Operations and Services
One of the primary assignments for the Operations and Services course was to create a detailed account of significant touch points needed to enhance the fan experience at a venue. Identifying the touch points of a facility is an important factor that leaders can control to maximize their potential earnings and positive customer engagement. Select the “Primary Artifact” button below to view the final project for this course. A summary of the course and a reflection on the artifact is below as well.
Author: Lee Brimmage
Date: March 5, 2021
PRT 512 | Spring 2021
Summary
The Operations and Services course was a phenomenal elective to take for the PRTM degree program. It was a nice change of pace and the course material was very interesting. Our course instructor, Mr. Dave Olsen, did a great job of creating a very conversational and engaging online environment during our class meetings. This was a class were it felt as if you were having a deep conversation with some old friends about work and life, but in this case it primarily focused on Venue Management. The real-world scenarios and focus on current events is what really took this class to the next level. We were actually able to learn exactly how policies, procedures, and regulations are applied at an existing facility - PNC Arena. It was so cool to see all of the frontend and backend work that is done to make a facility really come to life and be able to host these incredible shows and sporting events. Mr. Dave Olsen providing his personal perspective and behind-the-scenes look into operations of PNC Arena as the General Manager was truly engaging and quite inspiring. This course was truly unique and I learned so much about game day operations, touch points, fan experience, scheduling, crisis management, staff training, recruitment, sponsorships, and so much more! I would have loved to been able to experience this course in a face-to-face setting, but I couldn’t have imagined a better online experience than what was provided. The PRT 512 course was definitely an amazing experience!
Reflection
One of the primary reasons I was so excited to take this course was because of the positive feedback I received from PRTM student alumni at the cohort orientation. Being a sports fanatic, I was truly looking forward to the opportunity to see how PNC Arena worked on a daily basis and how the staff prepared for game days! While taking this course I learned a lot that I would be able to apply to some future aspirations that I have for the county in which I reside. Serving as Parks and Recreation co-director, I am currently working on building the highly anticipated athletics complex for our rural community. This is a grand undertaking and a big deal for our small community and our staff is so enthusiastic about getting this project started! The PRT 512 course has helped me think about the policies and procedures that we need to put in place to ensure safety, create a positive fan experience, recruit passionate staff, and most importantly booking and scheduling games, practices, and future tournaments. The timing of this course couldn’t have been more perfect and walking through each of the key touch points and venue management concepts in our assignments has helped me proactively plan on our approach for our facility. I have utilized each assignment of this course as a guideline during the planning process of our athletics complex. Once again, the PRTM degree program has really shined and excelled at giving projects that are practical for real-world use and immediately applicable in our current workplace.
