Richmond Flying Squirrels x CarMax Park
The Flying Squirrels are making a new nest at CarMax Park and asked us to make recommendations to promote CarMax Park for non-sporting events.
Teammates: Meagan Hamilton (ST), Cliff Maske (ST), Srija Kothakonda (CBM)
Campaign
Develop recommendations for utilizing CarMax Park for special events beyond baseball
Objective
Research Methodologies
Desktop Research
Background research, competitor review, live entertainment category
98 respondents
Reddit, Facebook groups, Instagram, survey websites
Survey
20 Man-On-The-Street Interviews
Carytown, Scott’s Addition, The Fan, Hardywood Park Brewery
Street Interviews
Four 30-minute interviews
With 4 event planners in Richmond, VA
In-Depth Interviews
We decided to break down our research into 2 buckets:
Breaking Through The Noise: competitors and how to stand out
Event Logistics: the planning process for planners and goers and the overall experience
Insights
Events that are too broad struggle to highlight what makes them unique to Richmond, causing them to blend into the noise. It’s no longer about quantity, it’s about quality.
Events that prove successful year after year are unique to Richmond and its people and appeal to a particular niche.
Inconsistent layouts create confusion and disrupt the experience, potentially discouraging attendees from returning
Event Planners
People choose venues that value their time and money as much as they do
Attending events has become less about discovery and more about familiarity.
People want venues to serve as a vehicle for connection with the people they attend events with.
Event Goers
Recommendations
Convenience comes from consistency.
Bad experiences kill events, forever.
People only have so much time, money, and attention, don’t waste it.
Meet Expectations
Local music festivals
Food festivals
Local maker markets
Event Type Suggestions
Cultural festivals
Hobby conventions
Pop-up bar events
Key Takeaways
Events can’t be everything to everybody.
Put on events that get niche groups and communities excited
People use events as an aid to connect.
Providing a safe, smooth event experience will allow attendees to focus on enjoying their time.
Richmond loves local.
Root your marketing and events in Richmond’s local pride and desire to support community members.
We presented to the Executive Director of Fan Engagement and Director of Partnership Solutions and Marketing and were chosen as their favorite for our objective.
Client Feedback
How The Clients Rated Us
5/5
Professionalism
5/5
Quality of Research Findings
5/5
Strength of Strategic Recommendations
Initial Reactions
“Really like the in-depth interviews with event planners in Richmond.“
“Loved that as part of their introductions they mentioned how long they've each lived here! That really stood out!“
Client Comments
Strongest Parts of the Presentation
“Really like reframing the question to 'how do we stand out in a saturated market. Great insights to issues facing the event industry as a whole, from really great Richmonders. Really interesting point that event going is more about familiarity and not discovery.”
“Terrific job surveying and questioning event planners, folks who run event venues as well as event goers. A really important audience to get feedback from! The approach of how to stand out in a saturated event market was informative and helpful to hear with great suggestions based on these findings like more niche focused events, quality over quantity and what leads to decision making.“
Additional Comments
“I really like the rec to niche down and not trying to appeal to literally everyone all at once. ”
“Again just a great job on the thoughtfulness of who they surveyed!”
