“We had two main goals in the design of the first ever site for KeyArena: first, to interact with the viewer and improve their ticket purchasing experience; and secondly, to build a user interface that is equal parts informative and entertaining,” stated Stevi Boskovich, Marketing Manager for AEG Facilities at KeyArena.

The newly launched website, www.KeyArena.com, is on the forefront of the industry with its new intimate website design, amenities and special features:

• On the Spot Interactive Seating
• Facebook Integration allowing website visitors to add and comment on events through their Facebook Profiles
• Quick updates of upcoming events and event news
• Virtual Video Library
• Contesting System to allow website visitors to win tickets to upcoming KeyArena events
• Easy-to-use navigation and compatibility with the latest web browsers and mobile devices

“Our charge from the beginning was to create an emotionally engaging experience that represents the long history that KeyArena has as the home of sports and entertainment in Seattle,” stated James Sack, President, carbonhouse, inc.

Congratulations to KeyArena on the new site!

Fuel Up

Every industry and profession in the world has conferences. If you are in a licensed profession then chances are that you have to attend conferences, classes, and seminars to maintain your certification. For the rest of us, a conference is a vital part of staying ahead of the curve.

A conference of any kind is only has good as you make it. A well-run conference will have an agenda that is timely, informative, and on topic with current trends and advancements. If you attend these sessions then you should walk away with new ideas that can not only help your company but will help you with your career advancement. If you feel like you are in a rut, then go to a conference and re-charge your creative batteries.

Networking

Networking is always a big part of any conference. It’s not just about hanging with friends and business partners. It’s about meeting new people. It’s about sharing ideas. When you have an opportunity to talk face-to-face you will find that many of your colleagues have the same issues. You have a relaxed setting to share these issues and ideas.

You could also use a conference to pitch new business and maintain current clients. If you plan accordingly you can “kill two birds with one stone”. You can save travel expenses by getting several face-to-face meetings at one conference.

EAMC 2009 at Colorado Springs

The Event and Arena Marketing Conference is coming up June 10th thru June 13th in Colorado Springs. carbonhouse is a sponsor of the conference. We sponsor this for two reasons: 1) we want to expose and market our product to this industry. 2) We want to learn as much as possible about the industry. We need to stay as up-to-speed as you do. We need to hear from our current clients and potential clients. We take this info back to the office where we can create new products that the event and entertainment industry needs to market in the 21st Century.

We hope you will join us at this year’s conference. We plan to be part of a panel session discussing online sales & marketing. We also will host a breakout presentation on what we can do for you. If you see us at the bar, tell us you read this blog and we will buy you a drink. Cheers!

EAMC 2009 Registration

Author: James Sack

The elements that carbonhouse has brought to our new site are amazing.

Meegan Ditton, Marketing Director, AT&T Center

carbonhouse recently completed the new website for the AT&T Center in San Antonio. The venue is home to the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs, WNBA’s Silver Stars and the San Antonio Rampage hockey team.

The venue is beyond pleased with the new site.  When asked about the overall take on the new AT&T Center website  and its features, Marketing Director Megan Ditton replied, “The new AT&T Center website it out of this world!  It is so easy to use and navigate and it has all of the assets that we were missing with our old website.  The look is so crisp and fresh that it gives that “wow” factor when people open the page for the first time.  Its features allow us to house so much information on our site and really interact with our viewers.  It allows us to do promotions, blog, post videos and so much more.  We are so happy with it and we know it will make a huge difference in our marketing efforts.”

The marketing team at AT&T Center wanted to take things a step further and create something special.  “They wanted to leave a lasting impression on their clientele and captivate visitors,” said Brandon Lucas, Principal at carbonhouse.  “So we created the Backstage Club feature.”  The Backstage Club is a private area that AT&T Center customers can sign up for that allows them to get behind-the-scenes information on their favorite shows.  This club will give them special offers, set lists, and photos and videos from the shows. Not to mention that the club will drive additional traffic to the site and create repeat visits due to the unique content.  “We are very happy with the way that our Backstage Club has worked out.  We are getting people signed up and it will really help add to our database,” said Ditton.

The reoccurring theme for venues choosing to work with carbonhouse is the ease of utilizing the Venuelements website platform.  Ditton said, “The elements that carbonhouse has brought to our new site are amazing.  It is so easy to go in and modify the site and make updates.  It is also efficient that changes can be made from anywhere that you have internet access including a phone.  We love that the site includes Google analytics and that it does such a great job showcasing our events and the building itself.  We have always been impressed with the professionalism that carbonhouse has shown us in the time that they took to make sure our site was exactly what we wanted.”

“We have not visited an arena that had so many colors and things that caught your eye.  We knew we were in San Antonio once we saw the southwestern themes and the festival flags.  We would have done a disservice to the arena and community if these elements were not added to the look and feel,” said James Sack, carbonhouse Principal/Creative Director.  Each building and city has its own unique qualities, especially San Antonio, known for Fiesta San Antonio, of the nation’s largest festivals.  carbonhouse wanted to incorporate a bit of that character into the site, and the site visit made this clear.  “When they came in for a site visit, they were very careful to take pictures of specific building elements that they later incorporated into the site.  They were great about listening to our needs and working with us on every element”, explained Ditton.

“We are far from finished with the site. We are looking forward to launching an interactive seating chart in the near future,” said Sack.

When asked about making a recommendation Ditton simply states, “I would definitely recommend carbonhouse to other venues.”

Visit AT&T Center website at attcenter.com.

There’s not a bad seat in the house!

Brandon Lucas, Partner and Business Director

Made the trek down to Alpharetta/Atlanta a couple weekends ago to meet up with some old friends and visit a client venue of ours, Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park.

I’ve been to a lot of amphitheaters over the years (for business and pleasure) and to be quite honest I was expecting more of the same. And then I got there. My reaction was….THIS is what an outdoor amphitheatre should be and feel like.

The facility looks like a transformer coming out of the middle of the wilderness. Tree completely surround it once inside. It has a one-of-a-kind white, patchwork roof that works wonders in combination with the lighting during a show. There’s the old cliché comment every venue rattles off, “There’s not a bad seat in the house”, which is sometimes true and sometimes not…..in this case it’s 100% more than TRUE. 7,000 covered seats and 5,000 lawn. That’s only 12,000, perfect size! This place has hosted the Eagles, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Rush and on the day I was there Boston & Styx. So, not only is the place beautiful and unique, it’s an intimate place to see acts that generally perform at places much larger. And the most incredible part? There are real, living, towering trees on the lawn!

Driving home I had tons of ideas flowing through my head on how we can further help the ASO make the website that we built for them [see it: www.VZWAMP.com] as over-the-top as the venue itself. I was blown away!