Good Service Matters…Getting People There Matters More

Its been a busy summer for our crew.  Between moving to a new home and planning for our trip to Vegas in August there has been little time to enjoy life.  However this weekend, was our Payton’s 8th birthday and we celebrated by attending two very different events. 

Saturday | Jill worked at Chicagoland Speedway for 8 years before becoming a victim (yeah right, she got a severance package and a summer off) of the economy and was let go with several others in November of 2008.  We decided to make our first trip as spectators to the speedway with our boys, this weekend, for the big event.  

NASCAR events have a lot of excitement to offer, celebrity National Anthem singers, fantastic fly overs and non stop high speed action. It is truly an exciting event.  For several years the Chicagoland Speedway has sold out their weekend event, filling nearly every seat in the place.  “We’re NASCAR,  they will always come”  seems to  have been their approach in the past.   Well as we could tell by this weekend’s attendance, or lack there of, the new car smell has worn off the Chicagoland Speedway and suddenly there are not nearly as many people passing through the gates just because its NASCAR. 

NASCAR and Chicagoland Speedway will need to shift their marketing and promotion efforts into a higher gear to gain the crowds back.  If you build it they will come mentality, just doesn’t work without promoting it, marketing it and working your butt off to gain the average American’s entertainment dollars.  I don’t have the answers for Chicagoland Speedway.  In fact we listened to the race from the parking lot as we  reminisced about the good times we had working at the speedway.  Our family entertainment dollars are limited as well and it would have cost over $500 for our family to pass through the gates and attend the 3 hour event.  We were home in time to watch the final laps on television.

Sunday | Sunday we went to one of  the State of Illinois’ best kept secrets.  Grand Bear Lodge in Utica, Illinois.  Where the hell is Utica you ask, well its only about 40 minutes from I-80 and 1-55 and about 10 minutes off of i-39 in Illinois.  Pretty easy place to get to.  There is not much around Utica, but there is one of Illinois finest State Parks, Starved Rock (see photos above) right across the street from the Grand Bear.    As we toured the property, I was baffled by the lack of people staying at the resort.  The only pool is indoors, but it is a perfect size for a family with younger children and just seems like a great place to relax.  We were there to enjoy the indoor amusement park.  $6 all you could ride, no lines, fun rides and best of all inside = air conditioning.  We experienced some great service at the restaurant and the hotel, but i am still wondering how they stay in business, if during peak vacation season, no one was there. 

We are all quick to blame the economy, but if you  have been to the mall on a Saturday lately you still can’t find a parking spot within a 2 mile radius of the door.  People are still spending money, but you have to work harder and smarter and place much more emphasis on effective and efficient marketing efforts if you want people to leave their homes, spend their money and visit your venue or hotel. 

As a marketer you have to work smarter to get people to attend your event, use your service or buy your product.  As a consumer you have to spend more time finding the best deal and exploring new ways to spend or not spend your entertainment dollar.  T he days of attending the NASCAR event every year because its NASCAR, and its the thing to do, are over. 

Moving foward I’ll be spending more time marketing my personal brand and getting more of you to read this blog.  As consumers who enjoy having fun, my family and I have already began searching for more economical entertainment. 

JakeDaddy