Entertainment District’s Culture Goes From Nonexistent to Bold, Proud and Experience-obsessed
The new CEO of an entertainment district arrived to find the organization’s employees lacked enthusiasm for their jobs. He knew an improvement in employee morale would improve customer retention and acquisition and increase sales. He needed help to address this challenge.
Employees are the face of any organization. The employees of this entertainment district and its venues interact with the general public at every event. If employees aren’t enjoying their day, it affects both customer reviews and sales.
Kane Communications Group conducted research with employees in order to build an employee communication and engagement program designed to breathe life and fun into the organization, making the district a great place to work and a place customers would keep coming back to again and again.
An entertainment district located in the Midwest was created under state statute to fund, build and operate a convention center, arena and theatre that would build the state’s professional reputation in the convention, entertainment and sporting events industry locally and nationally, contributing to increased revenue for Wisconsin tourism. With new entertainment venues being built in other cities, competition for big shows and conventions was tight. Booking and tour managers took customer reviews and client experience feedback on venues seriously. It was clear that if the venue’s employee was having a bad day, it rubbed off on the customer. And the opposite effect was just as true. This entertainment district needed to turn around its culture of disengaged employees quickly, or it could see a swift decline in customer retention.
This district’s new CEO wanted to do everything possible to create a great employment experience that would have a positive effect on the district’s customers and increase sales in the long-run. He wanted to know, “How could we build a culture filled with engaged employees who are enthusiastic about each day on the job?”
SOLUTION
Kane conducted surveys and focus groups with employees that accomplished three things:
Set a benchmark for where employee enthusiasm and engagement was today, using employee net promoter scores
Set a benchmark for where employee understanding of the organization’s mission and vision was today
Gather information about their preferred methods of communication and engagement
Additionally, Kane held a focus group with employees to further flesh out details from the survey related to employee communications and engagement. Employees discussed past practices, ideas and mechanisms that they felt would be adopted by their peers.
Kane then spent time with the district’s new president and leadership team to gather information about their vision for the organization and how employees played a role in realizing it. Their vision was to be recognized for providing superb, captivating and buzzworthy experiences. We then spent time crafting succinct, clear messaging for employees that showed them how they could operationalize the company’s values and be a part of realizing its vision and driving its business goals.
A rollout plan was developed, looping in all of the information Kane received from employees about the most effective methods and strategies for communication within their organization. Key in this rollout plan was a plan to re-survey employees annually to measure progress in enthusiasm, engagement and understanding of the organization’s mission.
RESULTS
In spring, after two of the organization’s largest events to-date, the district held its very first all-employee rally in one of the organization’s venues.
More than 200 employees were in attendance as the new CEO unveiled the organization’s new vision plan and employees’ roles in it.
Findings of the employee surveys were shared with employees – demonstrating the hand they played in building the new vision and culture.
Employees were excited and curious about what was happening. One employee noted that the vision roll-out event “felt different and special,” and that this was the first time in a long time that all district employees were gathered together in one room.
Senior staff are going through “brand ambassador training,” and working together to find solutions to challenges presented in the survey.
Per the plan, the district has rolled out regular employee communication channels – demonstrating action from employee suggestions in surveys and focus groups.
The next employee survey is already on the calendar for year-end, upon which we will measure progress and changes in employee engagement and enthusiasm.