2014 Facilities & Event Management SuperBook

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Presentation technology then and now: Presley in 1974 (left), Jake Owen in 2013 (above) and Brad Paisley this year (right). Photos: Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

And we do this in such a tremendous way that it draws this ever expanding and changing demographic into our show. Last year we partnered with the Texas Department of Agriculture to add Tour of Texas. We took the top regions and put together a major attraction where people could walk through a tour and see the different regions’ topography, crop production, etc. We’re continually looking at ways to increase the involvement of this urban audience in the show.

using the Houston Astrodome’s PA system; I can’t tell you how ur presentation bad it was. His lighting was the sports gondola in the top of the technology in ‘79 was He performed on as cutting edge as it is this Astrodome. a little 16-ft.-deep, 20-ft.-wide year, and that’s key. You stage that was pulled out by a John Deere tractor. People give people unbelievable in the upper levels of the entertainment value for Astrodome were watching him their discretionary dollar.” with binoculars. And that was the presentation technology in 1974. By 1979 we had a centerhung JAM sound system built hat is your social media by McCune Audio from San Francisco. We also had a marketing strategy? sports replay system in ‘79, the first one, and we were able to put an image up on a 42-ft.-wide screen, and hafer: If it’s a social media outlet that’s working, people who were up in the top of the Astrodome were we’re going to be there. We’re not being selective, we’re being inclusive, and I think that’s what you have seeing the type of show that we’re presenting today. We’re doing it tremendously better today with LEDs, to be in social media today. I don’t think anything the new K1 sound system and eight center-hung video changes faster in our marketing world. The “in thing” screens. But what we were doing in ‘79 was as cutting with any segment of a demographic this month may edge as our presentation this year, and that’s the key not be the in thing three months from now. Our to what we’ve been able to do over the years. You give target audience is from age 3 to 80, and I mean that people unbelievable entertainment value for their as literally as I possibly can. We’re going after the discretionary dollar. total family unit out there. So whether it’s traditional, new or emerging media, we’re going to use each o what degree did your move from Astrodome to one of those elements to go after the segment of the NRG Stadium [formerly Reliant Stadium] assist audience that we’re targeting. Obviously social media with the presentation? is hitting a broad segment of our audience, and I’m guessing that this coming year, the primary news hafer: It was a tremendous help for the gathering mechanism for about 70 percent of our presentation, just like it was a big help in 1966 audience will be some form of electronic new media. moving from the Coliseum downtown with 9,000 seats to the Astrodome with 42,000 seats. We moved from ou noted that the show’s improved presentation an Astrodome that had been improved four times and technology has contributed to its recent growth. had 58,000 seats in 2003 to the new 72,000-seat, stateHave upgrades in that area always been a priority? of-the-art Reliant Stadium. And that’s another area where we’ve been extremely fortunate: We have been hafer: My mantra is, continually change your able to partner with great facilities to do this great product and presentation to meet a changing presentation in. —GS demographic. In 1974, Elvis performed at the show

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Facilities & event Management 2014 Superbook


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