The ‘Guestology’ quotient in venues

Article posted by Coliseum, December 5^th, 2024

Image: Coliseum GSVA

Steve Davies propounds that if the venues can make the guest experience more personal the guests will want to come back again. The venues will have to create that aura of magic for the guests to feel home at venues.

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In a top-notch role with the Chester Race Company Limited, he argues that the ‘Guest Obsession’ factor is very important in the sport world and the venues can offer much more to the guests outside of the actual sporting activity per se. With extensive experience in the visitor attraction industry, Davies knows the art of keeping the guests entertained.

Davies is an advocate of all round guest experience and believes from the moment one buys a ticket to an event all the way to getting home from an event we have a responsibility to give guests the best possible experience. He goes above and beyond to provide the guests a memorable experience.

Steve Davies is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Chester Race Company. Three racecourses and conference and event spaces are under his purview. He has 16 years of experience in the visitor attraction industry and four years in the sports field.

In an exclusive discourse with ‘Coliseum’, Steve Davies, COO, Chester Race Company, UK, says that the sports world have a lot to learn from the visitor attraction industry in context with providing the guests a truly immersive experience. His formula is that the moment the guest buys a ticket to an event to getting back home from the event he/she should enjoy the fondest moments in a venue which will remain with them as treasure trove of memories.

Chester Race Company Limited

Chester (UK)-based the Chester Race Company Limited is a dynamic, constantly evolving organization with an ever-expanding portfolio. The company owns three racecourses (the 2,000-capacity Chester Racecourse in Chester, England, the 600-capacity Bangor-on-Dee Racecourse in Bangor-on-Dee, Wales, and the 70,000-plus capacity Musselburgh Racecourse in Musselburgh, Scotland), and an on-course hotel – the Holiday Inn Express.

Guestology

Steve Davies swears by the guest experience which the multinational media and entertainment company Disney offers. The Walt Disney World contains numerous recreational facilities designed to attract visitors for an extended stay.

Stated Davies, “The sports world has a lot to learn from the visitor attraction industry – the roller coaster rides which makes for an amazing day. Sports are just a part of a fully immersive experience and the guests want much more in a venue than just watching a game. It is all about creating lasting, memorable experiences for the guests in a venue which they can narrate to their children or grandchildren. It creates loyalty for generations to come.”

Guest Obsession

‘Guest Obsession’ is about every decision arrived at centering on the guest, arriving at the right decisions for the guests who come to the venues – “We train our teams to look at guests who come to the venue as someone who is invited to someone’s home to attend a particular occasion and to lend a very personal touch to them. The guests need to feel special and be treated as individuals. Disney is fantastic in doing this. They revolve their service around what the guests want but more importantly what they need. They should not just be thrown in a group.”

Personal Touch

Davies goes on to narrate that at the Chester Race Company “we are trying to bring the visitor attraction stuff into the sporting world. When the tickets are scanned the guests are always greeted with the words ‘Welcome Back’. It makes the racegoers feel special. We also ask our guests their name and try calling them by their names to lend a more personal touch. In the sports arenas too we should make it a practice of talking to the guests when they are about to exit the venue and say ‘Goodbye, Have A Nice Day, Have A Safe Journey Home’. I think that would really create a moment of magic for them.”

Sum-up

Steve Davies finished off by stating, “We should be able to create ‘Wow Moments’ for the guests and stop people in their tracks. Simple, basic things can create wow moments for the visitors as well as a 360 degree immersive experience.”

He underscored that the guests visit to the venues or the places of visitor attractions should basically be a trip away from reality – “People should forget about the worries of their day-to-day lives and dive into an immersive world. The theme parks do that by offering a 360 degree experience. Remember, the guest is always more important than a customer. It doesn’t have to cost a lot to create magic and the teams should be well-trained to behave well with the guests. I think if we can bring that guest experience which the visitor attraction industry offers to the sports world we are going to get a lot more people coming in droves to the venues. It will take a lot of practice to do this and one should really believe in it.”

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