVENT. What a scam on the East coast here. Red Bull's have doubled the price of the L.A. game, and since his injury have put out a disclaimer that he's not gauranteed to play, and tickets are non-refundable.... now there's real family atmosphere for 'ya!!
-JR-
The idea of raising ticket prices for a next-to-last-place team is a dicey strategy. It blew up when the Galaxy played in Dallas, and I'm afraid that the same may happen in NY (and that would be a PR disaster). What these teams should do is just package tickets in a way that you can't just buy tix for the Galaxy game, but must buy them as part of a 2 or 3 game package. Getting people in the seats for numerous games has a much greater long-term benefit than a few extra dollars of revenue.
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