My guest today is Giles Edwards from Gasp in London!  We cover a lot of ground and this might be the longest podcast episode in the history of the pod, but it is totally worth it because we cover so much territory like what is proper marketing, strategy before tactics, pricing, ads, brand, and a lot more.  Visit Giles' website at www.gasp4.com and get one of the books that they've worked on like Delusions of Brandeur, Adele Writes an Ad, or How Brands Blow.  Fill out the podcast and newsletter survey to help me deliver more and better value, guests, and ideas. It will take you two minutes and it will help me tremendously.  Get over to my website: www.davewakeman.com and sign up for the newsletter that's FREE and filled with ideas, analysis, and action items to help your business recover.  Hook up with my friends at www.bookingprotect.com to find out how refund protection can give your customers peace of mind and deliver new revenue for your business. Since lockdowns have eased and ended, we've seen customers taking up refund protection at a rate of between 30-70% a month...which is a huge jump from before the pandemic. So talk to the team at Booking Protect and find out how you can add refund protection to your offering.  In this episode, we talk about NPS score. A few months back, I chatted with Patrick Ryan from Eventellect about NPS and customer research. We came together to create an NPS worksheet that you can get by emailing me at Dave@DaveWakeman.com Hook up with my friends at Activity Stream. The Activate email marketing platform is a great tool to help you re-engage with your customers now. So hook up with Martin and the team to find out how you can use email to reconnect with your audience and get back to creating magical moments for your audience. 

Dave Wakeman's The Business of Fun Podcast

Giles Edwards tells me what "proper marketing" really is. We also talk a bit of Spurs!

My guest today is Simon Severino, CEO of StrategySprints.com. We had a great conversation about pricing, strategy, sales acceleration and more.  Let me know what you think about the newsletter and podcast, it helps me give you even better content.  Check out Booking Protect. The consumer purchase data is clear, folks want the peace of mind that refund protection offers them. Depending on the month, between 30-70% of customers have taken up refund protection since tickets have gone on sale after lockdowns. That's up from around 10-15% before the pandemic. That's a dramatic shift in behavior.  In this episode, we talk about NPS score. A few months back, I chatted with Patrick Ryan from Eventellect about NPS and customer research. We came together to create an NPS worksheet that you can get by emailing me at Dave@DaveWakeman.com Hook up with my friends at Activity Stream. The Activate email marketing platform is a great tool to help you re-engage with your customers now. So hook up with Martin and the team to find out how you can use email to reconnect with your audience and get back to creating magical moments for your audience.  Simon Severino and I talk about a bunch of cool stuff today like: * the power of processes * Measuring the correct things * How you can grow your business in just 90 days with the right focus * Pricing power And, more.  You can check out Simon's business at www.strategysprints.com    

Simon Severino talks about doubling sales in 90 days!

Get on my email list and never miss my latest thinking on marketing and selling tickets at http://talkingtickets.substack.com Find out how you can create a new revenue stream and give your customers peace of mind by offering them refund protection at www.bookingprotect.com I put together a NPS worksheet with the folks at Eventellect. Find out how three questions can change your understanding of your business. Send me an email at dave@davewakeman.com The Activate email marketing system will help you reconnect with your audience. Visit www.activitystream.com I've got a returning guest, Derek Palmer, to talk about his new role with Project Admission.  We cover technology in tickets and the way that folks can use technology to help with the expression of their strategy.  We also cover some of the changes and trends in the industry including demand generation, influencers, and a lot more.  Help the podcast and newsletter out by offering up your opinions. 

Derek Palmer talks about distribution and the execution of strategy through technology

Fill out my survey to help me improve the newsletter and podcast: https://forms.gle/mDAEcSNqLW8yMq5e8 My guest today is Dr. Corey Gibbs. A guy I've known a long time has started a new business and we wanted to discuss it. Support Corey's run in NYC by giving to the Ronald McDonald House: https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/ronald-mcdonald-house-new-york-2020-tcs-new-york-city-marathon/coreygibbs1 Check out my friends at Booking Protect: www.bookingprotect.com. Customers are taking refund protection at a rate of over 30% now, showing clearly that they desire the peace of mind that refund protection provides. Find out how you can offer refund protection while creating a new revenue stream for your organization.  Email me: dave@davewakeman.com and get the NPS worksheet I created with my friends at Eventellect. They have an amazing 77 NPS score and we teach you why that matters and how to find out your own.  Check out the Activate email marketing solution from Activity Stream. If you have been communicating with your audience through the pandemic, great! If you haven't, what are you waiting on? Either way, Activate will help you communicate more effectively. Visit www.activitystream.com to find out more.  Get everything Dave Wakeman at Linktree: https://linktr.ee/DaveWakeman

Dr. Corey Gibbs comes back to talk about E3, commodities, customer service, and the 6th strongest bourbon ever produced!

My guest today is Scott Friedman from 'Scott's Takes'.  We fire it up with some hot takes. We cover monopoly power in tickets. We cover strategy before tactics. Incentives that aren't aligned and a lot more.  Check out www.bookingprotect.com. Last week, a new partner signed up and generated $16,000 in revenue from refund protection. Customers are demanding it now.  Send me an email and get the NPS worksheet I created with the folks at Eventellect. Learn what NPS is, why it matters, and how to find out what yours is.  Guess what? Activity Stream has a new US office! That means exciting things are in the works in the US market.  Get 'Talking Tickets' my weekly ticket newsletter. 

Scott Friedman lays down hot takes on theatre marketing, the secondary market, and $6 tickets

I brought back Martin Haigh today to talk about technology and partnerships. Martin has been on before, but we've been talking about the idea of holistic solutions for partnerships and sponsorships. And, we've been pushing a new SXSW panel on the topic.  We discuss what he's doing at Total Ticketing as well. I also think we talk about trying to take a trip to really cool places in Asia! But you'll need to listen to find out where we are thinking about going.  The number of ticket buyers taking up refund protection now is around 33% which is about 50% more than before the pandemic. This points to uncertainty around the pandemic and means you should talk with Booking Protect to find out how you can offer refund protection to your audience. www.bookingprotect.com Get my weekly ticket newsletter, Talking Tickets: http://talkingtickets.substack.com I've teamed up with Eventellect to create a Net Promoter Score worksheet. It is an easy number to measure and use. You gain quantitative and qualitative feedback and if you track your score over time, you can find out if your business is in danger of decline or ready to grow. Send me an email and I will send you a copy.  Check out the Activate email marketing system from Activity Stream. This is a tool that will help you send smarter emails and get your audience back engaged with your shows, tickets, and organization. www.activitystream.com

Martin Haigh talks about partnerships and the need for a holistic solution

This is a shared episode with Eric Fuller's 'True AF' podcast.  We are previewing Ticket Summit and the delta variant.  Get your tickets to Ticket Summit at www.ticketsummit.com Check out my friends at Booking Protect. In March, almost 75% of buyers in the UK picked up refund protection. That's a pretty clear sign that folks are looking for peace of mind as we continue to deal with the pandemic. Talk with Cat, Cath, or Hayley and find out how you can offer refund protection.  I've teamed up with Eventellect to create a worksheet to help you find out what your Net Promoter Score is, why it matters, and what you can learn from surveying your customers. Send me an email at dave@davewakeman.com and I'll send it over to you.  Get my weekly ticket newsletter, Talking Tickets.  Find out how the Activate email marketing tool can help you reconnect with your audience by visiting www.activitystream.com

Eric Fuller and Dave talk about Ticket Summit, discounts, and the Delta

Check out Melinda's site at www.abovethelead.com where she offers you a download with secrets to increase revenue that most businesses miss and a free customer service consultation. I have often felt like customer service is one of the key secrets to success for most businesses and if you don't take advantage of that, you are missing opportunities. Check out my friends at www.bookingprotect.com and find out how you can offer refund protection to your guests.  Email me dave@davewakeman.com and get the NPS worksheet I created in partnership with my friends at Eventellect.  Come to Ticket Summit on August 15-17 and see my panel on pricing. www.ticketsummit.com Hook up with the folks at Activity Stream and find out how the Activate email marketing tool can help you recover from the pandemic. www.activitystream.com

Melinda Holmes talks how customer service is a growth opportunity

My guest today is Lynn Whitbeck from Future Forward Sales. And, we talked about sales in the era of the pandemic!  This was a lot of fun! We laughed, we joked, and I think we educated y'all as well.  Lynn talks about the current environment for sales. We go into prospecting and closing, adding value, and taking action.  We also discuss how Lynn trains folks to be better salespeople and some activities that you can do ASAP to improve your sales efforts.  I've finally relaunched my website: www.davewakeman.com and as a cool offer, I'm giving everyone 30 days of email coaching to promote some of the new offerings I'm making going forward.  Get the NPS worksheet I created in partnership with the folks at Eventellect. It is free and you can get it by emailing me dave@davewakeman.com Check out my friends at Booking Protect. Refund protection uptake has doubled since tickets have started going back on sale. This is a pretty clear indication that people are looking for peace of mind and security in their purchases. So hook up with Booking Protect and find out how you can offer refund protection to your audience.  Don't sleep on the Activate email tool from Activity Stream. You need to engage your audience, now more than ever. And, your data can provide you ways to make your outreach and emails more effective. So check out the new tool from Activity Stream.  Come to Vegas on August 15-17 and visit Ticket Summit. I'm doing a panel on pricing! You're not going to want to miss this. 

Lynn Whitbeck talks about the current sales environment and being better at B2B sales

This is one of my favorite episodes ever: Scott O'Neil. At the time, Scott was CEO of Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment, but he stepped down over the last few weeks to recharge and spend time with his family.  This actually makes the fact that we spent more time talking about his book, Be Where Your Feet Are, that much more relevant.  We cover a lot of ground from teaching and leadership to the power of coaching kid's sports. We talk about the importance of relationships, being a mentor, and making mistakes.  I found this conversation personally powerful and I really enjoyed getting to talk with Scott because at the end of it, I felt you will know both of us better.  Get Scott's book. I stayed up late reading it the night before we talked and it really stuck with me.  Check out everything I'm doing by hitting up my Linktree.  Connect with my friends at Booking Protect. Their data shows that folks are taking up refund protection at a rate that is about double what it was before the pandemic. This tells me people desire the peace of mind that refund protection provides. So talk with Cat, Cath, or Haley!  Get the NPS worksheet I've created with my friends at Eventellect by sending me an email: dave@davewakeman.com. The Eventellect team is in my corner about the power of market research to find out why your customers appreciate you and the work you do and to find ways to deliver more value. So send me an email and get the worksheet.  Take a look at Activate. It is the new email marketing tool by the folks at Activity Stream. Activate will help you reconnect with your customers, better know what they want, and give you an advantage as your organization emerges from the pandemic. 

Scott O'Neil talks about leadership, coaching his daughter's basketball team, and the pandemic (Repost)

My guest today is an old friend, an OG The Business of Fun guest, Martin Gammeltoft.  I wanted to talk with Martin about the new tool from Activity Stream, Activate!. This is a cool tool that will help you use Activity Streams platform to craft better, more compelling email campaigns.  We cover the challenge of recovery. We talk about lessons learned. Martin gives me credit for a new idea called "Barriers to Use" which I gladly accept.  Check out www.activitystream.com to find out more.  Look into www.bookingprotect.com and find out how to offer your guests refund protection. Simon tells me that people are taking up refund protection at a rate that is almost double what it was before the pandemic.  Get the Net Promoter Score worksheet I've created with the folks at Eventellect. NPS is a really good, simple measure of where your business is. Eventellect has a 77 which is unbelievable. Send me an email at dave@davewakeman.com and I'll hook you up with a copy.  Come see me at Ticket Summit in August. I'm hosting a pricing panel with some great guests from around the industry. We have some new data and new examples. And, the cool thing is that the ALSD will be going on at the same time and they are sharing a trade show floor. So go to www.ticketsummit.com and get your tickets. 

Martin Gammeltoft talks about email marketing to re-ignite your customer relationship

I'm my own guest today doing a audio recording of my presentation on pricing.  I cover discounts, data, price integrity, perception, and more!  I'm doing a Q&A later this week, so send me your questions at dave@davewakeman.com Check out my friends at www.bookingprotect.com See what Einar, Martin, and the team at Activity Stream are up to at www.activitystream.com Get the NPS worksheet I created with my friends at Eventellect by sending me an email. 

Dave Wakeman Talks Post-Pandemic Pricing

Today's guest is Kate Howard from Eventellect!  Kate did me a favor because the initial conversation we had got eaten by the dead computer gods! But that worked out for all of us because we were able to talk about the latest things going on with reopening, pricing, and lessons that Eventellect is learning as tickets are selling more consistently.  We also went into one of my favorite topics: pricing. We talked about pricing right, my distaste of discounts, and how you can use data to price more effectively.  We also hit on partnerships, market research, segmentation, and taking our kids to games.  We joke around a lot, but this one was a lot of fun.  Get the NPS worksheet that I've teamed up with Eventellect to create by emailing me at dave@davewakeman.com  Get my weekly ticket newsletter, Talking Tickets. https://talkingtickets.substack.com Offer your guests refund protection by talking with my friends at Booking Protect.  Talk to the Activity Stream team and find out how you can turn your data into magical moments and check out the new Activate email marketing tool.  I'll be at Ticket Summit, August 15-17. Get your tickets now! 

Kate Howard talks pricing and partnerships

My guest today is the boy, Cormac!  He wanted to come on and talk about sports business and sports marketing.  So we go through his favorite live events. We go through why he loves the AFL. And, how to win over fans of the future.  Check out my friends at Booking Protect. Refund protection has doubled since tickets have started going back on sale because customers want some reassurance. Don't miss out on sales.  Get the worksheet I've put together with my friends at Eventellect. We both know that NPS is one of the most powerful tools you can use to change your business and grow your value. So we've created a worksheet to teach you how to use NPS for yourself. Email me and I'll send it over. Check out my friends at Activity Stream and their new email tool, Activate! It will help you turn insights into magical moments! 

Cormac Wakeman talks AFL and what kids like about live sports!

My guest today is Mark Herschberg. He's written a book great for this moment in time, The Career Toolkit.  We cover a lot of ground about how you can recover from the pandemic personally, become a better leader, win at negotiation, and use the power of compounding interest to achieve your goals. We also hit on ethics, communications, and a lot more.  Check out my friends at Booking Protect. Refund protection uptake is almost double what it was before the pandemic. Don't miss sales by not giving people peace of mind.  Activate is the new tool from Activity Stream and it will help you email market more effectively.  Eventellect agrees with me, your NPS score can change your business. Find out how by email me and getting our FREE worksheet to discover your NPS Score. Dave@davewakeman.com Get my weekly ticket newsletter, Talking Tickets. 5 top stories! Analysis! And more! Don't miss an issue! 

Mark Herschberg talks about getting your career back on track after the pandemic

When you work in entertainment, you are in the business of fun. This podcast will focus on the challenges and opportunities associated with helping your customers create memories and special moments. We will talk about sports, theatre, performing arts, and other forms of entertainment, highlighting the best ideas in marketing live experiences, creating long-term customers, and growing revenues.

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Dave Wakeman's The Business of Fun Podcast

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